‘Always turned out in style!’: Old photograph of loco pilot posing in front of Trivandrum Express takes Twitterati back in time

Railway bureaucrat Ananth Rupanagudi has shared an old photograph of a loco pilot posing in front of a locomotive and it took several users to the bygone days as many penned down their nostalgia.

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The photograph took several users to the bygone days and many penned down their nostalgia.

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Manoeuvring a locomotive is not an easy task as it requires high technical knowledge, vigilance and alacrity. As India takes pride in its railway network system, reminiscing old days when loco pilots used to slay it in style, Railway bureaucrat Ananth Rupanagudi has shared an old photograph on Twitter.

The black and white photograph features a loco pilot posing in front of a locomotive. Donning a hat on his head, rimmed glasses, shorts, and a tucked-in shirt, he stands with his right foot on the majestic train. Holding his hands on his waist, he is seen standing tall and proud as steam spews out of the train.

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Rupanangudi mentioned in his tweet that the photograph was taken in the 1950s and it featured the Metre Gauge (YP 2381) Trivandrum Express. “The drivers of the mail and express trains always turned out in style! This is the pose of a driver of the Metre Gauge (YP 2381) Trivandrum Express sometime in the 1950s. The Madras-Quilon MG line was extended up to Trivandrum on 4 January 1918,” read his tweet.

The drivers of the mail and express trains always turned out in style! This is the pose of a driver of the Metre Gauge (YP 2381) Trivandrum Express sometime in the 1950s. The Madras-Quilon MG line was extended up to Trivandrum on 4 January 1918. @SachinKalbag @aparanjape pic.twitter.com/F4F5RZoe93

— Ananth Rupanagudi (@Ananth_IRAS) December 24, 2022

While the line extended only till Chalai, a key trading centre then turned into a market now, in 1931, the terminus was shifted to Thampanoor. “The trains used to reach Trivandrum via the Shencottah-Quilon line,” he added in the comments section.

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The photograph took several users to the bygone days and many penned down their nostalgia. A user commented, “During my childhood I was enamoured by the body language and mannerisms of engine drivers. For some period of my life my goal was to become an engine driver.”

Another user wrote, “Now, yes. At that time, they were called Firemen and then Drivers.”

A third user commented, “Lovely picture. I remember times when you return home after a journey hauled by steam locomotive. The first thing to do is wash up and a layer of dark particles will fill the floor.. smelling like a coal stack too. The life of the pilot would have been tough.”

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