The railway station in Waghai, a tiny town in India’s western Gujarat state, is small and old-fashioned: whitewashed stone walls are topped by a sloping metal roof whose overhang is supported by blue rafters and wooden pillars. A few people mill about on the platform, while many more find their seats in one of the three smaller coaches. It is approaching 2.
30pm and the engine emits a series of piercing toots. It is my cue to get into the big coach, an improvised vistadome that, being midweek, is almost empty. The coach has giant glass windows that provide unhindered views of its surroundings.
It also has plush seats and is air conditioned; the other carriages have no air conditioning, slatted wooden seats and open windows. A few more toots and the NG Mix Passenger Special train slowly chugs out of Waghai station, bound for Bilimora. (NG refers to “narrow gauge”, where the track width is less than a metre; India has only a handful of such lines and almost all have heritage or tourist status.
) This line is more than a century old. In 1913, the ruling British laid 63km (39 miles) of track to connect Waghai with the town of Bilimora at the request of the Gaekwad dynasty which ruled the then princely state of Baroda. It was used mainly to transport goods, especially teak, from the forests around Waghai.
After Indian independence, in 1947, the line became part of Indian Railways and primarily ferried passengers. Usage gradually dropped and the line was closed in 2020. However.