Trains and nostalgia

My childhood had a lot of trains in it. I was born and I grew up when my father used to work for South Central Railways. I had a neat train set at home at an age when kids need toys. I broke it several times, in my quest to understand the thing. My father fixed it up with some strong glue, and once told me he'd convert the trains to electrical trains similar to their real counterparts, instead of running on battery. He never did it, and I eventually forgot. Also, 99.x% of my journeys were by train. I really do not like the idea of travelling by bus. I find it hard to control nature's calls and there is no way I can ever sleep in a chair! The very memory of me laying on a berth of a sleeper class, with the tracks, suspension and wheels creating the coolest ever symphony, is bliss, and it makes me want my childhood back! I used to love the smaller details of life as a kid and I didn't spare trains either. I could distinguish if the tracks were on wooden or concrete sleepers, if the tracks were long-weld or short-joint tracks (not technical terms), and I could tell when the engine was pulling or coasting or slowing down, even those small changes. I used to wait for those diesel engines to puff away all that dirty exhaust, because I loved the sound the engine made when it did that. I used to be so particular about getting a window seat because you get to see so many beautiful things outside. Bridges, farms, tractors, lakes, puddles, rivers, cows. Hawkers selling breakfast,  cool drinks, biscuits and everything else that can be eaten, hawking away in their weird voices, and making those tring-tring sounds with bottle openers. Ticket collectors and their black suits with a pad in their hands waiting to board the train and talking to passengers looking for an upgrade or a seat-change. A guy would announce the arrival and departure of trains using a hand rail-bell. Every departure was affirmed with a loud whistle of the guard with a green flag waving in his hand. Whenever the train braked, a strange smell would fill the compartment's air and I used to love it. People hated it. I would then sit in my window seat and watch trains after trains go by - goods, passengers, super-fast and just single engines. I could pass hours without knowledge, just looking at all the track, track yards, exchanges and traffic signals. And when I was waiting for a train, I would look at all the trains arriving at a station and would wonder about each part - wheels, brakes, pipes, and more. Here are pics of suspension found on Indian trains : There are lots of pictures of trains (and tracks) taken by a Mr.Sriskand. Click the image below to go straight to his website. The second image is free. The first and third pictures have been linked to their respective websites, so don't sue me.