LOST TRAIN

This is too hilarious.

Remember there was a case of a missing tank in Ahmednagar some years back. 

The Indian Railways did one better.....they had a complete train missing for nearly 40 years. This is how it happened:

The Lost Train.

This rake was discovered on on 18th December 2019 lying at a small station about 40 kms short of Tinsukia main. Tinsukia itself is about 480 kms NE of Guwahati and about 80 kms from the Arunachal border.

Apparently sometime in 1976 or so,  the rake had been  placed at one of the disused sidings temporarily, as there was no place available along the platforms at the station, which in any case was a very small one.

Railway records show that the train had reached there at 11:08 AM on 16th June 1976. The engine ('power' in railway parlance) was disconnected from the rake and brought back to the station to assist in placing of certain goods wagons.

Heavy rains and flooding took place with effect 11:31 AM, the same day. Enquiries ordered by the Railway Board reveal, at that point of time, the railway staff was totally involved in maintaining traffic continuity, track repairs and tackling the immediate flooding problem; as almost the entire station had been submerged in 5-6 feet of water. 

The passengers all had alighted and had made their way to their destinations, obviously with some difficulty. And with some help from the local villagers.

During this period the Station Master too moved out on posting as also some of the staff. 

In the meantime people forgot about this rake as it was about 2 kms from the main station, at a limb and in a deserted place. 

Slowly vegetation took over the entire area. The remnants of the track leading to the rarely used siding, which had not been washed away in the flood, soon disappeared  under bushes, shrubs and weeds. Snakes,   birds and wild animals found it an ideal home, much like sunken ships in which marine life abounds.

Time went by. Most of the older lot of railway men retired and others passed away. No one remembered the train. Daniel Smith, the engine driver emigrated to Australia in September 1976. 

On 5th December 2019, a satellite picture by one of the NASA satellites which was mapping the forest cover in the Asia-Africa region, captured somewhat obscure, hidden and not too clear pictures of this rake, under a thick forest canopy. 

Suspecting it to be the site of an Indian, camouflaged 'rail mobile' ICBM rake, it was forwarded to the Pentagon.  Abnormal activity of a number of satellites over this area was then noted by ISRO, NTRO and Indian intelligence agencies. 

In the meantime Russian and Chinese double agents in the Pentagon informed their handlers, in their mother countries, about the 'ICBM Train' discovered by NASA. In a bizarre sequence of events, RAW got this information from agents on their payroll in Russia and China. 

Now alarm bells started ringing. Could it be a rogue action by an Indian ‘Dr Strangeglove' type of person-- civilian or military?

Inquiries began at the Indian end. The PMO, DIA (Defence Intelligence Agency), NIA (National Investigation Agency), the MoD (Ministry of Defence) and the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) got involved.

By an internal memo, the IHQ, the Military Space Command and SFC (Strategic Forces Command), all denied the placement of any such train/rake at the location being given.

But subsequent aerial recce and pics taken by own satellites, IAF and the ARC (Aviation Research Center), all confirmed that a well camouflaged rake actually was there.

Ultimately a ground party of SF including MARCOS and GARUD's was sent along with a senior intelligence officer from the NSA's office to the site in an hush-hush operation. 

And that is the story of the Lost Train!

Unbelievable, but absolutely true!

Courtesy: C P Narayanan