Presenting some pictures of the heart of Nadia District, the famous Moira-nagar (city of sweet specialists). Krishnanagar is the heart and the soul of the Nadia district which is blessed with an abundance of eye-soothing greenery and an abundance of Rivers. However Krishnanagar wasn't always the centre of attraction of Nadia district, that honour was earlier safely in the possession of it's more populous sibling, the city of Ranaghat. However it wouldn't be an understatement to say that both Ranaghat and Krishnanagar, at present ,have been outshone comprehensively by their cousin on the other side of the Ganges , Nabadwip Dham, the birthplace of the enlightened one Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Pictures of Nabadwip and Katwa will be presented...
more... in a different post.
Coming to the station, Krishnanagar was an earlier dual guage junction with the Shantipur-Nabadwip Ghat narrow guage alongside the conventional Ranaghat-Krishnanagar line. The line from Shantipur to Krishnanagar is now a single line with it's lower operational speeds being the only reminiscence of the now extinct narrow guage. I have fond memories of this line as small child in the earlier 2000s taking this 'chotto liner train' upto Amghanta and onto the Nabadwip ghat station via Krishnanagar. After that we would would cross a small river called Jalangi and reach the Iskcon temple at Mayapur. We would follow this path if we went from the Kanchrapara side ( I have lots of relatives on either side of the Hoogly). If we went from DHN/ASN then we would change at BDC for a KWAE bound local and de-board at NDAE and go to Mayapur ghat and cross the Ganges.
The line from Shantipur joins the Ranaghat-Krishnanagar main line at a small station called Kali-Narayanpur just after crossing the Churni river from Ranaghat side. Almost all EMU locals bound for KNJ from SDAH side go via the conventional line, though there are occasional locals from RHA/BNJ that go to KNJ via STB.
The 'chotto liner' train wasn't an awesome display of size and haulage capacity that the modern train consists are, rather it was a puny rake consisting of barely 2-3 coaches. But to my then small brain, it was a thing of joy to behold! Indeed, I continue to cherish and relive those memories to this day. I had a much more vivid experience with the BWN-KWAE 'chotto liner' train and I might jot down some of those experiences in a travelogue, when I have some more free time....
Infact, i remember my favourite part to be watching the locomotive being reversed using a turntable....
Wish I had a camera then, but who knew back then that the line would be closed in the early 2010s. While I understand the needs and benefits of the Project Uniguage, I feel that some of these NG routes should have been kept as they were, just for the sake of history. A lot of other countries have done the same, we could do well to preserve some of these antique railway hardware rather letting slip in the pages of history.......
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Camera used :- MOTO G5 plus
Photo courtesy :- Self
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Pictures 1&2 :- Entrance through platform number side.
Pictures 3&4 :- Rush at platform 2 for incoming Lalgola passenger.
Picture 5 :- Stationboard at platform 1 towards Ranaghat
Picture 6 :- Overhead shot from platform 2 with LGL-RHA local.
Picture 7 :- Shot of rain drops in bright sunshine.
Picture 8 :- Retired from active passenger service BWN WDM-3A 16651 shunting freight load.
Picture 9 :- Simultaneous shot of station boards at Platforms 1&2 with the LGL-RHA local also in the frame.
Picture 10 :- Random freight at KNJ.
Picture 11 :- Another shot of the retired Alco. The non suitability for passenger service is explicitly mentioned.
Picture 12-16 :- Random AC and Sleeper coaches pertaining the DLI & UMB divisions been parked at KNJ. The AC coach had a detailed advertisement of the Mahakumbh mela held at Prayagraj earlier this year. The coaches with traditional blue livery were from DLI while the UTKRIST liveried coaches belonged to UMB Division.
Pictures 17,18,20 & 21 :- The once narrow guage end now STB-KNJ single electrified BG line, part of KNJ housing platforms 4 & 5. The Amghanta is neglected and guage upgradation work progress has stopped
Picture 19 :- BSF makeshift camps in the background.
Picture 22 :- Beautiful evening skyline at KNJ.
Picture 23 :- The detailed Mahakumbh advertisement on the 3A coach.
Picture 24 :- 3 station-boards short simultaneously.
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Stay tuned for NDAE,KWAE & RHA pictures.
Arnab :)
