At a time when the recent tragic railway accident in Orissa involving three trains has captured attention worldwide, it is worth recalling the services of a Parsi train driver, Savaksa Lakdawala, for his decades long accident free service.
Attached to the BBCI railway (now Western Railway) he piloted the fast train Flying Ranee from Surat to Bombay Central. Stationed at Udhna, he had to leave his place very early in the morning to reach Surat. It was a very strenuous job, remaining for hours in the coal-fired cabin of the engine, keeping a constant watch on the tracks, warning with whistles......