Still here!

The small thing that has changed since the last post made in February this year is that the Hornby shelves are packed to the edge with locomotives and wagons. A bit of scenery materials have popped up, as have some more buildings. Given the cost and the space required to construct even a nominal model train layout, not to mention the rather steep learning curve (electricals!), the much-planned railroad is currently shelved. Notice: Pun! In other locomotive news, I have discovered a large collection of steam locomotive-related videos on YouTube, which I am currently watching. Many of these hark back to the early days of video-graphy when video cameras mounted on trains gave delight to the viewing public. This was before moving pictures became a medium for telling stories. Perhaps, this coming winter, I will visit the Rail Museum again. Noting much would have changed there at all. But it is usually a nice day out.

It's 2014!

Just decided to stop by and say 'Hello!' to my old blog. Still haven't lost that love for steam. Or trains, for that matter. Wonder what the next few years will bring. Model trains have begun to appear on shelves at select stores. Hornby has begun to ship a few of its models to India. So have a few other companies. But the demand, and the supply are scarce. Undaunted, I spent the afternoon designing my first complete layout. It's a small 8 x 4 OO Hornby layout, which may have a tunnel, and some scenery, two loops and some sidings. Small 0-4-0 trains (or equivalent), preferably DCC, and loads of wagons. Passenger coaches are not viable in the small layout. So bye-bye Pullmans!

Another year.

It's been another year since I published the last post. I've been on no steam locomotive in years, or seen one for many, many months. The only time I took a train to somewhere in the many preceding months was during the journey to and from Haridwar; we travelled in October last year. So it's been rather awfully quiet on this front. It's a pity, but even the Indian Steam Railway Society (ISRS) appears to have lost much of it's steam.

PS: Perhaps I could look at reviving steam locomotive tourism in the country as a viable business plan. ;)

The returning piece

It has been a year since the last post. It was time I thought, to end this and move on. But it seems that stagnation is a part of life (and a blog), and the only way to beat it is to diversify -- to move on and discover new things. I believe my love with steam locomotives is a not a whim of nature. Rather, I can take this opportunity to discover newer areas of interest in related fields. It's true, not many people read blogs. But the last comment perhaps leave a bit of faith on me. So, I plan to continue, whether people read it, or not.

Not The End Of Steam

I am certainly perplexed, as are you, I believe, as to the dates besdie this page. Why, you may ask, why is it that there is such a long delay between them? Why is it that this blog is not updated regularly? Well dear reader allow me to thank you first, profusely, for visiting this blog in the first place. For hardly does anyone ever turn up. It's like a forgotten island in the midst of a raging ocean. It is a forlorn place of once active zeal, now dead and gone. So while you traverse through the past writings do remember that while many blog, not many read. I wish you all the best.

On the Rail After 3 Years.

The view from my hotel in Mukteshwar

It has been three years since I had been planning. And things just didn't happen. Some spanner in the works, to say the least, would fin itself an unusual appearence. So the much longed for trip to the mountains had to be halted. Indeed it had been nearly three years since my last ride on a train. The last time it was to a place called Kathgodam in the state of Uttranchal. We were off to a camping trip to Sattal. This time too it was a train ride to Kathgodam. But the ultimate destination was the mystical Mukteshwar - wide valley, white mountains et all. So what if I could not partake the pleasures of a steam locomotive? It was a diesel set that chugged its way up, though not quite in the same manner as a regular steam engine. It's surprising to know that there are hardly any train stations in the hills! Kathgodam appears to cater to the whole of Kumaon region of Uttranchal! The terrain is tough and there are roads, but that is all. No tracks. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere for steam trains. As I say it now it would be quite interesting to set my next vacation aroun a steam train. Now where do I find one? Rajasthan? Perhaps Gujrat? Perhaps. Well, let's see.

Railroad Tycoon!

I remember many posts back I was joking about building my owm railways. Perhaps in a way I have managed to get my own railroad. Virtually ofcourse, but I still can have steam engines running over rails I lay between cities I choose. And all this thanks to a computer game called Railroad Tycoon 2. I've got the Platinum Edition and the original CD. And it cost me just Rs. 100! Great bargain! I haven't won any games yet but its nice to see the steam locomotives puff along tracks. Hear their hissing and sucking and the rumble. I'm really lookingofrward to get better at this. I might not have the real thing, but this comes pretty close. Though I might have been happier if it had come slightly more closer. I mean the game could have been slightly more detailed and the graphics a lot more convincing. Cheers for now though, that I've been playing for hours now.