Mumbai: Hidden treasures tumble as Bhandup station upgrades begin

Demolition work in Mumbra throws up Victorian Era safe relics unearthed at 164yearold Bhandup stationDemolition trash is throwing up Britishera treasures at stations getting an upgrade on the citys Central Railway CR line While a rare Victorianera iron safe was discovered in Mumbra four brackets that contain the Great Indian Peninsula Railways GIPRs logo were found at Bhandup station The railways said they would try and save all the relics and find a place for them at the heritage gallery in CSMT or elsewhereGreat Indian Peninsula Railway brackets found in BhandupAt Mumbra an old booking office is being demolished following a note from the assistant engineer of the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation MRVC The note which was sent to the Divisional Railway manager last week said The old booking office on platform number 2 at Mumbra station is infringing the staircase of the newlyconstructed foot overbridge at CSMT station and will be dismantledSafely ensconcedBut the infringement in this case proved to be too valuable as the office has been a part of the original railway line extension beyond Thane in the 1860s On Friday morning when midday visited the site the station building had been partially demolished and the old brackets with the GIPR logos were already missing but a look inside revealed a treasureAacircAcircAcircu00c2u0080AcircAcircu00c2u0088Victorianera Tucker amp Reeves Bolt iron safe was discovered in MumbraThe old booking office once used an allweather and sturdy Victorianera Tucker and Reeves wall safe embedded in the building This remained intact even after the building was partially brought downThe booking office safe used to be an important feature of the building and was in use till almost two decades ago before the new booking office and computerisation came up Bolt locks and safes from Tucker amp Reeves are also a part of the permanent collection of the Science Museum in LondonOnly four GIPR brackets remain at BhandupThis is a late 19th or early 20th century safe and was a key feature of those days It was used for storing cash and keeping important documents In the present context these safes are very interesting These days safes are made of much thinner sheets of steel whereas these are heavier and sturdier ones that could bear the brunt of major impacts or a fire said Sanghamitra Chatterjee former archivist at Godrej Archives and founder of Past Perfect A Legacy Management AgencyAt the 164yearold Bhandup station the entire wooden structure with a thatched roof has been brought down to make way for the new elevated booking office Earlier this week it led to the discovery of four brackets with the GIPR logo It had 13 original brackets and many of them went missing and now only those four remainThe office was being used till three years ago as the station managers office but with station upgrades the structure went into disuse and is now being lost Bhandup is an important station as it was witness to the first train run in 1853 and the idea of laying down a railway line in Bombay was first discussed there Other relics from Bhandup station are also being collected to be moved to the heritage gallery at CSMTThe GIPR logos and all other relics are central pieces of Indias railway history and should be sent to a museum Preserving and documenting the old technology design and work is a great way to pass it on to the future generations said local history enthusiast Swapnil Chevale who has been documenting the old stations changesCR promises to preserveThe railways said they would try and save all the possible relics that have been unearthed and find a place for them at the heritage gallery at CSMT or any other placeWe have already informed the relevant departments to initiate action to move those relics to a safe spot A team from the headquarters will visit the relevant stations tomorrow Saturday and take stock of the situation said Sunil Udasi CRs chief public relations officer