Deccan Queen (DQ),the legendary train service between the then Victoria Terminus in Mumbai and Pune completes 91 yrs today on 1st June 2021. On its birthday, RailPost takes you on a visual journey of the DQ through the years. Image: David Churchill #DeccanQueen @Central_Railway
Pune bound DQ from Victoria Terminus (VT) now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) with a WCP-1 locomotive in its early days. Guess the location. #DeccanQueen
Power gives wings, wings give power. An advertisement of Deccan Queen in GIP days. GIP or Great Indian Peninsular Railways (GIPR) is today’s Central Railway. Image source: Binscorner.
The heart throb of tinsel town: A 1936 movie with the name ‘Deccan Queen’ #DeccanQueen
Sure to give you the blues: ‘The Lady in Blue’. Video grab from the movie Hamraaz (1967) starring Sunil Dutt. DQ was also seen in this livery in the movie Jewel Thief (1967) starring Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala. #DeccanQueen
The Deccan Queen on its fiftieth birthday (1980) at a brake testing halt on the Bhor ghat between Lonavala and Karjat. Can you guess the location?
#DeccanQueen
A minimalist look for the maximum train to the maximum city. Popularly called the ‘Ambulance livery’, the Deccan Queen with this livery featured in the enormously popular ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ from the 1990s. Where was the shot taken? Video:
England cricket team in the Deccan Queen AC chair car on their way to Poona during their 1981-82 tour of India. Seen in the photo is batsman David Gower. Photo: Adrian Murrell
The Queen, 2x. A double decker coach on the Deccan Queen. This configuration was likely short-lived. Image: Sridhar Shankar.
A WCG1 class loco, popularly called ‘Khekda’, shunting the Deccan Queen rake towards VT for its journey towards Pune. Image source : Unknown
Colour coordinated like only she can. The Deccan Queen gets a new livery (blue & white, red strip), Year 1991 approx. Image: @devrajmalekar
The curve adds to her beauty. Year 1995 - Air Brake rake introduced on Deccan Queen. Can you guess the location? Image source : Unknown
Deccan Queen gets ISO-9001 certification. Year 2003 Image: @devrajmalekar
After being hauled by different classes of DC locomotives for almost a quarter of a century, the Deccan Queen switched to a relatively modern electric dual current locomotive WCAM-3. Year 1997. Image: @devrajmalekar
B’decked on her b’day. Year 2012. Image: @typicalgujju
Trying out a new wardrobe to see what befits her status. #IndianRailways organized a poll on social media to select a new livery for the Deccan Queen’s new LHB rake. Year 2020.
The National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad had proposed a new livery for the Deccan Queen as well. The new rake (and the new livery) has not yet been commissioned.
A poem dedicated to the Deccan Queen by her daily passengers in Marathi.
The Deccan Queen in December 2020. Services had restarted after a break of several months from March 2020. Image : @jb2951
For the past two years, the Deccan Queen has been not racing back and forth between Pune and Mumbai on its birthday. We are sure everyone looks forward to leaving the pandemic behind and celebrating the Deccan Queen once again in June 2022.
Note : RailPost has taken all possible care & efforts to give credit to the original photographer/contributor. If anyone has been left out inadvertently, please let us know, due credit will be given to the contributor.
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