Dodballapur Station 1
As explained on my Railway Scenes page, two existing railway stations were used in the film to represent Chandrapore: Dodballapur, aka Doddaballapura, a small town about 23 miles north of Bangalore, on the main line via Dharmavaram Junction to Bombay; and Coonoor, on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. This page is about the first of those stations.
The 'Imperial Mail' arrives at Chandrapore
The 'Imperial Mail' arrives at Chandrapore from Bombay. It is pulled by an 'XC' class 4-6-2, heavy-passenger, broad gauge, with an axle-load of 19.5 tons. This view is our introduction in the film to Chandrapore.
For a number of reasons and despite a number of visits to Bangalore, I had not been able to travel to Dodballapur, so this website relied on photos of Dodballapur taken in 2004 from the IRFCA picture gallery here, here, and here. I was finally able to add to these during my 2016/2017 winter visit to India. As it turned out, I was just in time.
The old Dodballapur Station buildings in 2017
On a chilly January morning in 2017, I paid 10 rupees for a ticket and took the 07:40 'Vijayawada Passenger' train number 56503 from Bangalore Cantonment Station to visit Dodballapur Station, some 35km north, which was used in the film for the Chandrapore arrival scenes. Over the course of its short journey, the train managed to arrive 61 minutes late!
The old Dodballapur Station buildings in 2017
There have been many changes and much modernisation at the station since the film was made. New track, platforms, foot-over-bridge and ticket-halls have been added. Overhead gantries have appeared to support the overhead cables for electric locomotives. The once-magnificent tree just beyond the station buildings has, sadly, been heavily and rather ruthlessly pruned.
Railway Protection Force Office in Old Station buildings
The old station buildings used in the film were on their last legs, and it was only because of a working RPF (Railway Protection Force) office in the end room that they were still standing. The attractive wooden fretwork frieze that ran along the whole frontage, still visible in 2004, had been removed.
Showing how the platform level had been raised
Looking along the line of old station buildings, we can see how the old platform level has been raised up by some 80cm, to match the modern carriage doors. Looking across the tracks, we can also see the new platforms and platform-roofs. The current ticket-office is on the far side of the tracks. Some tree still remain - I wonder how many were present in the film-stills? In the distance is the green Foot Over Bridge. (The term 'Foot Over Bridge' is more common in India than 'Footbridge'.)
Addition of a ramp for wheelchairs and 2-wheelers
A concrete ramp has also been added, for wheelchairs and 2-wheelers.
Ticket Office Exit
Closeup of Ticket Office Exit
Entrance to old First Class Waiting Room
Dodballapur Station Timetables
Exit from Ticket Office on to the Platform
Ticket Office Window
Interior of the old ticket office, showing timetable, ticket office window, and sturdy crowd-control barrier to stop queue-jumping.
Exterior of old Doddballapur Station
The roof is in a sorry state here, and rather than effect repairs, it has been covered with a tarpaulin to last for the rest of its life.
Exterior of old Doddballapur Station
Exterior of old Doddballapur Station
Entry to the Ticket Office
Entry to the old ticket office, now closed off with a low wall that would make the wheelchair and 2-wheeler ramp redundant.
Overview of Old Doddballapur Station Buildings
Overview of the old Doddballapur Station buildings. These buildings were demolished at the end of 2016, as I gathered later from the Google Earth history-view. These photos are therefore some of the last to be seen of the Chandrapore Station as used in the film. It was indeed fortuitous that I got there in time to take them.
Please now see my Dodballapur 2 page, which contains notes and film-stills of Doddballapur Station.
