When the Steam-Belching 'Shaitan' (Satan) Came to the Indian Countryside...
By DJ
@Daljinder (23236)
Bangalore, India
September 16, 2019 10:08am CST
I thought you might find this interesting. It was interesting and amusing to read how the people reacted to this large machine barreling down the tracks with some magical force. 
I can almost picture the scenes described. Do you have any such reaction stories to share? 
An excerpt from 'A Short History of Indian Railways' recounts the days when trains were seen as large, black demons breathing fire and smoke.
12 people like this
12 responses
@LadyDuck (472087)
• Switzerland
21 Sep 19
@Daljinder All that smoke coming out and the coal red in the furnace.
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@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
21 Sep 19
@LadyDuck Yeah and the length just like a dragon or a devil 
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@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
20 Sep 19
@LadyDuck I can imagine how they can be seen as such.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
16 Sep 19
I don't know how they were perceived here at first. Considered like "public utility projects" steam trains invaded France quickly. In 1900 any village having 500 inhabitants had its railway station, there were about 5 times more trains than today. They started to disappear after WW2 when cheap cars became affordable for the basic worker, and this also was done very quickly : half of the small lines had disappeared before 1960.
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@topffer (42156)
• France
20 Sep 19
@Daljinder By the way, you linked a very good article, I enjoyed to read it
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@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
20 Sep 19
@topffer India was way behind France.
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@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
16 Sep 19
A large train is a total surprise to the local people. They had fire and smoke so they looked like a demon. I am pleased that India has a large set of train lines in its country. I traveled on metro like train in Mumbai. It didn't stop at each station for very long. It was around one minutes stop. I took sleeper trains right across India.
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@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
20 Sep 19
@maximax8 Exactly! A surprise for the first-timers. Their innocent first-time reactions were what I found interesting.
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@maximax8 (31046)
• United Kingdom
20 Sep 19
@Daljinder I was walking in Kent's lovely countryside with a friend. Often while with him there was something unusual to happen. A stream train went past which greatly surprised us.
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@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
18 Sep 19
Steam trains are still much loved in England and a lot of people went on them to the seaside and they still miss them when they cannot see them working as such.
I went down to Felixstowe on the furthest point of the Coast to go to Dieppe in France once and it was a journey to remember a real steam train still being used by the British Railways.
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@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
21 Sep 19
@Daljinder
They are still run in certain places in England but not for public everyday use.
Mainly on holiday resorts for tourists.
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@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
20 Sep 19
@lovinangelsinstead21 That's interesting to know. Steam engines are also operated on a few World Heritage sites in India and also run occasionally as heritage trains.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
16 Sep 19
thanks fer the great article! i'd feared the stinky, loud contraptions myself. the beginnin' 'f what they called 'true progress' with transportation.
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@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
20 Sep 19
@crazyhorseladycx Your welcome. And yes it was a good progress initiative.
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@birjudanak (14320)
• India
16 Sep 19
Its really scary thing in that time and thus called shaitan because in that time they thought may be this kind of thing only shaitan can do. Its good story which i not know so thanks for sharing. Time changed and now most of the things happens on internet so its will not surprise but in that time it was a big surprise.
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@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
20 Sep 19
@birjudanak Very true! We take things for granted now.
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@nela13 (58710)
• Portugal
8 Oct 19
I think it was the same reaction here. People were curious about it.
