Hitting the Great Wall of China

November 25, 2012 - 8:20 PM

“The station is Badaling sir, Ba-Da-Ling”. My hotel receptionist was trying hard to inject in my memories this little keyword. It was a late November evening with the temperature around a pleasant lower 20 degrees Celsius. Soon after this conversation I took a walk along the street to explore the area next to the Forbidden City. There were street dwellers selling food and drinks and all these stalls were invariably crowded with young students. I tried to converse with some and was surprised to learn that quite a few of them understand and speak English. They gave me copious information on the eateries that were good but inexpensive. I only wish I had a whole month to explore all of them. After walking a few yards I found an elderly woman selling dumplings. I was offered six of them on a plate for RMB 4. They were delicious! Here is a funny thing I observed. Chinese dwellers use an electronic calculator to show the price. All you need to do is to point at the item and they will key-in the price to show you digitally!

Some parts of Beijing reminded me of posh European cities and some did the opposite. In one of the lanes I found people living on the pavements – the way they do in the city of Kolkata.

November 26, 2012 - 5:00 AM

In the wee hours of the following morning, the receptionist insisted on getting me a car for the whole day. I however decided to stick to the plan and walk out on my way to the train station which I thought would be very close. The terminal that hosts five pairs of trains to Badaling is called Xizhimen. It is also called as Beijing North if the websites are to be believed.

After walking a few blocks I figured that the station is much farther than what google map showed. Also, the GPS points to a location that is definitely not correct on the map. Here  my whole universe collapsed as I realized that I need help but not sure from whom since nobody was to be seen on the street. Dimmed street lights and staggering windchill of the early morning made me feel quite uncomfortable in a deserted street of the most populated nation of the world. Suddenly, like a savior on a white horse turned up a taxi cab. Its young driver was able to understand that I was planning to go to a train station. However, I could not pronounce "Xizhimen" well enough for him to decipher. He finally connected me on phone to his mother who seemed to recognize my need. She gave a patient hearing for twenty seconds and suddenly yelled “Michael...”. I handed the cell phone back to the cabbie and in no time I was in front of the station building.

As I walked past the taxi stand and parking lot I found nobody in and around the station barring a few security personnel. I found a lane where “Badaling” was written. When I asked the cop standing next to it as where tickets can be purchased, he directed me to the main ticket counter. My internet research failed again, as I was expecting a special ticket counter for Badaling train. Here  I had to cross a split rubber curtain of "UUUUU" shape that I only saw in airport baggage carousels before. The elderly lady sitting behind the ticket window smiled a lot at me and on my repeated request to secure a ticket to “Ba-Da-Ling”, finally handed me one for RMB 6. I paid by cash and thanked her for the favor.. "xie xie ah"! Flaunting this little achievement, I walked into the main lobby of the station. The lobby was kept in darkness, only to be illuminated by a large destination board and an LCD screen. This LCD screen was playing what looked like TV ads.

[Note: I almost felt like a "De-Ja-Vu" when an old memory struck me. There was a time when I would regularly travel from Howrah (Kolkata) to Bangalore in India. For the lack of a direct train, my usual treat was to catch the famous Coromandal Express from Howrah to Chennai. Before I could get on board the overnighter Chennai Bangalore Mail, I used to sit in the waiting lobby of Chennai Central station, trying hard to finish a novel while a very similar looking LCD screen would scream with all sorts of advertisements of local women's saree and cosmetics brands. They were all played in Tamil language which I knew not a single word of. I smiled at myself - this was real muddling of memories]

It was not hard to find the mention of my train S201 on the destination board. It was to leave from Gate No. 1 at 6:12 AM. I looked around and found nobody else who I could call a co-passenger and strike a conversation with. While the large LCD screen kept on playing advertisements, I took a stride in the otherwise ghostly lobby of the waiting hall.

Picture: Waiting hall of Beijing Xizhimen station at 5:30 AM. On the left the Badaling train's departure time from Gate No. 1 can be seen.

 It was 5:30 by the time I gave up wandering and settled in a chair. In another fifteen minutes, a few uniformed lady railway officials came and stood guard of the door. I realized that they board passengers in the typical Amtrak style (which I consider quite unpleasant) – to check tickets and let passengers walk past the gate when the train is in the platform. In the next few minutes about ten odd people – arrived and patiently queued up in front of the gate. At 5:59 AM, the gate was opened. I walked into the platform to find it unexpectedly illuminated.

Picture: Approach way to the platform right after passing the gate




Next to our platform arrived an overnight express 2560 from Chifeng of Northeast China. It had a DF4D class diesel locomotive and sleeper coaches tugged behind.

Picture: The overnight express train pulling in next to the sleek looking Badaling train (white) that was ready to depart:

The bleary eyed passengers alighted with heavy baggages from the overnight train. I walked a bit longer and found our train, as can be seen parked in the next track. It definitely appeared quite impressive by looks. It had a sharp driving cab with a humming diesel engine right behind. I realized that it was technically a DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit), disguised as a high speed train. Interestingly, Xizhimen station is not electrified. All trains operating from this terminal must be diesel powered.

Picture: Badaling DMU at Beijing Xizhimen station:

It took me a few more seconds to board the train and find a seat of my choice in a carriage that was relatively empty. Passengers could be found in ones and twos here and there. A majority of them were playing with their smartphones. The interior display, air conditioning and comfort features looked flattering for a RMB 6 ticket.

Picture: Interiors of Badaling train S201:

The train started a couple of minutes behind schedule and slowly maneuvered through the criss crossing of tracks. I realized that I did not have breakfast and due to the jet lag I did not even feel hungry at all. Finally, I ventured through the vestibule corridors of the train in search of food. The next one was a refreshment car. It had large windows and tall tables next to which passengers can stand and eat. This car looked impressive as the view was better through the larger windows. The pantry keeper was loudly talking to a staff. Seeing me approaching him, he stopped for a moment. I directed him to a ready to eat cup-o-noodle (that was the only edible item that I could recognize on the rack). He carefully poured warm water in it, sealed the cover and showed me 2 on his calculator. I paid him RMB 2 and walked back to my seat with my breakfast! 

Picture: The refreshment car with large widows. The seller's counter can be seen at the other end of the coach

I have to say that there were a lot more options out there, but all of them looked so unfamiliar that I had to give in to the old faithful cup-o-noodle which was probably void of any nutritional values. Anyway, train seemed to have picked up speed with the sky brightening up every second, eagerly waiting for the first ray of sun. S201 ran as an express train through the suburban landscape that was dotted with high rise apartments, agricultural fields, smaller factories and little train depots. S201 made its first stop at a station that looked like a junction to me. Here a lot of construction workers boarded the train. They very loudly started conversing with each other.

Picture: View of a wayside station (taken on return journey since the onward journey in this part of Beijing's suburbs was passed before dawn broke):


Picture: A siding featuring some colorful coaches

Picture: View of the mountains from train:

Picture: Another view of the mountains from train

In another few minutes I could spot the Great Wall of China - or a section of it next to the railway line. Wow! This was massive!!

Picture: The Great Wall as seen from the train 

Picture: The Great Chinese Wall from a distance:

I was thrilled witnessing the only man made structure that can be seen from the moon. As the train now entered  mountain zone of Yanqing county, it started encountering tight curves and hence had to reduce speed before finally coming to a screeching halt at Changping. After a stopover for five minutes, the train started running in the reverse direction to enter Badaling line. Right here we crossed the snow line. The outside landscape portrayed a combination of grey mountains and forests carpeted by white snow deposited on the ground.

Picture: Crossing Badaling Expressway through an overpass

In the next few minutes, making another stop at Nankou, we finally attrived at Badaling station. We were on time; exactly at 7:30 AM. An announcement was made in Mandarin and almost all passengers got off the train to the neat station platform that had English boards for the assistance of foreign tourists. At the end of the platform I found a very ordinary looking station building with a small gift shop, three ticket counters and a huge red hoarding.

Picture: Badaling station


Picture: Exit board hanging from station building. The snow covered tracks move downhill towards Beijing. This is the pair of tracks that took us to Badaling:


Picture: Interior of the station that had a few people dozing off

Bidding a goodbye to S201, I started following the group of people along the street next to the station to The Great Wall. Within a few steps, the statue of a Ming warrior and a tourist destination board were seen. Here I knew that I was walking in the right direction.

Picture: On way from station to Badaling tourism village

Picture: Tourist destination finder that had English subtitles

On walking another half a kilometer, I crossed the bus station and landed in Badaling tourist-village. It had a number of gift shops, hotels and tea/refreshment stalls. Only a few were open. I stopped by one tea stall. The tea was served in a tiny porcelain cup that could be refilled multiple times.

After this point, the street steeply climbed on to the mountains and crossed the Great Wall through a gate like structure, behind which the main entrance was seen.

Picture: A little walk through the streets of Badaling tourist village

 Picture: Looking down from the gate

Picture: this place looked like a famous tea stall:


Picture: the gate like structure between tourist village and entry point to the Great Wall

There were some more gift shops next to the ticket counter that offered the same items with exorbitantly higher prices than the train station's tiny gift shop. Surprisingly, the queue was quite long for entering the great wall. After getting the ticket I headed in to this incredible structure that was primarily built by Quin, Han and Ming Dynasties. For someone who saw it could witness its enormity and strategic importance of bygone era. It was a very cold morning, but that did not deter the chirping birds to welcome the feeble morning sun. The whole day I spent at The Great Wall was one of the most memorable days of my life. However, the archaeological aspects of it would be another story meant to be told another day.

Picture: View from gate entrance:

 Picture: Author on The Great Wall

Location in Google Map:

Netherlands: To Zandvoort - the pretty little beach town

For those who live in the beautiful city of Amsterdam (The Netherlands), or frequently visit the city, Zandvoort offers a welcome break from the typical Amsterdam fun. I discovered this little coastal town that otherwise gets overlooked by travelers. And ofcourse I took train to do it.

Zandvoort (English translation: Sand Fort) has been a fishing village in the North Sea coastline of Dutch territory. After being savaged and colossally damaged during the second World War, the town was rebuilt and rebranded as a tourist destination. Not that it has a number of typical European churches and royal palaces – Zandvoort is a good bargain for a relaxed week end to be spent with food and drinks sitting next to the beach.

I have only been to Zandvoort twice. Once in 2004 and for the second time in 2009. Both the times I took a late morning NS Sprinter train from Amsterdam Central (Centraal) station to Zandvoort aan zee (Aan zee should be interpreted as "on sea" in English). The small wayside stations and sand banks seem a bit different from the typical Dutch landscape found next to heavily traveled rail routes (e.g. between Amsterdam and Utrecht). The Zandvoort train can also be availed from the railheads of Amsterdam Sloterdijk and Haarlem. It takes about 30 minutes to travel on this typical blue/yellow EMU trains that shuttle between the two termini.

Picture: A Zandvoort train from Amsterdam Centraal.

The small pretty looking Zandvoort aan zee station is the last one on its route. You do not need to read the station boards for that reason. Zandvoort has an island platform (two tracks) to return a train every 30 minutes. The beach is within only in a few minutes’ walking distance. Grab a coffee from the station cafeteria and walk towards the beach.

Picture: The Zandvoor station building, portraying a logo of NS Rail




You may want to put your tents on the sand and play with your kids as the sun leans towards the west. I could see a lot of kite flying on the beach on both the days I traveled to this town. By the time it was late afternoon, a few beachside bars and food carts started serving local beers along with cheese fries and hot dogs. For those who are health conscious, some salads can also be found next to the Boulevard Barnaart served along with red wine. You can walk all the way up to NH hotel towards the north and jog till the Restaurant Orbit Lounge. But remember, “there ain’t nothing beyond that point”. There are buses that ferry tourists along the Boulevard Barnaart running parallel to the beach line. Unfortunately, I could not secure a bus timetable that I could rely on. And hence decided to walk through the beach up and down.

Picture: Afternoon sun above the horizon

Picture: Time for some tasty ice-cream!

Picture: Some colors thrown in the palette by the setting sun:


Picture: Back to the station:
















By the time you walk back to the downtown along the beach, the daylight fades and beach restaurants twinkle with lights in the horizon. To welcome you, a number of restaurants would offer continental and ethnic cuisine on tables that overlook the beach. And if you want to recharge your batteries, get into one of the beach side clubs that would be open till late nights. The downtown has quite a few beach clubs in closer proximity to the train station. So no worries even if you drink a bit more and decide to have some fun on the beach before you head home. Keep an eye on your watch though – you need to catch the last train to Amsterdam that leaves Zandvoort minutes before 1 AM.

For the family folks, early morning to late afternoon can give ample opportunities to play with the kids and dogs. Again, remember to carry your beach gears. For the others, a late morning entry and nightly departure would be more appropriate. NS Railways run a frequent and efficient train service to help all of you – do make the most of it.

Reference on Google Map:

Crescent Bar or is it Mars?

August 29, 2014: On a bright late afternoon on board the legenday #8 Amtrak Empire Builder train heading from Seattle to Chicago, we slowly pulled into Wenatchee, Wa. After a long run through Cascade mountains, here was our opportunity to get off the train and stretch the legs. The neat low level platform has probably seen better days - for nobody was found to be waiting for this train. In the western end of the station I spotted a number of BNSF locomotives keeping busy in the freight yard. At this moment, ice was broken between four odd co-passengers as they started talking to each other while loitering on the platform.

Picture: Tail end of the train with some activities in the Wenatchee freight yard.


One veteran farmer from Idaho, a young lady from Illinois, a fish processing expert from Alaska and yours truly made an excellent combination to wane the stuffiness of the environment. The farmer was sharing his thoughts – talking about his family and friends. He was going to his parental home to meet with siblings. He definitely was a voracious talker with detailed knowledge of local agriculture and infrastructural developments. Soon after Wenatchee we crossed the mighty Columbia River. Interestingly, some people were found to be tubing. In the reddish yellow desert like background I felt like being in a sanctuary outside our familiar world. I felt like being in Mars - as depicted in science fictions!

Picture: Desolated streets next to Wenatchee station. Look at the rugged hillocks in the background. This area probably gets minimal rainfall due to the shadow effects of The Cascade Mountains guarding pacific rain clouds.

After a 20 minute halt, very silently we crossover the town of Wenatchee, took a huge bend leftward and gracefully crossed the river! Afternoon sun was at its best to paint the external world in reddish yellow to treat my eyes.

Video: Crossing Columbia River.

The farmer told us that the authorities built two dams on the Columbia River, one of which got a leak soon enough. The authorities abortively attempted to fix the crack. As a result, the water level reduced and a lot of small islands peeped out of the river. As we were now traveling through the western bank of the River, it was outstanding to capture the setting sun, still glowing strong behind the otherwise monotonous yellowish hillocks rising from the crater.

It is interesting to learn how the cherry fields are created in that part of the world. The farm owners eliminate the rock from the soil and put a lot of water to cultivate the plants. With the Columbia River next to these fields, it really makes things easy in the heart of Washington's otherwise dry area. The train took a hairpin bend and moved towards a place called Quincy. And there we saw it!

Crescent bar - the train crawled up the mountains as the river widened and took a breathtaking turn in a crescent shape. It was quite unearthly as a scenery!!! Though that did not deter the enterprising Americans to set up a resort at that location in the middle of nowhere! Uploading the video of Crescent bar as recorded from the train's windows:

Video: Crescent Bar from Amtrak vantage.

Location of Crescent Bar is given below:

Bhakra Rail - Golden Jubilee of a forgotten railroad system of North India

A majority of us discuss latest developments on the railway world. However, some veteran railway services that have been under the sun for ages get overlooked for the lack of railfans' reach or media attention. I would like to bring the spotlight back on one of the forgotten Broad Gauge (1676 mm) passenger lines that offers spectacular scenaries and interesting operating procedures that set an example in the world of railroad.

I am talking about Bhakra Rail of India - that struggles to operate with a few dilapidated Broad Gauge  passenger coaches and some 400 HP GE diesel locomotive from the 50s that is going stronger. There may be a bit of challenge to find detailed information on Bhakra Rail. However, I can introduce BR with this  picture, the link of which I borrowed from Flickr ID Adu007. The locomotive has the road number of 32069. Tugged behind are two four-wheeler and three eight-wheeler carriages:

For those who are learning about the existence of BR for the first time, let me provide a brief introduction. The very reason this line was constructed in 1948 was the lack of any other mode of communication between the two barrage towns of Bhakra and Nangal. In that era, the objective was to carry the entire workforce between the two end points of the railroad. Due to aging and deterioration of riding quality, at present the only subscribers of this service remain as the local labor force. This 14 km stretch was constructed by building bridges and three tunnel along the way. To help the locales, six intermediate stations ("Labour Hut", "Dubeta Colony", "Varmala", "Nehila", "Olinda" and "Cement Cell") were also built. The route hugs the Dam reservoir and water bodies for the most part of its journey. Since the train cuts through the mountains, the journey offers unmatched views of the Shivalik mountains and rivers.

And guess what? This service is free!! Local villagers and employees of Bhakra Beas Management Board use this train as a reliable transportation medium to commute, to travel for shopping and other business.

The five coaches of this train will remind us of a bygone era. They were made in Karachi in 1923; is it not exciting? From my research, I actually found at least 5 coaches with 8 wheels and at least two more with 4 wheels! Now, finding the existence of 4 wheel Broad Gauge coaches in India is really interesting. These colonial era coaches feature normal BG screw-hook couplers and buffers. Internal settings include typical wooden bench accommodation with grill-less windows to peep out. The MPS is pegged at 40 KPH, but who cares about speed while on board a 90 year old coach? Let us have a look at the interiors by borrowing from Swapnil (IndiaMike). Maintaining such a coach in working condition at a presumably minimal welfare budget is no monkey's job!

As pictures might tell a thousand words, I would like to share some from various sources that would include snapshots of the train at different locations on its route and a puny view of the yard of this little railway system.

Daily Post: view of the station platform where the puny locomotive and some dilapidated carriages can be seen. This station looks like one of the terminals where the locomotive is being attached to the train as the driver is facing the rake and someone prepares the screw couplers for loco attachment.

Following is a picture from Swapnil (IndiaMike website). Four wheeler carriage #50857 looks like it has got a coat of paints. If is definitely one of the colonial heritages that Bhakra Rail managed to hide from the railfans' lenses.

This is a fantastic capture by Satbir Singh (On Panoramio website). Here is the train at a wayside station in a graceful curvature! What a shot!

One treasure by Amar Angrish (On Panoramio website) can be found below. It portrays a view of the Bhakra Rail yard where a loco can be seen taking rest under the little canopy. Also, some freight wagons are visible here and there:

Probably the best of the lot came from Jagmit Singh (On Panoramio website). This shot has captured a beautiful spot where the train enters one of the three tunnels on its route through Shivalik Mountain range. From a distance, the Bhakra Rail coaches resemble the normal Indian Railways coaches for their adherence to IR livery. However, the smaller coaches at the rear (if we may call them coachlings) stand out as aberrations.

Some logistical facts - About Bhakra Rail's connections to Indian Railways, there is hardly any information or feedback available at this moment. As it implies, Indian Railways' locomotives, coaches and other rolling stock never got a chance to taste this little commuter railroad. If one has to explore this railroad, the first step should be to get to Nangal Dam railway station of Northern Railway. From Delhi one can avail the Una Himachal Jan Shatabdi (for afternoon sitting journey) or Himachal Express (for overnight trip). From Nangal Dam, it may be a challenge to cross over to the territory of Bhakhra Beas Management Boad's (BBMP) area to get to the BBMP station and board the train since no time table is publicly available. However as my experience counts, nothing can beat the passion of a rail traveler!

For those who want to learn more about this unique stretch of railways, please review the following videos:

Videos:
Kanwarjit Singh has ably captured this train on a breathtaking view over a viaduct. Click Here to view.

For those who understand Punjabi, putting the link of a news report:

Note: Reference article in TOI:
Click Here

Location of the Bhakra Railway depot can be seen in the following snippet of Google Map: Thanks to those who took all the trouble to catch this elusive railway line through lenses. I would be thankful if you keep me posted about the past, present and future of this line.