Page 24 - Seniors Today - April Issue

was hurt for me. I knew the truth but now mortified. I knew that now nothing could be
I could not brandish my toe as a symbol of
extra work. The credentials had vanished
before seen by the D R M. An injury in
restoration of accident is a commemoration,
a medal, which now became non cognisable.
I remembered a phrase, a man who does
more than what he is paid, gets paid more
than what he does! In Government it means
appreciation which was now lost.
Indrayani Express from Pune
A caution order had continued. Indrayani
Express to Mumbai which stopped on this
caution order gave a heartache to all at site.
If it was not one thing, it was another, a
problem after problem, magnitude of the
second could be anything.
Indrayani stopped and the over
enthusiastic driver and assistant driver
got down the cab which was out of course.
The next thing I knew was that the train
started rolling down towards Karjat without
a driver and assistant driver! We all were
stunned. The train soon caught the runaway
speed without the crew on board. A train
fully loaded with people running without
crew meant a train running to meet the
accident. It would be a bigger one than the
one we were now attending. With large
number of people on board, the casualties
would be unimaginable. It had happened in
the presence of few as many of the officers
were inside the tunnel. I was one the few to
witness the rolling down.
I had worked in rolling stock but now felt
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done other than wishing a Godspeed.
I suggested to the DRM, to instruct control
to give clear signal to the train as it moves.
All station masters were told to remain on
platforms to watch the train and report. The
loco was not drawing power and I expected
that the train would eventually come to halt.
The action was taken as I suggested. Now
nothing more was in our control other than
controlling our response to match with the
current situation.
Only a divine intervention or a magic
could save the accident. Unbelievable things
happen in movies. But it happened in reality
to prove that the truth can be stranger than
a fiction. The runaway train came to a halt
before entering on Karjat platform! Exactly
as it should have stopped and where it
should have stopped, as if everything was
in order. A place for the right thing and
everything in place. It was a halt with an
error of six sigma, exactly where it was
expected.
While we were still not out of shock at
accident site, we got this good news from
the control. It was so precious that I still
hoard it as a priceless diamond. The train
was asked to be detained to see for ourselves,
not taking anyone’s word for it, nullius in
verba, before departing for onward journey.
We reached Karjat by the following train to
notice that the train was really in good fettle.
Most of the passengers were unaware of the
averted mishap and were enjoying the bliss
of ignorance. There are always some in any
group who hear a wakeup call early. These
people realised that the train was walking
a green mile. They pulled the alarm chain
continuously, entreated us for the cause on
our arrival. This was an air brake train. A
chain pulling results in a drop in pressure
gauge and thereafter the driver destroys