Film by Gaurav Krishna
TR Raghunandan describes himself as a classic car and railway enthusiast, tireless driver, model scratch-builder, broken old machinery hoarder, teacher, raconteur, author, former bureaucrat and accountability and decentralised governance consultant. He is also a resident of Bangalore and his workshop is located in Whitefield. Raghunandan grew up making his own toys and over time his pursuit of scratch building has taken on the aspect of an all consuming, monumental passion. His models are made from all kinds of recyclable material, such as cardboard, handmade paper made from elephant dung, bits of plastic, shampoo bottle caps, old metal wire and so on. This hobby is a study in what can be achieved through scratch building. While model kits are available for a wide range of automotive and railway subjects, scratch building enables the modeling enthusiast to create something that is unique. Some of these models take over seven years to complete, with the careful replication of nearly all details of the original locomotive to scale. That includes modeling each rivet, nut and bolt to exacting detail. Since no blueprints are available for most locomotives, Raghunandan works by photographing and taking dimensions from various locomotives that are parked in museums and railway workshops across the country. In the process leading up to building these models, he has also visited Mysore, Kolkata, the Rewari Steam workshop, and so on where, with the help of railway officers and other enthusiasts, he was able to clamber over, through and under several locomotives to capture all their details.
