Letter to Railways from Okhil Babu .. to 6 year old in UK

It is a great place for those who love trains to watch, enjoy and learn.  The symbol of Rail heritage of India, National Rail Museum is located in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.  The Delhi National Rail Museum opened in Feb 1977.  This museum displays a wide array of rail models, photographs and even real size exhibits that introduce us to the glory of the historical era.  The collection of steam locos and old type bogies of bygone era would amaze us.   Alongside is displayed [reportedly !] is Okhil Babu's letter to the Railway Department …………………….  "I am arrive by passenger train Ahmedpur station and my belly is  too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy. ………………..

Okhil Chandra Sen wrote this letter to the Sahibganj divisional  railway office in 1909. This letter is credited to have led to the introduction of toilets in trains ! Letter writing is dead in the modern era of Whats App and other social media.  Still this letter of a 6 year old girl to rail bosses asking them stop train delays so she can see her commuter father before bedtime is worth a read.  Mail Online reports that the girl 6 who wrote the letter misses her father at bedtime and adding further to the  rail chiefs that  because of their fares he cannot take her to Disneyland. 

Her father commutes between Uckfield, East Sussex, and London Bridge.  The hand-written letter has been posted on a Facebook page called 'Neil Porter Lettering.' The letter was written after his problems on the line between Uckfield in East Sussex and London Bridge. Mr Porter spends just over £4,000 a year commuting to Shoreditch, East London, where he works as a graphic designer.   Southern Railway services has been in a state of chaos for two weeks since a new timetable came in with trains regularly delayed, suspended or cancelled. According to official Network Rail figures none of Southern's 7.29am commuter service between Brighton and London Victoria trains reached the capital at the scheduled time of 8.35am last year. This came as statistics showed more than a third of all trains, across all networks, failed to arrive on time last year. People commenting on Ella's letter have suggested sending it to Southern rail bosses. Others expressed their sadness for little Ella.

A spokesman for Southern Railway said:  'We are sorry that Mr Porter has been delayed on his way home and that his daughter misses him.  Trains to Victoria and London Bridge travel over the most congested part of the whole of Britain's railway network and we are constantly pushing against the boundaries of what is physically possible on the infrastructure to provide as much capacity as possible to and from London.

There is another interesting news – that of a rich Britain man building a Railway so that he can show off his £10million country house and grounds to friends.  It is reported that a man has  now applied to build a railway around his Staffordshire garden.  The three-mile train track which will not be open to public,  will snake through his 28-acre grounds.

Billionaire John Caudwell founded mobile giant Phones4u as part of a business empire which was sold for nearly £1.5billion in 2006. The 62-year-old businessman has now been granted planning permission to build a narrow gauge railway around his 50-room Broughton Hall home, near Eccleshall, Staffordshire. The railway line will run through the estate's 28-acre formal gardens and open parkland and will be used to take the tycoon's family and friends round the expansive grounds. The railway, which will echo the design of a similar attraction at nearby Weston Park, will not be open to the public. The three-mile track will run past the estate's tennis court and indoor swimming pool, through the large gardens and then round the parkland attached to the property.

Mr Caudwell also  is the founder of the Caudwell Children charity, which provides support, equipment, treatment and therapy for disabled youngsters.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

20^th Jan 2015.