When the first machine clears the dust of the stones, the second one balances them under the tracks.īelal Ahmad 16. There are also contractual workers who reach the block site before the machines and clear the bushes around the tracks.īelal Ahmad 15. In midst of the dust, visibility drops down to just few meters.īelal Ahmad 14. When in block, it is a must to cover your face all the time.īelal Ahmad 13. Belt, from where the blasts(stones) go through.īelal Ahmad 12. Checking brakes is a must before heading for ‘block’.īelal Ahmad 11. Every evening the maintenance of machine is carried out.īelal Ahmad 10.
Temple in Train: Pandit ji doing his daily evening Pooja after coming from machine maintenance.īelal Ahmad 9. Dinner’s preparation starts from 6’O clock.īelal Ahmad 8. All the residents had come from very diverse places.īelal Ahmad 7.
Residents complain that when they go to their home they “can’t sleep” at night.īelal Ahmad 5. Enough space for beds, furniture and cooler.īelal Ahmad 3. Coaches are old discarded passenger vehicle.īelal Ahmad 2. In this duration, they first report to their headquarters before heading for the much-needed rest. After every 21 days, they are given rest for seven days. In the evening, they perform maintenance activity of their machines. Generally, three kinds of machines are in use - the blast cleaning machine, which cleans the blasts (stones within the railway tracks), the tamping machine, which manages the curvature, cross-level and longitudinal level of railway tracks, and the dynamic track stabilizer, which stabilizes the tracks, producing vibration.Īfter the maintenance block, they come back to camp coaches and sleep. SSE receives the confirmation of the block around 11’o clock. Their work shift, as they call it ‘block’ starts from 10’o clock in the night to 6’o clock in the morning. Technician’s set up the machine to work on the maintenance site and also maintains the machine to avoid any glitches. The junior engineer (JE) gives assistance to SSE. He drives the machine to the maintenance site. The highest rank is of ‘machine in-charge’ (SSE). Four different ranks of staff reside in these coaches. They run their errands together and spend a lot of time bantering over. All the utensils which are used for cooking are brought in a very commune way, where everyone contributes a particular utensil they bring from home.Īfter returning from the maintenance of their machine some of them cook food and some watch television. Residents of these camp coaches share an intimate bonding. The work in maintenance blocks is “rigorous since a standard operating procedure is to be followed.” The staff maintains the railway tracks in a mechanized way so that the longevity of the tracks can be increased. The nature of the job demands the staff to reside in these coaches, as they have to travel every night for track maintenance.
Besides, for entertainment purpose LED television and set up box are also provided. The senior section engineer (SSE) is also provided with an air conditioner. Indian Railways provides the basic facilities like the bed, fridge, gas cylinder, electricity and drinking water. The idea of living in these coaches, which are used for travelling, is fascinating. The employees residing in these coaches share their work and pool in money to meet their expenses. The coaches wear quite a homely look as if small rooms float within a ship. These coaches, called as ‘Camp Coaches’, which are old discarded passenger vehicles and no longer suitable for use in trains, are converted to provide basic sleeping and living space at static locations.Īmidst fast moving trains, specially modified old coaches to accommodate the staff lie next to the Sahibabad railway station, 18 km from New Delhi. They constitute an important part of Indian Railways engineering department. Indian Railways provides these modified coaches to staff who maintain railway tracks. Some coaches are modified, berths are removed to allow space for beds and kitchen. Have you ever wondered what happens to a train coach after they are over-aged and discarded from functioning? The average lifespan of train coaches is 25-30 years, after which they are sent to railway workshops for the condemnation process.
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