Made of iron, this turn-table sits in a round pit that has a radius of about 60 feet from the centre. When any engine or coach has to be turned from north to south or vice versa, this massive pit comes into play. And, though not many people know, it's located very close to the new Bandra Terminus building. R B Hadaile, station superintendent of Bandra Terminus, says: “This area where the turn-table is situated, was once one of India's biggest marshalling yards where goods were stored.” This was actually the second largest marshalling yard in the country, the biggest one was at Mugal Sarai. “In 1988, it was closed down following an increase in the number of mail and express trains and locals, since a path was required for them. Now, goods trains passing through Vasai and Diva go to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.”

Station Manager A K Gerg says it’s mostly engines and generator cars that are turned on this table, WR’s solitary turn-table in Mumbai division. “It’s seldom that electric engines are turned on it,” Gerg adds.

Still, this giant piece of precision engineering has a story to tell from several major events in the railways’ history. For, every time an engine or coach comes from the siding area, a pointsman deputed there unlocks the locking arrangements of the turn-table, turns it and attaches its tracks to the siding tracks.

Fifty-year-old Hira Lal Singh, a staff member of Mill Wright, has been maintaining the turn-table for 30 years now. For the past eight years, he has had for company 30-year-old Sanjay Chikle, a pointsman from the WR's traffic department . Avinash Borker (29) is also from the traffic department. Apart from turning the turn-table, they have a few other activities as well. “Sometimes, the salon-cars of higher authoritiescome for turning,” says one pointsman, referring to the fully redecorated coaches used by general managers and divisional railway managers for inspections, meetings, etc. “We always enjoy our work, whether it may be turning the table or changing the points on tracks,” says Chikle. Another pointsman, Rajendra Prasad, says: “In April 2006, when there was a re-run of a heritage steam locomotive on Western Railway, that steam engine too was turned here.”

Hadaile says there used to be another turn-table in front of Lower Parel station, especially for turning steam engines. “When steam engines faded out, that turn-table was also removed,” Hadaile says.