Thursday, June 11, 2009

Off the rails

As a child, it was difficult for me to understand the concept of a railway office being in a place where there are no rail tracks at all. I refused to believe that this building housed a booking office of the Southern Railway, despite the large sign that said so. Even though this was a convenient option to book tickets from, I don't remember my father ever using it; in the days before computers, these 'city booking offices' would only have a limited quota of tickets they could sell - and to where we wanted to go, the quota would only be one-and-a-quarter or some such meaningless number.

I'm not sure when this office shut down, but it seems to bear out my childhood theory that you can't have a railway office too far away from the tracks!

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7 comments:

  1. LowellJune 12, 2009 at 2:33 AM

    Is the building not in use now? I think you're right, but perhaps in the future it will get back on track. (Pun intended) :-)

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  2. LVISSJune 12, 2009 at 7:08 AM

    IS THIS THE ONE AT MOUNT ROAD. THERE WAS THERE LONG AGO WHEN I WAS STUDYING IN ARTS COLLEGE.

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  3. ShantaramJune 12, 2009 at 10:47 PM

    @ Jacob: With a new metro rail project coming up, they might find themselves close to the tracks, again!

    @ lviss: Yes,the same - ever used it?

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  4. moochhiJune 15, 2009 at 7:53 AM

    i like the old look and feel of the building. i hope they use it well so that it doesn't have to be demolished

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  5. ShantaramJune 15, 2009 at 9:45 PM

    @ Moochhi: I hope so too. I'm sure they can find some use for it soon.

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  6. UnknownJune 18, 2009 at 4:35 PM

    Hi
    I have once gone in 1976 or 77 with my uncle to do a booking..when they used to give two tickets (shaped like the one the weighing machines at stations still spew out): one for journey and one for reservation..
    Ramana

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  7. ShantaramJune 19, 2009 at 10:32 PM

    @ Ramana: Ah, so it was used, after all ;)

    Yes, I remember that concept of one reservation ticket + 'n' number of journey tickets, wasn't it!

    ReplyDelete

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