Replica of vintage PLR loco engine installed at Paralakhemundi station

Berhampur: A replica of the vintage rail engine of the ‘Parlakimidi Light Railway’ (PLR) was mounted on a pedestal constructed at the entrance of Paralakhemundi Railway Station as a part of the redevelopment project on Sunday.

The original 20-tonne 0-6-0 tank locomotive with 27-inch diameter coupled wheels and an axle load of only 4.75 tonnes and all India number PL 691 built by ‘Kerr Stuart’ is plinthed outside Southern Railway Headquarters in Chennai. During the SER centenary celebrations in 1987, a set of four postage stamps was released and one of the stamps featured the PL 691 locomotive.

It has now become a centre of attraction for visitors and the local residents and also a popular selfie point. The Railway officials said the replica of the vintage steam engine put on display was manufactured by Waltair Workshop.

“Though it is a replica of a vintage PLR loco, we hope that one original engine will come to Paralakhemundi during the opening of a PLR-based Rail Museum at Paralakhemundi,” said Bishnu Mohan Adhikari, member of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Odisha Chapter. Adhikari, along with Anil Dhir, Deepak Kumar Nayak and Conservation Architect Satyam Jyoti had submitted a report to the Railways in May last year.

Maharaja Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deb of Paralakhemundi, who introduced the first privately managed Railway in Odisha, had laid the narrow-gauge railway line from Naupada to Paralakhemundi (40-km) in 1898-99. His son and first Premier of Odisha, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, extended the line from Paralakhemundi to Gunupur (51-km) in two phases in 1929 and 1931. The Naupada-Paralakhemundi gauge line of PLR opened on April 1, 1900. Paralakhemundi was under a single ruler till 1607 and came under British influence in 1768.

Seven of the original locomotives are lying scattered across India which have no relevance to Paralakhemundi. While PL 691 has been plinthed outside Southern Railway Headquarters, Chennai, PL 692 has been plinthed outside BNR Hotel, Puri. PL 693 has been plinthed on the Ramakrishna beach in Visakhapatnam. It was plinthed there during Visakha Utsav in 1998. PL 694 has been plinthed outside the Visakhapatnam station. PL 697 has been plinthed outside DRM office, Visakhapatnam. The locomotive has been plinthed as a part of the centenary celebrations of BNR in 1988. These engines used to take about 6 to 7 hours to haul a distance of 90-km with 3 bogies. The maximum speed was about 30-km per hour.

The INTACH Odisha Chapter had earlier urged the Railways to issue heritage tag to Paralakhemundi railway station. At least original heritage locomotives of the PLR should be brought back and properly plinthed at the Paralakhemundi Heritage Railway Station, INTACH said.

The 1899-built wooden-bodied Royal Carriage, used by the Royalties of Paralakhemundi, which is kept at the Narrow-Gauge Railway Museum at Nagpur, too should be brought back for display at the station. There are many other artefacts relating to the PLR which are kept at the Nagpur Museum. These include signalling equipment, electrical equipment, scales, uniforms, insignia, German silver cutlery and Royal embellishments. They should all be returned, the INTACH demanded.

The INTACH has implored that this piece of railway history should be properly preserved and highlighted. The INTACH is bringing out a pictorial book on the history and heritage of ParlakimIdi Light Railway which will be released when the new Railway Station is inaugurated.