India

A morning visit to Old Delhi, or Delhi Junction, station and broad gauge 4-6-2 WP 7569 departs eastwards with a passenger train. Note the last minute passenger jumping aboard the second coach! Based on a 1947 design by Baldwin Locomotive Works in the U.S.A more than half of the 755 5ft 6in gauge WPs were imported from North America but the last 289 were built at Chittaranjan works in India. This particular engine was built by the Canadian Locomotive Company in 1955.

Indian Railways broad gauge Pacific WP 7656, built 1965 at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works West Bengal, & train stopped at Ajhai en route from Delhi to Agra Cantt with the Taj Express. We waited 9-10 minutes here for the Toofan (?) Express to pass pulled by a diesel. Departing at 09.08 we arrived at the main intermediate stop at Mathura at 09.34. Our return journey two days later was on the same train pulled by the same WP.

Located 39km west of Agra the city of Fatipur Sikri was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar but only served in this role from 1571 to 1585, when Akbar abandoned it due to a campaign in Punjab. Given its condition today it seems incredible that it was completely abandoned in 1610. We rented a car and driver in Agra and drove out here for the day. Presumably it can get busy but on this day we were the only tourists in the whole complex! A very atmospheric place. It was overcast but it was very hot! Happy Stone Fence Friday! Enjoy the weekend.

One of the marble minarets of the Taj Mahal.

Safdarjung Tomb is a sandstone and marble mausoleum built in 1754 in the late Mughal Empire style for Nawab Safdarjung.