Saturday, March 01, 2014

Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar drives 100 years old Fire Engine on a Delhi road

THIS is an unusual photo taken on a Delhi street on Friday by an unknown sarkari photographer. It’s the 100-year-old John Morris Fire Engine, one of the priceless possessions of Indian Railways. And the man driving the machine is none other than Railway Board chairman and 1976 batch Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers officer Arunendra Kumar. On Sunday, this Fire Engine, which was once owned by…
the Nizam of Hyderabad, will participate in the 38th Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally in New Delhi. Now, John Morris Fire Engine is maintained at the National Rail Museum which also possesses the Fairy Queen, built in 1855 and one of the best preserved steam locomotive engines of her age.
This vintage Fire Engine which was built by the famous Fire engineers M/S John Morris and Sons Ltd., Salfor, Manchester in 1914, completed 100 years of its existence this year.
But on Friday, it was a pleasant surprise for many rail men and women when they noticed that the cute machine was driven by none other their big boss. Engineer-turned railway officer Kumar is also an outstanding athlete, and loves to play badminton.
Before becoming a member and then chairman of Railway Board, Kumar was general manager in Bilaspur-headquartered South East Central Railway (SECR) during 2011-2013. He was also the in-charge of maintenance of locomotives, coaches and wagons over a career of more than 35 years both in workshops and open line.
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3 comments:

  1. Fantastic photo. It seems, this rail babu is quite a spirited one.

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  2. He better concentrate on more pressing problem of corruption in Indian Railways. He should take steps that Railway posts are not sold to highest bidder. Such stuntbaaji will be of no use if corruption is not tackled.

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  3. Nice antique driven by the Big Boss, hope Railways will preserve it for years to come.

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