Samastipur (and onwards), India, 29/12/1993

Photographs of locomotives at Samastipur locomotive shed and trains at Samastipur Junction station and a couple of other stations, north India.

The group arrived in Muzzaffarpur where a visit to another sugar mill nearby had not been possible.  So instead, some went into town to have a look around and see what there was to buy.  However, the real railway enthusiasts caught a local train to Samastipur where there was a locomotive shed still servicing steam locomotives.

The locomotive shed at Samastipur was for the metre gauge and was active with classes YP 4-6-2 and YG 2-8-2 locomotives present.  The nearby Samastipur Junction station had both metre gauge and broad gauge tracks, with steam seen on the metre gauge and diesel on the broad gauge.

Muzaffarpur

Those who had visited Samastipur returned by train to Muzaffarpur to rejoin the rest of the tour group and catch the overnight train towards New Jalpaiguri and the Darjheeling Himalaya Railway.

Mansi Junction

On the journey to New Jalpaiguri, for the Darjeeling Himalaya Railway, the group’s train stopped for a while at Mansi Junction, where there was a very crowded train hauled by a metre gauge YP 4-6-2 stopped alongside.

Metre gauge steam locomotives under repair in Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


1-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotives under repair in Samastipur locomotive shed.  On the left is class YP 4-6-2 2382, built by Telco (Tata Engineering and Loco Co) in 1957.

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YP 4-6-2 2382 under repair in Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


2-of-21) Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 2382, built by Telco (Tata Engineering and Loco Co) in 1957, under repair in Samastipur locomotive shed.  A piston valve is seen receiving some adjustment.

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Metre gauge steam locomotives being serviced in Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


3-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotives being serviced in Samastipur locomotive shed.

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Metre gauge steam locomotives by the ash pits at Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


4-of-21) Metre gauge locomotives by the ash pits at Samastipur locomotive shed with a YG 2-8-2 on the left.  This graphically illustrates some of the dirt associated with the operation of steam locomotives.

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Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 steam locomotive at Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


5-of-21) Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 locomotive no. 2263 (built by Krauss-Maffei in 1954) at Samastipur locomotive shed, with a YG 2-8-2 on the left.  The smart young girl on the left was interested to see what the strange foreigners were doing, wandering around and photographing the steam locomotives.

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Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 steam locomotive Class YP 4-6-2 with driving wheels removed, showing the bar frames, at Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


6-of-21) Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 locomotive no. 2258 (built by Krauss-Maffei in 1954) with driving wheels removed, revealing the bar frames.

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Steam crane, used for coaling locomotives, and crew at Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


7-of-21) Steam crane, used for coaling locomotives, and crew at Samastipur locomotive shed.

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Labourers and steam crane coaling a locomotive at Samastipur locomotive shed, India, 29th December 1993


8-of-21) The labourers on the left rest and watch their colleagues near the locomotive shovel coal into the bucket ready for the steam crane to lift it into the locomotive tender, Samastipur locomotive shed.  A filthy and back-breaking job.  The locomotive is class YG 2-8-2 no. 3043 (built by BLW or MLW in 1949/50).

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 4334 (built by Mitsubishi in 1956) at Samastipur, India, 29th December 1993


9-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 4334 (built by Mitsubishi in 1956) at Samastipur Junction station.

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 434? (built by Mitsubishi in 1956) on a passenger train at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


10-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 434? (built by Mitsubishi in 1956) on a long train of passenger carriages at Samastipur Junction station.

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Broad gauge diesel locomotives classes WDM1 & WDM2 arrive on a passenger train at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


11-of-21) Broad gauge diesel locomotives arrive on a passenger train at Samastipur Junction station.  The locomotives are WDM1 17014 (built by Alco in 1957) and WDM2 16054 (built by DLW in 1987-8).

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 4345 shunts carriages at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


12-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 4345 (built by Mitsubishi in 1956) shunts carriages at Samastipur Junction station.

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Metre gauge steam locomotives class YG 2-8-2 at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


14-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 3043 (built in the U.S.A. in 1949/50) on a passenger train passes YG no. 4345 (built by Mitsubishi in 1956) shunting carriages at Samastipur Junction station.  Note the locals still nonchalantly crossing the track during this action, a few travellers on the carriage roofs, and the broad gauge track in the foreground.

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 departs Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


15-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 no. 3043 (built in the U.S.A. in 1949/50) gets under way as it departs Samastipur Junction station with a long passenger train past the people crossing the track.

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YG 2-8-2 and people crossing tracks at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


13-of-21) The track here just outside Samastipur Junction station, India, was a very popular unofficial footpath and a steady stream of people wandered across there.  The locomotive is metre gauge class YG 2-8-2 no. 4345 (built by Mitsubishi in 1956).

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YP 4-6-2 at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


16-of-21) Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 no. 2634, built by Telco (Tata Engineering and Loco Co.) in 1965, at Samastipur Junction station.

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Women gathering bits of coal dropped from the ashpan of steam locomotive metre gauge class YG 2-8-2 at Samastipur Junction station, 29th December 1993


17-of-21) An occupation that was nearing extinction; gathering any bits of coal dropped from the ashpan of steam locomotives, here metre gauge class YG 2-8-2 no. 3432, built by Telco (Tata Engineering and Loco Co.) in 1962, at Samastipur Junction station.

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YP 4-6-2 at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


18-of-21) Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 no. 2564, built by Telco (Tata Engineering and Loco Co.) in 1964, stands in the platform at Samastipur Junction station.

The train is standing under a structure with hoses which appears to be used for topping up the water tanks of coaches.  Here, one man seems to be standing on the end of the first coach and the one with the hose appears to be standing on the tender and directing water down into the cab.  The tender water tank usually has a filler at the rear and it would take a long time to fill it with that small hose, so I am guessing that they are perhaps supplying drinking water to the cab.  

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Metre gauge steam locomotive class YP 4-6-2 at Samastipur Junction station, India, 29th December 1993


19-of-21) Metre gauge class YP 4-6-2 no. 2564, built by Telco (Tata Engineering and Loco Co.) in 1964, departs from Samastipur Junction station, India, with a passenger train.

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Broad gauge diesel locomotives class WDM2 Co-Co at Muzaffarpur station, India, 29th December 1993


20-of-21) Broad gauge diesel locomotive class WDM2 16537 gets an internal inspection inside the long hood, before an evening departure with an overnight passenger train, at Muzaffarpur station, India, 29th December 1993.  This was the train that the tour group was taking and the state of the locomotive and it being inspected did not inspire confidence.  Alongside, showing its short hood, is WDM2 16090.

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Metre gauge steam locomotives class YP 4-6-2 with a passenger train at Mansi Junction station, India, 30th December 1993


21-of-21) Metre gauge steam locomotive class YP 4-6-2 no. 2634 (built by Telco (Tata Engineering and Loco Co.) in 1965) with an overflowing passenger train at Mansi Junction.

This is the classic view of a passenger train in India with people travelling on the roof.  It was the only example we saw with a lot of people on the top, and steam hauled too, so a quick dash was made across the platform from our train to photograph it.

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88px-CC-BY-SA_icon.svgMany of the photographs in these railway photograph galleries are available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.  Attribution should include a link to www.nigeltout.com.

Samastipur