Institution news
Organised by Jon Baines Tours, the trip was led by a well-qualified and knowledgeable local guide. Philip Young MIMechE one of the touring party was mesmerized by what he saw during the two-week tour, which started in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and continued to Delhi, Shimla, Chandigarh, Agra and Jaipur.
If you are interested in seeing significant engineering sites in China, Jon Baines Tours' is planning a trip there in November 2015, and to register your interest in this tour, please call Tel: 020 7223 9485 or email: info@jonbainestours.co.uk.
Postcard from India
Philip explained that the India tour took in feats of mechanical engineering, historical and modern, in a variety of stunning locations. Engineers' partners also joined the tour and the varied itinerary ensured that it was an ideal holiday for both professional engineers and their partners.
Philip commented: “In Kolkata, formerly the capital of British India, our guided tour took in the old colonial buildings as well as the famous Howrah Bridge and Station and the Victoria Memorial. It ended with a trip on India’s oldest Metro.
“There was a visit to Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd, a company that originated in 1884, which is now owned by the Indian government. It builds ships for the Indian Navy and Coastguard. Another engineering-themed visit was to Braithwaite & Co Ltd, incorporated in India in 1930 by the British, which is also owned by the Indian government and manufactures railway wagons, mainly for Indian Railways.
“We spent an evening in the company of several local members of the IMechE, ending with an excellent meal at the Tollygunge Club.
“In Delhi, a visit to an enormous Hindu Temple, completed in 2005, preceded an evening presentation on India’s Engineering Heritage by author and film-maker Rajesh Rampal. The next day, he accompanied the party on a coach tour of Old and New Delhi which ended with a rickshaw ride through busy markets followed by a trip on Delhi’s extensive new Metro system.”
Engineering visits were made to the Mahatma Ghandi Thermal Power Station, a modern coal-fired unit of Chinese design comprising two 660 MW boiler and turbine sets, operating on supercritical steam and operated by Jhajjar Power Ltd; and to the Maruti Suzuki automobile factory for a short visit to a robotic spot-welding shop and part of the final assembly line.
Shimla, in the Himalayan foothills is the former summer capital of British India. Here, there were visits to the well-presented Indian Army Museum at Annadale and the historic Gaiety Theatre. The return from Shimla by way of the dramatic narrow gauge railway was followed by coach to Chandigarh, the city laid out by Le Corbusier in the 1950s. On the following day the party travelled to Agra for visits to the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
Philip continued: “The coach journey to Jaipur included stops at the abandoned city of Fatephur Sikri and the Chard Baori Step Well. Then we visited the Amber Palace, the Palace of the Winds, the City Palace and Museum, the Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory and the Birla Temple.”
There was an appointment at Jaipur Dairy, which handles a million litres of milk per day from surrounding farms, and the chance to see a fully automated Tetrapak filling machine at close quarters. The final visit was to Jaipur Foot, a charitable organisation which supplies prosthetic limbs.
Returning to Delhi, the party visited the Fairy Queen, built by Kitson of Leeds in 1855. It is said to be the oldest working steam locomotive in the world.
Philip commented: “The tour was a great success, with the combination of cultural and engineering visits making for an interesting and varied programme.”
The next tour being considered will visit China in November 2015. It will include a wide range of engineering sites and a full cultural programme, including visits to iconic sites such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City and the Terracotta Warriors.
To find out more, and register your interest in the Engineering Study tour of China in November 2015, please call Jon Baines Tours on Tel: 020 7223 9485 or email info@jonbainestours.co.uk.