MUMBAI: Malayil George John (M.J.JOHN) called it a day on Wednesday after dedicating 41 years of his life to the Indian Railways.
For over four long decades, this Senior Loco Inspector (Training) has tutored thousands of motormen at Motorman's Training Center in the Kurla car shed__so much so that there is probably not a single motorman on the Central Railway (CR) suburban line who hasn't benefited from John's skill and wisdom. So, it's not surprising that on his last day, he is surrounded by colleagues, motormen and relatives as they bid him farewell at a function in CST.
One needs to be "god fearing'' to be a good motorman, insists John. "As a motorman, who has the lives of thousands of commuters in his hands, he should abstain from drinking, smoking and other vices and he should rest adequately. If one is god fearing, all these qualities will fall into place,'' he said. One of the thumb rules of this veteran trainer is that a motorman should stay back home if he has had a particularly nasty fight and feeling disturbed and edgy.
John's wife, Aleyamma looks on proudly at him, as he talks to his colleagues on his last day at work. "The only problem being married to a man in this profession is the erratic hours,'' she says. "He would always be either in the control room or the institute. There were days when we did not meet each other, but with time, we adjusted to the fact that this was how life would be like. We needed to survive in this city.''
Colleague and close friend, senior loco inspector (suburban), Merywn Desa says though the institute will miss John sorely, he has done his job so thoroughly that other trainers will not face much difficulty in making up for his loss. "He trained the others so well that they will take off where he left without many hitches,'' says Desa.
Motormen, who have been trained in technical, operational and trouble-shooting issues, remember John as a dedicated and emotional man. Motorman Rajesh Pillai says John was particular about keeping records. "He would take the register home if he could not complete it during work hours,'' he says. "He also had a great relationship with his students.''
John credits his job for making him "a perfect man'', dedicated to family and duty. In his four-decade long stint with the railways, John has had 14 run-over cases. "The first two or three times, I felt so bad that I took two days' leave after each accident. But later, I realised that it's a job hazard and we are compelled by duty,'' he says. And that's what he tells the young men and the odd young woman whom he trains. "It's a job, do it as you are compelled by it.''
Singh was operating a local DMU train, when he observed a rail fracture on the parallel track. “The erupted tracks grabbed my attention. Any other train passing on that track would have met with an accident. I had no time to reach the next station and inform the staff, so I sent a message to the Dahanu Road cabin using the communication set,” recounted Singh. The maintenance staff then rushed to the spot and repaired the track in time, preventing a major tragedy.
He was operating a CST-Badlapur local with about 5,000 commuters on board, when he noticed a tractor and a trolley attempting to cross the tracks even after seeing the train. “They couldn’t possibly have made it across in time to avoid a crash. The collision would not only damage the tractor, but also risk the lives of the train passengers. I immediately applied the brakes and the train came to a halt just 20 metres ahead of the tractor,” said Singh.
Railway electrical workers were replacing the overhead mast ahead of Kalyan station when it fell onto the tracks. Narendra Kumar was operating the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Madurai Express and had just pulled out of Kalyan. “I saw the mast fall and immediately applied the brakes, but it came rolling towards the train. Luckily, both the train and mast stopped a mere 10 mm from each other.” If the train would have hit the mast, it is likely the train would have been derailed.
As the Sabarmati Express crossed the Mahi River, someone pulled the chain. There was no space for train staff to get off and walk to the coach where the alarm had been set off. Without caring for his life, Barua crawled under the bogies and made his way to the coach. “I had to do the job, otherwise the train would not have moved ahead. I attended the call and put the alarm off. The train left from the spot in just 18 minutes,” said Barua.
Kumar noticed a part hanging off a coach of the Jammu-Tavi-Bandra Holiday Special. “Instinctively, I knew it was a major part, as I could see it even as the train sped by. I immediately informed the station manager at the next station, Rentia, and informed the section controller,” he said. At Rentia, where staff found it was a thick release wire. It was repaired and refitted before the train recommenced its journey. Left unattended, the wire could have caused major damage to the coach.
The Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Kanpur Express was being transported to the shunting lines from the platform. Raju however noticed that the engine had caught fire. “I rushed to call my subordinates. We had to battle raging flames and separate the engine from the train. We pushed the rakes back and created a gap of 10 metres between the coaches and the engine.” Although there were no passengers on board, the entire train would have been gutted without Raju’s help.
