Vacationers from city are disappointed at IRCTC's announcement that last surviving steam engine to Matheran is too old and unfit to run
Vacationers from city are disappointed at IRCTC's announcement thatu00a0last surviving steam engine to Matheran is too old and unfit to run
Vacationers to Matheran, specially those with a liking for steampunk, may find it disappointing that the railways have decided to stop running the chug-chug to the hill station nearest to the city from now on. 
Off the track:u00a0The IRCTC has grounded the steam engine, numbered 7-38,u00a0
as it could derail while negotiating a curve. File pic
Declaring the last surviving steam engine, numbered 7-38 and over a century old, unfit for towing a train along on the track, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) last month, let down many tourists eager to ride the toy train from Neral run on the steam engine.
Virendra Singh, general manager, IRCTC, said, "The wheels and other parts of the steam engine are not fit to run, and may derail the train while negotiating a curve. We tried to revive the engine and run the train, but the trial failed. The engine has become very old and its parts are difficult to get here."
The engine, first used in 1907, was the last one running on the Neral-Matheran track (see box). There would be no steam engine train to run on this route again. "The railways have asked us to run only diesel trains from Neral to Matheran," said Singh.
He added that though engineers at the railways' Parel workshop are trying to dismantle and repair the engine, the chances are slim. The engine was last run on this route over a year ago.u00a0
Tourists upset
According to sources in the IRCTC, withdrawing the steam engine toy train has taken the wind out of the body's profits. Despite offering new packages for the Neral-Matheran trip, it didn't get a favourable response, as the train made up half the charm that Matheran held for regular visitors to the station, an official said.u00a0
"People had called to find out about the steam engine train. When we informed them that we have decided to stop running it, several groups cancelled their trip. Large groups would ride the train," he said.
Once before, after the July 2005 floods in the city, that submerged the 21.8-km Neral-Matheran track at several points, the train was discontinued.u00a0 After undergoing repairs in 2007, it was restarted.
End of an era
The last engine, numbered u00a07-38 was a classic from the steam engine era. According to railway records, it was one among four bought from England in April 1907 from a German firm Orenstein & Koppel. The other three, with numbers 7-39,7-40 and 7-41 that ran along the Neral-Matheran section, were phased out in 1983.
Ek Cutting!
Beginning
Not many know that the Matheran toy train was set up by Abdul Hussain Adamjee Peerbhoy nearly a century ago. He set up the train link using his own funds ufffdnearly Rs 16 lakh, a considerable sum in those days. The first train was powered by a steam engine imported from Germany. Until now, the train was run between the months of November and February, the peak season when the railways would get maximum requests for bookings.
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