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Journalism of Courage
The Old Yamuna bridge: A relic of the Raj
The old Yamuna Bridge or Bridge No. 249 in technical railway parlance, was constructed in 1866 by the East India Railway at a cost of pound;16,16,335. It was built with a total length of 2,640 feet and consisted of 12 spans of 202.5 feet each. With the completion of this bridge, two principal cities of North India, Kolkata and Delhi, were connected by the Railways; this being the last link of the trunk line on this route. In 1913, this was converted into a double line by adding down line girders of 12 spans of 202 feet each and 2 end spans of 42 feet to the bridge. For the movement of road traffic, two road bridges were provided below the lines. The entry of trains into Delhi Junction Railway Station, in such close proximity to the Red Fort, never ceases to impress the rail traveller, reminding all that after the Uprising of 1857, Delhi was a fortified city. The old Yamuna Bridge has an identical twin, a bridge further downstream at Naini on the Allahabad 8212; Mughalsarai section of the now North Central Railways. The old Yamuna Bridge, with its huge iron girders, will be history when the new bridge, under construction a little way upstream on the Yamuna, becomes operational. But it would certainly not mean curtains for this iron monster and it will continue to remain one of the most famous landmarks of the city. Its role will be limited to carrying road traffic from East Delhi to Central Delhi and back.
8212; MANISH TIWARI, Director
INFORMATION 038; PUBLICITY, MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
Sushil Kumar8217;s bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics reminded us not only of our country8217;s wrestling heritage but also of the contribution the Indian Railways have made towards this sport. While Sushil Kumar is the most recent railwayman to don Indian colours, perhaps the most outstanding and well known of all Railway wrestlers has been Bishamber Singh, who was the leading wrestler of his time in the 1960s. An eminent wrestler, coach and technical expert, and Arjuna Award winner, Bishamber Singh died in 2004 at the age of 61. An akhara wrestler, he was able to adapt to modern freestyle wrestling and won laurels in the 57 kg category. He first came into prominence when he won the Hind Kesari title in 1962, followed by a 6th position in the Tokyo Olympiad in 1964, which also resulted in his being nominated for the Arjuna Award the same year. In 1966, he won a gold medal at the Jamaica Commonwealth Games. In 1967, he won a silver medal at the FILA World Wrestling Championship in the 57 kg freestyle wrestling category, the only Indian till date to do so. Coincidentally, the 1967 championships were conducted in New Delhi. Bishamber Singh retired from the Indian Railways as a Sports Officer a year before his death. A week prior to his untimely demise, Bishamber was presented in absentia the Bhishma Pitama Award by the Indian Style Wrestling Association of India.
8212; J L Singh, retired railway official
Did you know?
Jodhpur Railway was the only state railway entrusted with the construction, maintenance and operation of British Indian lines
In 1942, the Bharuch-Jambusar Railway created history as it was a rare instance of a British-owned railway system being passed on to a native state
Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, the present maharaja of Vadodara, received a priceless gift on his fifth birthday some 60 years ago from his father, Pratapsinh Gaekwad. The gift was a fully functional toy train that ran on ten inch gauge rails. The young prince and his siblings used the train to travel from Laxmi Vilas Palace to the palace school, which incidentally, is now the Fatehsinh Museum. The steam locomotive can be seen even today on the museum grounds
Maharaja Jaswant Singh was the first Indian king to have built a railway in his kingdom
8212; Vikas Singh, railway enthusiast
