tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37942373981054021822024-03-14T08:19:47.128+05:30The Adventure QuesterMy blogs concentrate on my travelling adventures in India and Russia. I love to travel to unknown places and seek the adventure of the unknown, meet different people and learn about their culture.Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-54540065870641506632018-06-10T18:25:00.001+05:302018-06-10T18:25:05.650+05:30Aaryan's Toy Train using Go Pro<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NyTAfQrDz-Q" width="480"></iframe>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-13373043190856631452018-04-06T16:11:00.001+05:302018-04-06T16:11:24.723+05:30Bicycle Tour of Izhevsk<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dFfW-G21f20" width="480"></iframe>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-9205650451494377052016-08-31T16:29:00.001+05:302016-08-31T16:29:07.193+05:30WAP-4 with Khamakhya - Mumbai LTT AC Express<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kup8L38igC8" width="480"></iframe>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-8827446555298645082016-08-31T16:11:00.001+05:302016-08-31T16:11:54.207+05:30Crossing of Two Trains!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qC7gXWSFInk" width="480"></iframe>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-73905820520902304282015-09-11T16:59:00.000+05:302015-09-15T01:17:07.754+05:30Hanging by a Thread<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The title of this blog is quite apposite for one of the journeys that I had undertaken in November 2014 from a small town of Lonand to Mumbai on board the 11030 Kolhapur-Mumbai Koyna express. After a successful solo trek to one of the hills near Satara in Maharashtra, I decided to board the Koyna express to return home, in a hope that it wouldn't be crowded as I didn't have the reservation, and had decided to board the unreserved 2nd class carriage (it is always fun and adventurous to travel on 2nd class of the Indian railways as you get to see the real India, the people, the struggle written on the face of every person and the hope and determination of executing their dreams and goals).<br />
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After spending a few hours in the small town of Lonand, meeting some interesting people who were very friendly and relishing on some local Maharashtrian spicy food, I decided to move to the railway station way ahead of the scheduled arrival of my train. The scene at the station was not so exciting as it was small with 3 platforms and less train movement, mostly goods trains however, I was lucky to see a train that sped thorugh the station hauled by a WDP-4 class loco link at about 90 KMPH, a sight which is still fresh in my mind. People slowly started to fill in, and mere 10 minutes before the arrival of the train, the station started straddling with people, all of them going to meet their families and friends due to Diwali festival and it was also a weekend - I knew it was going to be a temerarious ride!<br />
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With a delay of just 5 minutes, the train, hauled by a rather strange link, A WDM-3A class loco of Gooty shed however, the regular link is a WDP-4 class loco of Krishnarajapuram shed, pulled into the platform number 1 of Lonand station. Even before the train came to a complete halt, I could see the 14-coach train completely filled in with people, and even the reserved compartments, including a solo air-conditioned chair car coach, were not spared by the unauthorised travellers. There was not an inch available to move onto the train, as all of the doors were occupied by people. With a halt of mere 2 minutes at this station, I made a quick decision to hop onto the train and survive the ride for the next 7 hours hanging at the door with my backpack, as there was no other train bound for Mumbai for the next 7 to 8 hours. Initially, some people objected me and asked me not to board as there was no room whatsoever, where in a compartment with a capacity of about 103 people, there were more than 150 people crampped onto all of those 14 compartments. Thankfully, nobody dared venture onto the roof of the train as it would mean the end of everything for them by being charred to death by 25 KV current upon entering the electric territory.<br />
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As I managed to balance myself and seek some 'comfort', I was getting pushed outside by the force of some 10 people standing around me and I thought that this is going to be my final train ride but managed to cohere onto the bars of the door with all my might. The things started to get worst when the train picked up the pace, but on some sharp curves with a speed of about 60 to70 KMPH, I thought my fate had been sealed. Thankfully,this train has a lot of halts enroute, which did allow me disembark off the train to release some tension built in my hands and legs but it was just a temporary relief. Sadly, a lot of travellers with reserved ticket waiting for the train enroute couldn't board and all I could see was their worried and feared faces as the train accelerated out of the stations.....without them!<br />
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I was hoping for some relief from the derangement at Pune as this is one of the biggest train stations as I was expecting a lot of people to disembark. A huge chunk of people did get off the train, however to my shock there were even more people waiting to board the train due to weekend. I, however, got a chance to squeez into the 'comfort zone' much to my extrication. The crowd swelled in more than before but the only difference was that I was not hanging at the door but again it was difficult to stand due to chocking like condition as there was not enough room for fresh air. Strangely, a man started asking me some questions in English and I wondered if it was important for him to talk to me in almost gasping conditon, and I affably refused to talk to him. From outside I was surfeited and drained off energy, however my inner soul was not unamused by an unexpected adventure.<br />
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After living through nearly 6 hours in the unsurvivable conditon, I felt souped up as the train was nearing the suburbs of Mumbai. Finally, after almost 7 hours I disembarked from the train much to my relief and of course......alive!<br />
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Although I have traveled on super crowded trains countless number of times but this was the best experience, a real adventure, and I loved it!!<br />
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Indian railway is my passion since the day I was born and unarguably it is second to none.<br />
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Memories relived! I miss travelling on Indian trains very much.<br />
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Following are some photos from this trek<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-igj5jmYUO4s/VfKvBNxNqkI/AAAAAAAAC1I/9BfUC0phEcw/s1600/_MG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-igj5jmYUO4s/VfKvBNxNqkI/AAAAAAAAC1I/9BfUC0phEcw/s640/_MG_1513.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kolhapur bound Maharashtra express with WDM-3A class loco of Pune shed</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rI3ZenACJYM/VfKvCb13OaI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/bAgRLahn5rs/s1600/_MG_1497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rI3ZenACJYM/VfKvCb13OaI/AAAAAAAAC1Q/bAgRLahn5rs/s640/_MG_1497.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Yeswantpur (Bangalore) Bound Train Passes Through Picturesque Sahayadri Mountain Range </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_QoJYBeROE/VfKvDj66uTI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/JHepquKAWsQ/s1600/104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D_QoJYBeROE/VfKvDj66uTI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/JHepquKAWsQ/s640/104.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over 100 Years Old Name Slab which Once Served the Meter Gauge Train Line to Miraj. This line has since been moved into oblivion</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wBDDepb-mSA/VfKvGPzAbcI/AAAAAAAAC1g/sPhmado9cA4/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wBDDepb-mSA/VfKvGPzAbcI/AAAAAAAAC1g/sPhmado9cA4/s640/105.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rugged Terrain Landscape of the Sahayadri Range</td></tr>
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Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-77220647496165017442015-07-11T23:43:00.000+05:302017-05-01T23:02:57.872+05:30Russia - From My Point of View <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was a winter night of December 2014 when I told my mom that I would be going to Russia to pursue my PhD, and she asked "Are you crazy"? I replied "No, I am not and I know what I am doing and where I am going". She was visibly upset on hearing about my plans but I managed to convince her and she warily asked me to go ahead with my plans. It was the start! I had heard a lot of negatives about Russia, and the war but I knew non of those were even remotely true and I felt absolutely safe even before moving to Russia. I was all decked up and excited and most importantly I was going to pursue my dream, a dream that I had almost given up once. I also knew that the language of instruction would be Russian and that it wouldn't be easy to learn a new language however, I was determined to over come any challenges, and in fact I took this problem as an opportunity to learn new language and enhance my skills in the field of linguistics. Surprisingly, the Russian language has a lot of words similar to Hindi and Sanskrit, probably borrowed from these languages many years ago. <br />
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One of the things that has always exasperated me is that a lot of people have a wrong notion about Russia, falsely believing that it is a hostile country or jump to the conclusion without even doing some basic research to find the facts. One such example was one of my relatives who told me some 'horror' stories about Russia and asked me to cancel my trip. With all due respect for his concern about me, Russia was quite inhospitable back in the early 90s however, it is probably the safest country now and of course, extremely friendly. I don't think there is any other country which is so open and friendly to foreigners, especially from India and specially compared with some 'English speaking developed' nations. Upon landing in Moscow, I knew I was in an amazing country!<br />
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<b><u>The Education System</u></b><br />
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The reasons Indian students abnegate from heading to Russia for higher education/research degree are the language barrier, lack of opportunities, and the other reason, as mentioned above, is safety. The latter is just in the minds of the people because Russia would take care of you like you were its citizen, and of course, there is no discrimination whatsoever, and certainly no racial discrimination at all. Sadly, I had experienced racism in India because of my accent but in Russia, I everyday look forward to meet new people, and my friends who are always excited to meet me, too. And if you don't mind learning a new foreign language (Russian) then look no beyond Russia! And as far as opportunities are concerned, Russia offers a lot of opportunities in numerous fields than any other developed nations combined. <br />
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The Russian education system and standards are on par with the international standards, and some Russian universities are amongst the best. The Udmurt State University in Izhevsk, for example, is one of the top classical universities in Russia and has everything that an international university has to offer. The research facilities, the professors, the support staff are amazingly helpful. For me Russia is new the USA, or UK. A lot of students from Asia, especially India, head west for better opportunities and earnings but I guess it's time to look north! <br />
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Izhevsk, the capital of Udmurt Republic, is located along the Izh river in the Western Urals. Although the city is small as compared with Moscow or Kazan, but it is one of the most beautiful and well organized cities. One of the best things about the city is its people, they are extremely wonderful, very helpful and are always welcoming no matter where you come from.<br />
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<u><b>The Udmurt Republic </b></u><br />
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I had not heard about the Udmurt Republic or Izhevsk before applying to this university, and the only cities I knew were Moscow and St. Petersburg and when I heard about this city (Izhevsk), I had no clue about the pronunciation, tried all possible ways to pronounce the name of the city right but couldn't until I landed here. One of the first things that comes to our mind when we hear about Izhevsk is the AK 47 automatic rifle as Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of this weapon, was born and raised in Izhevsk. With the population of about 650,000, Izhevsk is the capital and the biggest city of Udmurt Republic. Between 1984 and 1987, the city was called Ustinov, named after the late defense minister Dmitri Ustinov.<br />
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This is one of the most beautiful places in Russia and I feel happy and excited to be here and many thanks to the people of Izhevsk for allowing me to be associated with their culture. <br />
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<pre class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-medium" data-fulltext="" data-placeholder="Translation" dir="ltr" id="tw-target-text" style="height: 36px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="ru">Я люблю Россию</span>! </b></span></pre>
<pre class="tw-data-text vk_txt tw-ta tw-text-medium" data-fulltext="" data-placeholder="Translation" dir="ltr" id="tw-target-text" style="height: 36px; text-align: left;">Following are some of the pictures from Russia:</pre>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kDVjCxKg81Y/VaAX-FaxYpI/AAAAAAAABe0/Zm5zIg9HKW0/s1600/2015-05-08%2B11-36-54.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kDVjCxKg81Y/VaAX-FaxYpI/AAAAAAAABe0/Zm5zIg9HKW0/s640/2015-05-08%2B11-36-54.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Udmurt State University</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tSQ1d48Jfwc/VaAX-LTYMyI/AAAAAAAABe4/rugmqtxQvwM/s1600/2015-06-07%2B14-46-22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tSQ1d48Jfwc/VaAX-LTYMyI/AAAAAAAABe4/rugmqtxQvwM/s640/2015-06-07%2B14-46-22.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The City of Izhevsk</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79VVqiExe58/VaAX9aLUsoI/AAAAAAAABew/1qGnrollr78/s1600/2015-06-14%2B14-48-14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79VVqiExe58/VaAX9aLUsoI/AAAAAAAABew/1qGnrollr78/s640/2015-06-14%2B14-48-14.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAUCEI-_LTc/VaAbJ2aiQYI/AAAAAAAABfM/Z41HHgJ1bd4/s1600/DSC_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAUCEI-_LTc/VaAbJ2aiQYI/AAAAAAAABfM/Z41HHgJ1bd4/s640/DSC_0190.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Holi celebration in Izhevsk</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4sWHcxsPUQM/VaAbP8pCLVI/AAAAAAAABfU/j2QDqfAGaFg/s1600/_DSC0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4sWHcxsPUQM/VaAbP8pCLVI/AAAAAAAABfU/j2QDqfAGaFg/s640/_DSC0112.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over Izh Pond</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6T8Rb0luzNE/VaAbayJUAcI/AAAAAAAABfc/m-vgPL7o2BY/s1600/_DSC0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6T8Rb0luzNE/VaAbayJUAcI/AAAAAAAABfc/m-vgPL7o2BY/s640/_DSC0040.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Street of Izhevsk with a Tram</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3YHIhvh-fI/VaAbrz3jnZI/AAAAAAAABfk/7hNCz_WABPY/s1600/_DSC0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3YHIhvh-fI/VaAbrz3jnZI/AAAAAAAABfk/7hNCz_WABPY/s640/_DSC0002.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Sunset</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c9eUBtv455A/VaAdYmqyeAI/AAAAAAAABfw/24Pk8ttzio0/s1600/_DSC0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c9eUBtv455A/VaAdYmqyeAI/AAAAAAAABfw/24Pk8ttzio0/s640/_DSC0441.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Moscow Business Centre</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BGzfEpQYz0E/VaAdbKf--AI/AAAAAAAABf4/aCOyqwspcI4/s1600/_DSC0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BGzfEpQYz0E/VaAdbKf--AI/AAAAAAAABf4/aCOyqwspcI4/s640/_DSC0430.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kremlin and Moscow river</td></tr>
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Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-44429209614062446392015-04-28T01:36:00.001+05:302015-06-10T15:08:14.792+05:30Into the Unknown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The only thing that is constant is change! <br />
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I have always been enraptured by the world of biology and since my school days, albeit I was an average students, was quite good in this field. Being an average student, my mom had been of the opinion that no sooner I complete my 10th class, than I shall find any job and settle in. I, however, have had some other ideas and was determined that I am not going to give up so easily as I wanted to continue my studies in the field of science. After scoring a very miserable grade in 10th class, I was lucky enough to be admitted in one of the science colleges in Mumbai (Bombay) and, of course, my friends and family laughed at me for opting for science. After completing 2 years of mandatory junior college, I didn't face much troubles getting into the University of Mumbai for my bachelor's degree in zoology and oceanography. </div>
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My mom, upon leanring that I am going to complete my graduation, was very happy as up until my 10th class, she has had absolutely no hope from me as far as passing junior college was concerned, let alone getting a graduate tag. After completing my graduation from the University of Mumbai and getting a first class, I went on to pursure my masters degree in biotechnology and molecular oncology from Kannur university in the state of Kerala, India. This was the first time that I went very far from my home for 2 years but I loved it. I learned a lot of things, made new friends, learned a new language (Malayam) which I wouldn't have learned, had I not been out of my comfort zone.<br />
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After passing my masters degree (again with first class), I decided to pursue PhD (doctorate of science) degree abroad and applied to many universities in the UK and other countries. I was again lucky to be accepted by 3 universities in the UK but sadly they didn't give any financial help and I knew I wouldn't be qualified for any scholarship program, if any, considering my poor grades in the school and as a result I was not able to go the UK. I was, however, determined to pursue my research, and while working, I concurrently continued to apply for PhD program abroad. Many universities never replied to my emails, and some that did, had rejection written all over them! But I still didn't give up as I was sanguine enough to get into a PhD program.</div>
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<b>….and then came a twist!</b></div>
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As I was browsing through some university page on Facebook,
I came across a comment in which somebody had mentioned about the university in
Udmurt Republic. At first I wondered as to
where is this place located and then after a few Google searches, I
stumbled upon the Udmurt State University website. By this time, I figured out
that Udmurt Republic is in Russia and that the university is located in the city
of Izhevsk (I had no clue about the pronunciation then) </div>
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After browsing through the website, I sent an email to the
international relationship department with no hope of getting any reply, as
most of my queries to other universities have had turned futile. But after a few days, I was surprised to
receive a reply (and this was the first ever positive reply I got in my
hundreds of query emails that I had sent to many universities across the
world).</div>
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Upon seeing a positive reply, I decided to ‘step on the gas’
and head to Russia!! And after a month, it became clear that my destination is
Russia and that I would be finally be pursuing my PhD degree, a dream of my
life! Had I not been stumbled upon and scrolled to the ‘comment box’ of that
Facebook post, I wouldn’t have been writing this blog from Russia! Russia, an unexpected destination for me! </div>
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<b>The Departure Day</b></div>
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27th February 2015 would always remain a date that changed a lot of things for me. Once again moving to an unknown place completely out of my comfort zone was very difficult decision for me to take, and especially leaving my mom alone but I knew that if I don't snaffle upon this opportunity, I wouldn't get another. My mom was quite disolated to see me going and didn't know when she would see me again, yet she was very happy about my decision and suppoted me. It was probably the most emotional moment in my life to bid adieu to my mom who was in tears, yet I could see hope in her eyes that things would turn around and change for good for me. </div>
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As a devouring Indian railway fan, my original plan was to board the Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani express however the last moment rescheduling of my Moscow bound Air India flight forced me to board a flight out of Mumbai, sadly. I boarded an Indigo flight for Delhi and then boarded the Air India AI-155 for Moscow and finally boarded Izhavia airlines from Moscow to Izhevsk. As always, Air India has always been an amazing Indian airlines but this time I wouldn't say that I was totally happy with their service. As expected, the flight got further delayed and departed at 9PM as against 7:55PM. The entire duration of flight was uneventful except for some small turbulences while flying over Pakistan and Afghanistan. Landing in Moscow, too, was smooth despite heavy snow around the airport. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5V60RVkqwI/VTgJ5o-0YvI/AAAAAAAABWE/GTCWNrw009E/s1600/_DSC0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5V60RVkqwI/VTgJ5o-0YvI/AAAAAAAABWE/GTCWNrw009E/s1600/_DSC0365.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Mumbai! On board Indigo airlines bound for Delhi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moscow bound Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the background at Delhi IGI Airport</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moscow Domodedovo Airport</td></tr>
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Being all alone in a country where English is not spoken widely and I had absolutely no clue about Rusisan language then, it became a quite a challenge for me. After spending about 8 hours at the airport (whole night), I went to my friend's place in the wee hours of the morning for much needed sleep.<br />
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<b>The Yak 42 Experience</b><br />
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<b> </b>I was very excited about my travel plan from Moscow to Izhevsk as I was going to fly on a Russian made Yakovlev Yak 42 aircraft for the first time. Although a small aircraft, it was more comfortable than Boeing or Airbus and there were no turbulences despite flying through heavy snow. I would absolutely love to fly the Yak 42 again. The flight departed on time from Moscow's Domodeovo airport and landed in Izhevsk 30 minutes before its scheduled arrival. Thus ending my 48 hours journey from Mumbai to Izhevsk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eWDPunKDPhk/VT6Ve-rWYbI/AAAAAAAABW8/vHWhYY_yZCU/s1600/11032515_729619430491843_8939084669320260291_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eWDPunKDPhk/VT6Ve-rWYbI/AAAAAAAABW8/vHWhYY_yZCU/s1600/11032515_729619430491843_8939084669320260291_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Board Izhavia Airlines Yak 42 Aircraft about to Land in Izhevsk, Russia</td></tr>
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Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-72736150216529995972014-11-15T22:34:00.000+05:302015-07-15T19:58:01.306+05:30An Unplanned Trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Absolutely unplanned! This is how I would describe my trip to Adarki (110 KM off Pune). Adarki is a very small village located in the Satara district of Maharashtra, on route to Kolhapur. It has one of the sharpest curves (the horseshoe curve) on the Indian railway network and is very famous amongst the rail fans, and it is also a paradise for trekkers as it is surrounded by the Western ghats (the Sahyadri mountain range). Besides, I wanted to explore the Pune-Miraj meter gauge route that had been closed down after gauge conversion in 1972. The new broad gauge line is laid upon the old MG alignment which is why there are a lot of spectacular curves and steep gradients. </div>
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To trek this place, I was told to prepare at least a week prior but I had no plans until I reached there. On one of those mind-numbing weekends (weekends are boring until I embark on an adventure trip), I packed my backpack after abruptly deciding to go on an overnight trip, booked a waitlist second-class ticket on Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen express and I was all set for an adventure.</div>
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As I was about leave my house, I received a text from the Indian railways ticketing system stating that my second-class waitlist ticket has been upgraded to an air conditioned chair car. Oh No!! This was my first reaction. I was totally disappointed and very angry at the auto upgrade system introduced by the Indian railways. Upgrading to a higher class is a bliss for everybody but I hate luxurious travel. Upon reaching the train station, I even thought of asking the ticketing staff to downgrade my ticket to its original class but I figured out that it wouldn't be possible because the train was full. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f5LORInBFnA/VF-UbfLVSoI/AAAAAAAABEE/Fj4QPAJWLOo/s1600/10553425_651184918335295_7222417776983458342_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f5LORInBFnA/VF-UbfLVSoI/AAAAAAAABEE/Fj4QPAJWLOo/s1600/10553425_651184918335295_7222417776983458342_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An AC Chair Car of Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen Express<br />
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The Deccan Queen express is Indian railway's one of the most prestigious trains - first chugged out on June 1st, 1930. It is fast, has a very few stoppages and is clean and well maintained. <br />
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Led by a WCAM-3 class locomotive of Kalyan shed, the train departed on time at 5:10PM however, for some reason it was held up for about 5 minutes immediately after departing. The run trough the suburbs of Mumbai was reasonably good with temporary speed restriction enforced, the train didn't even notch up to 90 KMPH for most of the time except at some places where it did cross 100 KMPH mark briefly. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fQQ5Wukmd-Y/VGcs2URVTXI/AAAAAAAABEU/GFyYzDiHc_Q/s1600/096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fQQ5Wukmd-Y/VGcs2URVTXI/AAAAAAAABEU/GFyYzDiHc_Q/s1600/096.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Deccan Queen Express at Lonavala. </td></tr>
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The train was running with a delay of about 30 minutes as a result of couple of long unscheduled stops however, surprisingly it reached its final destination, Pune Jn., mere 7 minutes late, thanks to some high speed and all clear run between Lonavala and Pune.</div>
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From Pune, I boarded a connecting train bound for Satara - a distance of 145 KM. Upon reaching Satara around 2:30AM, I then boarded yet another connecting train bound of Adarki - a distance of 37 KM. For the first time, I traveled on a luggage compartment of a train. There was no light or fan, absolutely dark, deplorable but I loved traveling on it. I was accompanied by some scally looking guys who were apparently traveling to a nearby village of Lonand. They asked me all sorts of questions ranging from my whereabouts to my family. It didn't affright me at all but lack of sleep was making me stuporous. <br />
I jumped off the train as soon as the train reached Adarki and went to a 'waiting hall' for a much needed sleep. The station manager was very kind as he turned off the lights and let me sleep for an hour.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jUAfpa8iwa0/VGc8ZHppRaI/AAAAAAAABEk/dB-2GlCD8ys/s1600/097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jUAfpa8iwa0/VGc8ZHppRaI/AAAAAAAABEk/dB-2GlCD8ys/s1600/097.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ernakulam (Cochin) bound Purna Express at Satara in the Dead of Night</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7WdxMY1zFI/VGc9a3P3OiI/AAAAAAAABEs/VCPnr2KHYRw/s1600/100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a7WdxMY1zFI/VGc9a3P3OiI/AAAAAAAABEs/VCPnr2KHYRw/s1600/100.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adarki Station</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wBhp4IJyX6s/VGc94hELBMI/AAAAAAAABE0/OvezEKueM1w/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wBhp4IJyX6s/VGc94hELBMI/AAAAAAAABE0/OvezEKueM1w/s1600/105.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rail Line was Laid after Cutting some Rocky Hillocks. This Broad Gauge Line has been Laid on Meter Gauge Alignment.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tvNTztmar1Y/VGc_W3mJDVI/AAAAAAAABFA/8fNL9FkOaIM/s1600/104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tvNTztmar1Y/VGc_W3mJDVI/AAAAAAAABFA/8fNL9FkOaIM/s1600/104.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Station Name Board is over 100 Years Old. The Pune-Miraj Route, which was inaugurated circa 1880, was Meter Gauge Until 1972</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N33-Gdeh-TU/VGdSMBAgFMI/AAAAAAAABFY/UFEEXsh_Euw/s1600/_MG_1537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N33-Gdeh-TU/VGdSMBAgFMI/AAAAAAAABFY/UFEEXsh_Euw/s1600/_MG_1537.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Led by a WDM-3A Class Loco, Pune Bound Passenger Train Enters Adarki. There are only Four Trains in a Day that Stop Here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vx7ChQ0LWzk/VGeE0-i_6rI/AAAAAAAABFo/Ksm2vM-mg6s/s1600/_MG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vx7ChQ0LWzk/VGeE0-i_6rI/AAAAAAAABFo/Ksm2vM-mg6s/s1600/_MG_1513.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kolahpur bound Maharashtra Express Passes Through the Rock Cuttings. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-te6ULe_JtI0/VGdRPH4NmQI/AAAAAAAABFQ/dIDLXTk0HgM/s1600/_MG_1497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-te6ULe_JtI0/VGdRPH4NmQI/AAAAAAAABFQ/dIDLXTk0HgM/s1600/_MG_1497.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jodhpur-Bangalore Express Passes Through Picturesque Adarki. </td></tr>
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Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0Adarki, Adarki Bk., Maharashtra 415537, India17.916667 74.21666700000002917.7965405 74.055305500000031 18.0367935 74.378028500000028tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-11431141946594361442014-04-08T22:14:00.001+05:302014-04-08T22:21:37.987+05:30On Board The Flying Saucer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The 22625 Chennai-Bangalore AC Double Decker express is nothing less than a 'flying saucer' - a 12 carriage train hauled by a WAP-7 class loco.</div>
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After hustling through the streets of Chennai on a rickshaw early in the morning, we (my mom and I) arrived at Chennai Central station on time to board the Bangalore bound 22625 AC Double Decker express, luckily we didn't face any traffic woes. While entering the station building, I didn't feel anything different at all from entering the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (then Victoria Terminus) in Mumbai. Besides, traveling to Chennai always reminds me of my 2006 trip with my God Father, Jack McKinnon. The AC Double Decker express to Bangalore was not announced and hence I got a few minutes to walk around for some observation. The station was brimming with early morning arrivals from almost all parts of India. The 12624 Trivandrum-Chennai super fast mail had already been arrived, hauled by a WAP-7 class locomotive of Royapuram shed, then a little later came the legendary 12622 New Delhi-Chennai Central Tamil Nadu express, hauled by a WAP-4 class locomotive of Erode shed and many more arrivals and departures. In the meantime, the AC Double Decker express to Bangalore was announced and soon a WDM-2 class loco of TNP shed shunted the train. This was my first trip on AC Double Decker train although my mom had traveled on numerous occasions ever since its inception. From the outside, the train looked quite immense with high speed carriages made by Linke-Hofmann Busch (LHB), however I was not really happy to see the cramped seating arrangements but was not really surprised either because this train has been made for the 'masses'. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksayOpu3F74/U0QJ8Y9mpbI/AAAAAAAAAfo/f4kHHGKj5Yo/s1600/201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksayOpu3F74/U0QJ8Y9mpbI/AAAAAAAAAfo/f4kHHGKj5Yo/s1600/201.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 22625 Chennai Central-Bangalore AC Double Decker Express</td></tr>
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After settling in, I went to check out the loco link and it was, rather surprisingly, a WAP-7 # 30276 class loco of Lallaguda shed. Usually, this train is hauled by a WAP-7 of Royapuram shed. Interestingly, even though hauled by the high speed locomotive and with high speed carriages (capable of doing 160 KMPH), the train didn't cross the speed of 100 KMPH anywhere between Chennai and Bangalore maybe due to slack time. My mom and I had been allotted seats in the lower deck, one of the seats was a window seat so I didn't hesitate to ask my mom to occupy the middle seat because railfanning and window seat/doorplating goes hand-in-hand!! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUWogDz3kms/U0QRGFx4YsI/AAAAAAAAAf0/59_-nsdn8ic/s1600/200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUWogDz3kms/U0QRGFx4YsI/AAAAAAAAAf0/59_-nsdn8ic/s1600/200.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The WAP-7 # 30276 of Lallaguda Shed at the Helm of 22625 Chennai-Bangalore AC Double Decker Express</td></tr>
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At 7:25 AM on the button, the train started and cautiously pulled out of the station while negotiating the On X-Over speed restriction of 20 KM. The acceleration of a WAP-7 class loco was quite impressive, in less than 5 minutes - the train was cruising around 60 KMPH through the suburban stations of Chennai and later maintained the speed of 100 KMPH. This was the second time I traveled on a WAP-7 hauled train, the first time I traveled was on the 12951 Mumbai-New Delhi Rajdhani express. </div>
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This train has got a pretty relaxed schedule, covers the distance of 358 KM in 5 Hours 45 Minutes with an average speed of 62.26 KMPH including seven commercial halts. </div>
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Here are some more photographs: </div>
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The WAP-7 did a splendid job and the train pulled into Bangalore City Junction 5 minutes before time. I'd like thank my railfan crony Nikhil Manohar for printing my flight boarding passes and handing me over at Bangalore Cantt. station at a very short notice. </div>
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On a Flight back to Mumbai: </div>
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Although, I dislike flying because it is absolutely boring, at least for me, but I wanted my mom to come out of the fear of flying, so I canceled the train tickets and immediately booked an evening flight from Bangalore to Mumbai. I was very impressed with new Bangalore International Airport, much bigger and better than the old HAL airport. The Jet Airways flight was very smooth, arrived Mumbai before time but nothing can come even close to the service provided by Air India. Air India always rocks!! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing to a Cruising Altitude</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wrOLMKliAuY/U0Qe7DjSQEI/AAAAAAAAAgs/HqV7RCQ8LWQ/s1600/216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wrOLMKliAuY/U0Qe7DjSQEI/AAAAAAAAAgs/HqV7RCQ8LWQ/s1600/216.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying over Bangalore - Immediately After Taking Off. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-374552130157526402014-03-14T19:59:00.000+05:302014-03-23T20:36:02.034+05:30An Alco-Holic Journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><u>On Board 15657
Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchanjunga Express - An Alco-Holic Journey</u></span></span></div>
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<br />
Confusing title again?!? Well..a lot of the diesel locomotives plying on Indian Railways are manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (now defunct) abbreviated Alco. My train, 15657 Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchanjunga express, was also hauled by diesel locomotive made by Alco and hence the title!! <br />
<br />
Upon
reaching Kolkata, completing half of the journey, I was feeling very excited
because I was inching towards my destination, although I was equally enjoying
the train rides. The Guwahati bound Kanchanjunga express was scheduled to leave at 6:30 AM but
I arrived at the station 2 hours before the train's departure. This was for the first time, in my numerous trips to Kolkata, I was
traveling via Sealdah station and I kind of felt that I was in one of train
stations in Mumbai because even at 4:30 AM, it was crowded. After meandering around the station building
interacting with some locals in my not-so-good Hindi accent, I returned to station
as my train was announced and it had, in fact, already pulled into the station
(shunted). I wasn’t surprised to see huge crowd waiting to board the unreserved
and non-AC sleeper class coaches considering this train has got a large number
of stops and is pretty slow, hence frequented by local travelers than end-to-end ones. My coach,
again an AC-3 tier class, was right in the middle of the train; adjacent to the
only AC-2 tier class. There was some confusion related to coach numbers and as soon as I settled in, I was informed by one of the passengers that I was on wrong coach; this surprised me because
I had boarded correct coach# B -2. Later I learned that the railway officials have had changed the coach numbers, replacing B-1 with B-2 and vice versa, at the very
last moment. I didn’t understand the logic behind it and it certainly didn’t make any
sense to me, and for that matter to other passengers, as well. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bCiO0THTGpU/UyFPf1tYivI/AAAAAAAAAe8/ecncJIu97HI/s1600/WP_20140120_002%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bCiO0THTGpU/UyFPf1tYivI/AAAAAAAAAe8/ecncJIu97HI/s1600/WP_20140120_002%5B1%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An AC-3 Tier Coach of Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchanjunga Express</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">I
was skeptical about the on time departure of the train due to all of the
confusions but I felt assuaged upon seeing the starter signal’s aspect changed
to Yellow from Red and that the train did leave on time. A very few passengers boarded my coach but I knew that it would fill up at Barddhaman Junction. I was lucky that I got an opportunity to check out the train's loco link, it was hauled by a WDM-3A #14020 (An Alco diesel) class loco of Barddhaman shed. My co-passengers were from different parts of
India and one of the families was from my mom’s hometown in Kutch, Gujarat. I
didn’t even remotely think that I was going to travel with a Gujarati family on
a train bound for Guwahati from Kolkata!</span></div>
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Usually, I avoid the early morning starts and one
of the reasons I avoid it is because I feel very stuporous
and, as a result, cannot really enjoy the train journey but I did not have
other options this time. After negotiating the speed restrictions, the train struggled to maintain speed and it didn't even cross 60 KMPH mark albeit it was rolling over the high speed HB Chord line, hence we reached Barddhaman Jn. 20 minutes behind schedule. I saw a huge crowd was getting ready to barge onto the train but I was hoping and praying that they shouldn't board the AC coach but the God had some other plans!! Although I knew that
a lot passengers would board the train but I certainly didn’t anticipate the unauthorized ill-mannered people boarding AC class coaches. I was told that this was a regular feature and nothing much could be done about it. This, however, really beleaguered
me because they had completely blocked both the doors with their baggage and I couldn’t open it an inch, so I asked them to vacate the place and move to unreserved coaches because they were not
bona-fide passengers. Besides, I conscientiously spent a lot of time at the door
on any train journey, and this was no different albeit I was tired and feeling
sleepy, so it didn't matter to me who they were, I shooed some of them away! It was very cold outside with
temperature as low as 8 Degrees Celsius but I was enjoying the cold wind impinging
on my face as the train started to gain speed and got diverted on a non-electrified route bound for Guwahati from high speed HB Chord line. Still some people standing right
behind me unmannerly squalled at me asking me to shut the door……but I did not
listen to them! I think they swore at me in Bengali, too but I didn’t
understand and I continued to be at the door. I would have shut the door, had
they been a little genteel but they seemed roughnecks, so I totally ignored
them. </div>
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A
little over an hour into the journey, the train came to a sudden unscheduled
halt at a remote station named Bataspur. Upon inquiring, I learned that a freight train had been stuck due to loco failure on the same line and that an indefinite delay was imminent - not a big deal if you travel on any Guwahati bound train! This, however, was, for a change, a blessing in disguise
for me because a delay of about 2 hours or more would ensure that I reach
Guwahati after dawn. Eventually, the train was given a go ahead after about an
hour of unscheduled halt. </div>
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The
train arrived at Malda Town, a major halt station, 2 hours behind
schedule. The loco changed from WDM-3A class (diesel) of Barddhaman shed to another WDM-3A class (diesel) of Malda Town shed. A diesel-to-diesel
change just didn’t make any sense to me and it wouldn’t have made any difference, had the WDM-3A class loco of
Barddhaman shed continued hauling the train till Guwahati. The train pulled out after a 20-minute halt,
delayed by over 2 hours with a new loco and a fresh set of crew at its helm.</div>
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It was 4:30 PM but it became too
dark and very cold outside and I couldn't continue doorplating as the weariness was gripping me, so I decided to return to my seat and interacted
with some other fellow passengers. There were a lot Indian Navy cadets
traveling on an adjacent non-AC sleeper class coach and it was also very interesting
to interact with them, as well. Learned a lot of things from them as I always enjoy learning! For most of the time,
I sauntered around the train, interacted with many passengers and until we
reached New Jalpaiguri junction around 9 PM – 3 hours behind schedule! After New Jalpaiguri, it was only about 10
hours to reach Guwahati and an additional 3 hours to reach my destination,
Shillong – My long journey was about to be concluded!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">The next day I woke up to see the train
closing in on Guwahati station, delayed by over 3 hours. Had the train been
running on time, I would have arrived at 4:30 AM and thus it would have been difficult to find a cab/bus to Shillong. Upon disembarking, I was lucky to find an
Assam State Transport bus bound for Shillong waiting right outside the station. The journey between Guwahati and Shillong was
even more captivating with the feeling of joy, and excitement to be in Shillong
once again. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L4KI4azIlI4/UyKoSyxftZI/AAAAAAAAAfM/-73KNx6Vus0/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L4KI4azIlI4/UyKoSyxftZI/AAAAAAAAAfM/-73KNx6Vus0/s1600/025.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Assam State Transport Corporation Bus Bound for Shillong from Guwahati</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-36439942369269056512014-03-01T19:50:00.001+05:302015-03-25T12:51:58.818+05:30A Journey to the Abode of Clouds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'High Tower Text', serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">A Journey to the Abode of Clouds</span></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
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<u>Prelude<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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<br /></div>
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In
the recent past, I have been adventuresomely exploring many places in India,
traveling on trains for days together alone. I traveled thousands of kilometers on
trains in 2013 and this year, I have already clocked around 6000 KM, and I am
targeting over 20,000 KM before I drop curtains on my Indian railway journeys
forever by the end of this year. I managed to make this trip in the very first
month of this year….to my second home – Shillong in Maghalaya aka the Abode of Clouds aka the Scotland of the East aka Pine Capital of India..phew!! Many AKAs huh?!?. I, in fact, wanted to travel in December but
due to my busy timetable, I rescheduled it. As usual, I took the longest possible train
route i.e.,via Pune - Kolkata – Guwahati, instead of boarding a direct train to
Guwahati from Mumbai – I've never taken the short route! My first leg of the
journey started from Mumbai to Pune on a bus then onto the train to Kolkata (boarded
the 12129 Pune – Howrah Azad Hind express) then onto another train from Sealdah
(the 15657 Sealdah-Guwahati Kanchanjunga express) and finally on a bus to
Shillong from Guwahati train station. It took exactly 96 hours to reach
Shillong but I absolutely relished the journey!</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Beginning of a 96-Hour Journey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Being
an impassioned Indian railway enthusiast, traveling on trains bring me a lot of joy –
especially on long journeys of over 2-3 days. On the day of travel i.e. 18
January 2014, I was absolutely commoved and felt like dashing out of the house forthwith! With a huge and quite heavy backpack, I bid goodbye to my mom with a promise to return as planned. I had planned to travel on a bus to Pune, rather than train because I wanted to enjoy the part of the journey through the expressway. The bus wasn’t scheduled to depart
until 11:45 AM but I, as usual, arrived at the bus stop too early because I have experienced
the pain of missing bus on two occasions! Without much, rather any delay,
the bus arrived and that marked the start of my long journey! It was a double axle Mercedes
coach, very comfortable and cozy, and, of course, was very cold inside. After a few stops en-route and negotiating the unwieldy Mumbai traffic, we were on the
Mumbai-Pune expressway at Panvel - delayed but only just! I was really impressed by the acceleration of
the bus on the expressway – in a few minutes, we were voyaging at 110 KMPH even
on some curves. I thought I was on
a train hauled by a WAP-4 class loco!
The arrival time at Pune was 3 PM but I knew it would not reach
until 3:30 PM. The 6-lane expressway between Mumbai and Pune is one of the best
roads to travel at high speed - very comfortable and smooth. After about 2 hours into the journey, a stopover was taken at Lonavala, some 120 KM off
Mumbai, for refreshment and pick some more passengers. It was supposed to be a
20 minute stopover but went on to become an hour – this resulted in a massive delay
and dashing all my hopes of reaching Pune before 3:30 PM. Although my train to Kolkata was going to
depart at 6:25 PM but I was eagerly looking forward to meet my very good friend
Archit Goel! After managing some superb run between Lonavala and Pune – I arrived in Pune around 3:45 PM – a delay of
45 minutes. I, however, did manage to visit the Goels!</div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;">At 117 on 12129 <o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;">The
above title may be discombobulating for most but I am sure my railfan cronies,
if reading, must have figured out by now! After saying goodbye to Archit and his family,
I hustled up to reach the Pune railway station because I had only about 40
minutes to cover about 10 KM and considering the notorious Pune traffic on
weekends, 40 minutes were way too less. After routing and rerouting the
shortest way on my GPS device, I arrived at the station mere 10 minutes
before departure of </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">my train</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">. Thankfully, the train had arrived at platform # 1, and as a result I did not have to rush around searching for the platform number. My coach
number was B-1, an AC 3-tier class, and I knew it would be close to the loco so
I </span><span style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.5in;">cannonballed along down</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> in that direction without even looking at the coach position
indicators on the platform. I managed to board the train just 5 minutes before
the departure and faced tough time adjusting my baggage underneath the seat and as a result, I did not get a chance to check out the loco link,
one of the things I religiously do before the start of any train journey. I,
however, knew that it was a latest diesel loco – a WDP-4D # 40153 class loco of
Pune shed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
It was well past 6:25 PM but strangely the train did not depart and rather surprisingly,
the 11041 Mumbai-Chennai express, hauled by a WDG-3A class loco of Kazipeth
shed, was given a go head before us in the same direction. I wondered what was
going through the minds of the section controllers! After a delay of five more minutes, the
starter signal eventually turned Yellow and we slowly accelerated out and after
clearing the speed restrictions of 30 KMPH, the train accelerated to
about 80 KMPH immediately. What a resplendent performance by a WDP-4D class
loco!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">After a brisk run, the train entered </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">the first stop,</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"> Daund Jn. about 75 KM from Pune, where the train reversed and
took the Daund-Manmad route after a 20-minute halt. I was, as usual, by the
door (doorplating) as the train gained some good speed. The coach attendant, although, asked me to shut the door, I did not! After about an hour being by the door, I decided to have dinner and then slept early because I wanted to
be fully awake for the next action packed day. My mom had packed some very
delicious food so I did not order anything from the train’s pantry and I
usually avoid the food served from the pantry car. My co-passengers, apparently
from the Indian army, were heading to Shillong, as well and we have had some
good time together. After discussing various topics ranging from the </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">politics</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> to elections to, of </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">course</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> my research on leukemia; I called it a day. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EwwlEooXF-E/UxG_fHtymwI/AAAAAAAAAd0/A3jXFZ1ZZKE/s1600/WP_20140118_003%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EwwlEooXF-E/UxG_fHtymwI/AAAAAAAAAd0/A3jXFZ1ZZKE/s1600/WP_20140118_003%5B1%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 12129 Azad Hind Super Fast Express Waiting to Depart Daund Jn. after the Reversal </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I
woke up in the middle of the night…rather early morning around 1 AM while my
train had arrived at Manmad station. Upon returning to the door (thankfully the coach attendant was fast asleep), I saw the
green aspect signal on the up line and I figured out that a non-stop train is
going to rend through the station at high speed. Eureka!! In a few minutes the 12112 Amravati-Mumbai
super fast express shattered the silence of Manmad station at full speed with
full HT horn. What a sight that was! The
train was led by a WCAM-3 class loco of Kalyan shed, not sure about the road
number because at such speed, it was impossible to determine (the loco road
number). After the loco change from a WDP-4D (diesel) of Pune shed to a WAP-4
(electric) of Bhusawal shed, the starter signal turned green for my train and
soon we accelerated out and picked up good speed until it came to an impasse on
a loop line. No sooner I figured out the
reason for an unscheduled halt than I saw the main line signal aspect changed
to green, and it was time for an overtake!
A few minutes later, I saw a small light heading rapidly in my direction
on the main line and I knew it was the 12101 Mumbai-Howrah Jnaneshwari
super fast express about to overtake at full speed. Once again, with full HT
horn and hauled by a WAP-4 class loco of Santragachi shed, it ripped through
the main line at full speed. A
spine-chilling sight!!..……After all of these amusements, I went to sleep
again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
The
holler of ‘Chai-Chai’ woke me up around 7 AM while my train had just pulled
into Badnera station – running on time!
From here on, I was by the door for almost whole day enjoying the
high-speed run and the countryside scenes. The train conductor aka the TC, however, upon
seeing me by the door for so long, questioned me on whether or not I was genuine passenger, he eventually let me off
only after seeing my ticket and the ID. This situation is not uncommon for me at all! The run after Badnera was
fantastic with the train maintaining the top speed even on curves, enervating
the coach line up. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8ioem9Uik0/UxG8xCZfqmI/AAAAAAAAAdY/PrphyZ6xdbM/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8ioem9Uik0/UxG8xCZfqmI/AAAAAAAAAdY/PrphyZ6xdbM/s1600/003.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 12129 Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Super fast Express at Wardha Jn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wt_K5tSNgbQ/UxG9M6r77ZI/AAAAAAAAAdg/ASiZMCyfokU/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wt_K5tSNgbQ/UxG9M6r77ZI/AAAAAAAAAdg/ASiZMCyfokU/s1600/014.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BOBRN Class Freight Train.<br />
Clicked this photo while my train was speeding around 100 KMPH. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--BUcYpp6rSI/UxG9oHIgFdI/AAAAAAAAAdo/jtfrOxiWAzc/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--BUcYpp6rSI/UxG9oHIgFdI/AAAAAAAAAdo/jtfrOxiWAzc/s1600/019.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The WAP-4 # 22915 of Itarsi shed at Raipur Jn. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
The
train pulled into Nagpur Jn. aka the Orange City slightly before time and this gave me the opportunity to check out the unreserved class coaches but they weren't too crowded. I was also pleasantly
surprised to see the 12101 Jnaneshwari express on the adjacent platform; this
meant that my train was closely following and chased it despite having more
stops! This is one of the stations were loco crew changes and after a fresh set of crew took the charge of
my train, it accelerated out after a 15-minute halt. I was eagerly waiting to
take a video of the famous diamond crossing which is immediately after Nagpur station
(Diamond crossing is the track configuration where the coalescing lines provide track connection
with each other at right angles). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
The
speed the train maintained after departing Nagpur was even more staggering –
Although the Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) was 110 KMPH however, the GPS on my
phone showed the speed of 117 KMPH for a very long time. It seemed that the new
crew at the helm of the WAP-4 class loco hauling the 12129 Pune-Howrah Azad
Hind express had probably gone demoniacal! …<i>and
here is the explanation for the above title!</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
A little later in the day at Durg Jn., I met Dr. Dhaval Mavani
and another railfan friend from Bhilai. Being a railway enthusiast, I have made so many good friends from all over India and some from overseas sharing same
passion! Even though we could spend
only about 5 minutes at the station, but it was a nice first meeting, and at
Raipur Jn., I met my cousin who brought, a much needed, home food that helped
me continue my journey without ordering anything from the train's pantry till the end. We departed on time from Raipur, however, for
some strange reason, even after cruising at good speed throughout; the train
did go off schedule by almost 30 minutes……. But it did not throw me out of kilter because my connecting train (the 15657 Kanchanjunga express) to Guwahati
from Kolkata wasn’t scheduled to leave until 6:25 AM the next day. </div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"> After an early dinner, I decided to call
it a day from my train spotting activity because after doorplating for almost 8
hours; I started to feel a little outworn. Besides, my destination
was still 36 hours away. I did not even realize that I was fast asleep until, I
think, one of my co-passengers woke me up as the train was entering the Howrah
station platform # 22 at 3:50 AM running absolutely on time. Upon coming out of the station i</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">n the wee hours of the morning, I was lucky
to find a Sealdah bound city bus and in about 10 minutes, I
arrived at Sealdah railway station to board the 15657 Kanchanjunga express
bound for Guwahati - 30 hours more to reach Shillong!!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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This concludes my journey from Mumbai to Kolkata. The blog on my journey from Kolkata to
Guwahati and then to Shillong coming soon! </div>
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</div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-45299615851479085502014-01-01T15:50:00.002+05:302014-02-15T21:28:03.511+05:30Rolling Over the Brawny Pamban<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Rolling Over
the Brawny Pamban<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 200%;">Most of the journeys in our lives end......but some come with return tickets! Returning to Mumbai from Rameshwaram was not too unmanageable because I easily got confirmed train tickets to Bangalore via Chennai and then to Mumbai on a Jet Airways flight. After enjoying a 3 day trip in and around Rameshwaram, it was time to return home. I was, however, not really happy because I
kind of hate to return home, especially when I am on a long trip. I always become a little discompose even if I think about returning home.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Anyway,
we (my mom and I) checked out of the hotel early because I wanted to spend as much time as possible at Rameshwaram train
station for railfanning. Besides, they would have charged us extra, had we
prolonged our stay even by an hour. Our
train to Chennai Egmore, the 16102 (then 16702) Rameshwaram-Chennai Egmore Boat Mail was scheduled
to depart at 5 PM but we reached the train station around 12 PM. My mom, obviously not a railfan, opted to
settle down in a retiring room and I got 5 hours to photograph trains. I took my camera out and strolled the </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">entire</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">length</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> of the platform. Albeit I spotted a very few trains, however I
still enjoyed it. I was expecting the station to be not very crowded and tranquil but it turned out to
be exactly opposite; maybe due to some festival many people </span></span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 32px;">foregathered</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> Rameshwaram
on that day. My first spotting of the
day was 14260 Varanasi-Rameshwaram express which was idling in one of many pit
lines, and then a little later I spotted a passenger train bound for Madurai with a Golden Rock (GOC) shed’s WDM-2 class loco at its helm. I also spotted the Chennai bound 16702 Boat Mail in one of
the pit lines - the power of the train was a GOC WDP-3A class loco. This was the very same loco which hauled the overnight 16713 Chennai Egmore -Rameshwaram Sethu express on that day. An hour before the departure, the train was shunted on to the main line platform. Our coach B1 (an AC 3 tier sleeper class) was 4</span></span><sup style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">th</sup><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> from
the loco which meant a good walking exercise for my mom to walk almost the
entire length of the train which was about 350 meters. I was not expecting many passengers to board from
Rameshwaram but I was pleasantly surprised to see the coach filled with a
lot of passengers, especially from Gujarat. This turned
out to be a 'blessing' for my mother because she got company to talk to but I wondered if I am in Tamil Nadu or in Gujarat.</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fuuzNWubuP8/UsEYkrR9QjI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/eqxU1Wa7mRY/s1600/176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fuuzNWubuP8/UsEYkrR9QjI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/eqxU1Wa7mRY/s640/176.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The 16701/16201 Rameshwaram-Chennai Egmore Boat mail</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RmUw6D6w33U/UsEY6nH-ZOI/AAAAAAAAAcY/_bbIi-WWIWs/s1600/175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RmUw6D6w33U/UsEY6nH-ZOI/AAAAAAAAAcY/_bbIi-WWIWs/s640/175.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The GOC WDP-3A Class Loco</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> At 5 PM on the
button, the starter signal for my train turned Yellow and the GOC WDP-3A class loco
accelerated out with 16702 Boat mail bound for Chennai Egmore. I was very excited to travel on this route, especially over the Pamban
Bridge – a 2000-meter railway bridge over the Palk Strait connecting the island
of Rameshwaram to the Mainland India. The
train crawled out of Rameshwaram station at slow pace but gradually gained good speed until Pamban Jn. – the first commercial halt. The sinewy Pamban bridge is located immediately
North West off Pamban railway station. After a minute halt, the train accelerated out with a restricted speed of 15 KMPH. No sooner the train
left the station than I could see the brobdingnagian Indian Ocean and I became captivated to the fact that the train is going to cross over the Indian Ocean. I stood at
the door right from the time the train departed Rameshwaram and I also knew that many
passengers will pile up at the door to get a view of the ocean, hence I had already
‘reserved’ my place (right by the door). As
soon as the train rolled on to the bridge, I experienced the strong wind
current and it became very uncomfortable to hold on to my camera against the strong
current while dangling by the door and exposed to the ocean beneath with no
real support except for the door handle; I was absolutely not prepared for
this. It was a perilous 10-minute ride
over the bridge, however it was all worth it. Besides, I love to take risk! It took 10 minutes to cross over to the mainland India – a distance of
2 KM at cautious speed of 15 KMPH. After crossing the bridge, the loco
pilot stepped on the gas and the train quickly gained speed to about 50 KMPH
before coming to its another scheduled halt at Mandapam,......delayed but only just! It was very nostalgic for me to travel on this
route for the second time; the first time I traveled was back in 2006 when the
Chennai Egmore-Rameshwaram route was served by meter gauge trains. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx9cYy3EPDas_uS33O92OkxEJ8b06-07UtZiehDCLPo68pMvvm5zLfEpbAljHH-EfVsYNsp8qMmXfz5s1_t1w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Rameshwaram-Cennai Egmore Boat Mail Rolling over the Mighty Pamban</b></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
(You could hear some people taking right behind me) </div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The next stop was Ramanathapuram - 40 KM away. This is one of
the major towns connecting Rameshwaram. This town is many centuries old, historically very important and it has been mentioned in the Hindu epic of Ramayana, along with Rameshwaram. Anyway, the train reached Ramanathapuram
delayed by over 20 minutes and that got me into a little concern because any
further delay would imperil our journey back home, as we had to board a
connecting train to Bangalore, and then to Mumbai on a flight, we've had a very less buffer time. I would have, however, been a lot happier, had my journey back home been jeopardized but considering
my mom was traveling with me, I did not even think about it. </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The train's scheduled halt was for 2 minutes but for some strange reason, the train didn't move for a long time thus delaying it further. </span></div>
</div>
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<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eMd9LEH6fcc/UsEZ8ErNTSI/AAAAAAAAAck/Ia8X4e-m63Y/s1600/193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eMd9LEH6fcc/UsEZ8ErNTSI/AAAAAAAAAck/Ia8X4e-m63Y/s640/193.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Boat Mail at Ramanathapuram</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 200%;"> After an out of the blue 10-minute halt, the
train accelerated and I, as usual, decided to stand at the door even though it was
very dark outside and mizzling. The next stop was Manamadurai Jn - 60 KM away. I was hoping
that the train would cover up some lost minutes due to the buffer time....and it did,
the train covered some 15 minutes before we pulled into Manamadurai Jn. This was encouraging and I was quite sure
that the train wouldn't take an eonian stop at this station due to the delay….but to my horror, the
train once again stopped for ‘eternity’. Meanwhile, I called up my railfan crony - Ranjeet
Iyer – in Chennai and asked him to check-in for my flight to Mumbai online.
He immediately did it and I could not thank him enough. My
concern, however, was billowing with the amount of delay which was setting in due
to a very long halt. Albeit the train did cover the delay of 15 minutes, an </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">additional </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">delay of 15 minutes at Manamadurai Jn. ensured that we were again off schedule by 30 minutes. The train eventually did depart around 7:30PM and </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">alleviated me</span><span style="line-height: 200%;">. Not surprisingly, it started to rain real hard and I decided against doorplating as it was too
dark to see anything outside and the coach attendant ‘sternly’ asked me to
close the door for securities reasons.</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k92ICWdP1PI/UsJHGp0OBII/AAAAAAAAAc0/I3nMyE-SIns/s1600/197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k92ICWdP1PI/UsJHGp0OBII/AAAAAAAAAc0/I3nMyE-SIns/s640/197.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">At Manamadurai Jn. </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"> It was about the dinnertime and I was very hungry, however the train did not have a pantry car and the food I
packed at Rameshwaram was over, besides I forgot to pack some food at Manamadurai
Jn. I was, therefore, left with no other option but to wait till
Tiruchchirappalli Jn. which was 3 hours away. While the train continued to run
with a 30-minute delay, I decided to take ‘</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;">Siesta
del Hidalgo’.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"> A much later, I
woke up to see the train stopped outside </span>Tiruchchirappalli Jn. due to the non-availability of platform but I was pleasantly surprised to see the train
running on time. The train pulled into
the station at 2230 HRS on time. Luckily, I spotted a food vendor selling
Vegetable Biryani near the second-class unreserved coach. Without giving a second thought, I cannonball along. Upon reaching there,
I was blown straight out of the water to see the unreserved coach completely
packed with people with no place to even stand, every inch of that coach was
occupied in every possible way and not to mention the scrimmage resulting from the pandemonium. I was awed! I have traveled on the 2nd class unreserved coach many times but never seen so massive crowd before. With another 8 hours to reach Chennai, I wondered how would those people travel
in such deplorable conditions overnight!</div>
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With
just 5 minutes into the halt, the starter signal turned Yellow and the train pulled out of
Tiruchchirappalli Jn. on time and this made me completely decompressed. I quaffed
the Biryani within 5 minutes and decided to sleep as I was very wearied and hoped that the train will continue to run on time. A little later, however, all my hopes crashed
immediately when I found out that the train stopped again….in the middle of
nowhere! I figured out that the line ahead was not clear as I could see the Red aspect of the 3CL signal flaring at my train. It was only after a 25
minute unscheduled halt, the signal turned Green and we started - back to square one! </div>
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I was so tired at this point of time that I didn't care whether or not the train runs on time, I slept. After
a not so good sleep for about 4 hours, I woke up around 3:30 AM to see the train entering Villupuram
Jn. – still running over 20 minutes behind schedule. The train slowly crept into Villupuram station and it was the time for a loco change because the Villupuram-Chennai Egmore route is electrified. The diesel locomotive (GOC
WDP-3A) gave a way to an electric locomotive (AJJ WAP1). With another 167 KM to go in about 3 hours –
I was very positive of arriving Chennai on time. The acceleration of WAP-1 class loco was so magnificent
that it pulled the 19 coach long train with ease and crossed the speed of
100 KMPH within a few minutes – this was very encouraging for me! It was around 4 AM and I decided to stand at the door again – the coach attendant was fast asleep on the other side of the coach so I
was not bothered. The doorplating at high speed was so amazing but, of course,
it was also very dangerous primarily because I was not fully awake.</div>
<br />
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The
train was closing in on the suburbs of Chennai after some high speed run, although it was still running
late by 25 minutes. We reached Tambaram – a suburb of Chennai around
5:55AM. Chennai Egmore station is about 25 KM from Tambaram and I was again positive that the
train will cover this distance within 35 minutes. The train cruised through the
suburbs at good speed and at this point I became absolutely sure that we are going
to reach on time and that we wouldn't have to hustle up to catch the connecting train. Finally, around
6:35AM, the train pulled into Chennai Egmore station – a delay of mere 5 minutes, which was very acceptable, and as a result, we had almost an hour to reach
Chennai Central station to catch our connecting train, the 22625 Chennai-Bangalore Double Decker AC express, to Bangalore City.<br />
<br />
This concludes the part -I of my travel from
Rameshwaram to Chennai. Part-II coming soon.</div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, India9.2876254 79.3129291000000199.2562844 79.27258860000002 9.318966399999999 79.353269600000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-32548102586108627102013-09-02T00:28:00.000+05:302013-09-02T13:38:07.710+05:30.......To Rameshwaram<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 2.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<u style="font-family: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Rameshwaram Bound</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<u style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prelude</span></u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">:</span></div>
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I hadn’t been on
a long train trip for quite some time and upon my mom’s imperativeness, I
immediately booked the tickets to Rameshwaram – A small but beautiful town in
the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. There’s no direct train from Mumbai to
Rameshwaram but then that’s so gratifying for any Indian railway enthusiast. What is
the fun in traveling from A to B non-stop!! I always prefer to take the longest possible
route!! After researching for over 3 hours for the best possible connecting
train to Rameshwaram in the wee hours of the morning, I zeroed in on a train
via Chennai but the AC -2 tier class of 11041 Mumbai-Chennai express was badly
waitlisted and I knew it wouldn’t make any sense booking waitlisted tickets.
Eventually, I settled in for 11021 Dadar (Mumbai) – Tirunelveli Chalukya
express to Madurai as tickets were available in AC-2 tier class, and then from
Madurai decided to take the Tamil Nadu State Transport aka State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) bus to Rameshwaram. I've had some more options available to travel via Ahmedabad or Hyderabad but I decided against it as my mom is clearly not a railfan!! <span style="line-height: 200%;">The
return journey to Mumbai was made via Chennai, and Bangalore. We (my mom, and
I) boarded 16702 Rameshwaram – Chennai Egmore express (Boat Mail), and then
took 22625 Chennai Central - Bangalore AC Double Decker express to Bangalore,
and finally we boarded a flight to back to Mumbai.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><b style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><u>On Board 11021 Chalukya Express</u></span></b></div>
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This
was the first time I was going to travel on 11021 Chalukya express but I was
excited albeit I heard some negative things about this train. My coach# A1 was
brand new, manufactured in the year 2012 and being 4<sup>th</sup> from the loco
was kind of blessing for me!! The train
was scheduled to depart from Dadar terminus, Mumbai at 9:30PM from platform#8
and we (my mom, and I) reached before 9PM which in turn gave me some time to
spot other trains arriving, and leaving Mumbai. The train bound for Shridi town was getting
ready on the opposite platform, at the helm was a KYN WDG-3A aka ‘Shakti’ class
loco and at the helm of my 11021 chalukya express was a KYN WCAM-2P # 21877 class loco. The train was full but most of the passengers
were traveling till Bangalore. After settling in, I decided to check out the
loco as usual. This is the first thing I do whenever I travel by train. It was, as mentioned above, dual voltage 2900HP
KYN WCAM-2P class loco. The train departed 5 minutes late, around 9:35PM and
slowly came over to the main line after negotiating the cross-over speed
restriction (technically known as On X-Over speed restriction) of 20KMPH. After joining the main line, the loco
unleashed the power and with a 17 coach load; it took mere minutes to cross
100KMPH mark through the suburbs of Mumbai….but we did slow down a number of
times as we were closely chasing 17057 Mumbai-Secunderabad Devgiri express
and we were closely chased by Hyderabad bound 12701 Hussian Sagar express
till we reached Kaylan Jn., the first commercial halt. Notwithstanding my train slowed down and
crawled, yet managed to reach 5 minutes before time at Kalyan Jn. After a 3 minute halt, we were given a starter
and got diverted on line bound for south whilst Secunderabad bound Devgiri
express took the north bound line. After
leaving Kalyan Jn. and negotiating through the neutral zone we were back to
Maximum Permissible Speed or MPS of 105KMPH and continued to maintain for a
long time and as a result we arrived Karjat Jn. 7 minutes before time. The banker locos (KYN WAG-7 class) were
already waiting on one of the loop lines and got immediately attached to the
rear of the train to push it up the mountains. After a protracted halt due to early arrival, we accelerated out
cautiously. I decided to be at the door in spite of coach attendant asking me
to close the door. I stood there for
almost an hour till we reached Lonavala. I was astounded by the beauty of the
Bhor ghats (mountain passes) at night with clouds levitating around, cold and brumous
ambience. We were doing decent speed even while ascending the steep gradients and
hence we reached Lonavala before time by over 10 minutes and I knew we will
have a good 15 minutes halt resulting from early arrival. This gave an opportunity to get down and check out
the train, and the loco link again. While
doing so I overheard two guys talking about the Indian railways, and the
locomotives. After listening to them of their ‘technical knowledge’ about the
Indian railways, I felt like correcting them big time. They were talking
nonsense!! It was apparent that they have had no clue as to the difference
between a diesel, and an electric locomotive. Meanwhile, an announcement went
off about the departure of Lonavala-Pune EMU (suburban train) before my train. I figured out that we are going to trail this
EMU right till Pune Jn. because unlike Mumbai, Pune suburban section does not
have dedicated lines for suburban trains. Immediately after the EMU left, we were given
a starter to proceed. We accelerated out, and accelerated well but, as expected
we took a lot of unscheduled stops which
resulted in 10 minutes delay, however due to slack time between Lonavala and
Pune, we managed to pull into Pune Jn. at expected time 1:10AM but only just. The loco changed from KYN WCAM-2P
(electric loco) to PUNE WDM-3D # 11384 (diesel loco). I thought a GY WDM-3A
would haul my train from Pune as it was lying idle on a pit line right next to my train but a PUNE
WDM-3D came in silently out of nowhere. It would have been a great off link, had it been a GY WDM-3A loco
attached my train. In the meantime, Hyderabad bound 12701 Hussain Sagar super fast
express, hauled by KZJ WDM-3A class loco, entered Pune Jn. 10 minutes before
time. I guess this train was closely
following my 11021 Chalukya express. After about 15 minutes halt, the starter was
given to my train and rather not surprisingly 12701 Hussai Sagar express
started at the same time. After carefully
negotiating the turn outs, my train was routed to south bound line whereas
12701 Hussai Sagar express, after running parallel for about 100 meters, got routed to
east bound line. After leaving Pune, I decided
to sleep so hopped onto the upper berth while my mom was fast asleep on lower
berth unaware of the drama unfolding outside and unaware of what was I up to. </div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> I woke up around
6AM and quickly figured out that we were waiting at Miraj Jn., we had covered some 250KM from Pune overnight. Miraj is a small yet beautiful town some 60KM
from the city of Kolhapur in the state of Maharashtra and bordering the state of Karnataka. There was nothing much to spot here except for a
passenger train halted with a WDM-3D class loco of Pune shed. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> <u>An unknown passenger train with WDM-3D class loco of Pune shed at its helm at Miraj Jn.</u></span></div>
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<u>The line bound for Kolhapur from Miraj Jn</u>. </div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> After a 5 minute mandatory halt, we
accelerated out rapidly but never crossed the speed of 80KMPH till we reached Belgaum,
and then Londa Jn. because I think the section speed restriction was 80-90KMPH. We reached Londa Jn. 10 minutes before
time and were given a pronounced halt because I could see Howrah (Kolkata)
bound 18048 Amravati express leaving Londa Jn. right ahead of us. This was the first time I was going to travel
beyond Londa towards Hubli so I was looking forward for it. It was beautiful outside after we left Londa
Jn., it felt like the earth was covered with a green rug. I sat by the door, doorplating as usual.
There were a lot of speed restrictions and the section speed, even after leaving Londa, I
believe was not more than 90KMPH due to numerous sharp curves and
gradients. All the while, we were
closely trailing 18048 Amravati express. We reached Hubli Jn., the South
Western Railway headquarter, on time at 12:30PM. I got to see a lot of trains with a
variety of locos, including Howrah bound Amravati express hauled by twin GY
WDM-3A class locos, which was running right ahead of us from Londa Jn. I got the opportunity to click a lot of photos
and even the presence of RPF (Railway Police) didn’t bother me. </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikuxMow_Vlo/UiNvuRljLMI/AAAAAAAAAUI/e5fv-P4FC_g/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikuxMow_Vlo/UiNvuRljLMI/AAAAAAAAAUI/e5fv-P4FC_g/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> <u>My coach# A1, an AC-2 tier of 11021 Chalukya express</u></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> <u>11021 Chalukya express waiting at Hubli Jn.</u></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> <u>An AC-2tier coach of </u></span><u>18048 </u><span style="line-height: 200%;"><u>Vasco-Howrah Aravati express</u> </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"> <u>Twin WDM-3A class loco of Pune shed at the helm of Hubli- Delhi Nizamuddin link express</u></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">After a 15 minute halt and a crew change,
starter was given to my train and slowly we crawled and then accelerated out of
Hubli Jn. for the next schedule halt at Haveri. We covered the distance of 75KM very quickly and around 1:45PM we
reached Haveri. I didn’t quite have a
pretty sight to see upon reaching Haveri. Unfortunately, a train (most probably 06511 Bangalore-Jaipur
GR express hauled by UBL WDG-4 class loco) had crushed a man to death and his mutilated
body was being video shot by some 5-6 media guys instead of taking the body to
the autopsy center. It was apparent that
those media guys just didn’t have any respect for the departed soul!! It seemed
that they were in a kind of competition as to who will broadcast first on the
NEWS channel. Human run overs by train is not uncommon in India but I didn't see anything like this before. Anyway, we were running before time so again
there was a pronounced halt however we departed on time around 1:55PM. This train does not have a pantry car but has the catering facilit so I immediately ordered the food as I was very hungry. The food was reasonably delectable but more importantly
I just wanted to douse my hunger. After lunch I decided to doorplate again but it
was getting a little boring as there was not much to spot on this section
except the never ending fields, and I was eagerly waiting to reach Bangalore. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 200%;"> <u>Open field after leaving Haveri</u></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%;"> The schedule arrival at Yesvantpur, Bangalore was 8:50PM but we reached 10
minutes late due crossing of trains enroute and the non-availability of platform upon reaching
the outer of Yesvantpur, we were held up
for over 20 minutes right outside. There’s a massive 70 minute official halt here
with loco reversal hence I got an opportunity to venture outside the station to
buy some decent food from a restaurant. After
the dinner, I decided to perambulate around the railway station in order to
observe the trains entering and leaving Yesvantpur, and some locos idling. I was
hoping that my train will get a KJM WDP-4 class loco but to my surprise it was
PUNE WDM-3D which continued after refueling and after getting attached to the
other side of the train. The train
departed at 10PM right time and after doorplating for 15 minutes through the
suburbs of Bangalore, I decided to go to sleep.
A lot of people had disembarked at Yesvantpur so my coach was quite empty which
allowed me to take the side lower berth (I guess almost every Indian railfan, by default, request for side lower berth while booking their tickets, whether at
the reservation center or </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">on-line)</span><span style="line-height: 200%;">. I
woke up around 4:30AM to find myself at Erode Jn. in Tamil Nadu state. The
train again gets a reversal and gets diverted on the line bound for
Madurai. The train bound for Coimbatore from Chennai Central, 12674 Cheran
express had already arrived and was waiting right next to my train with an RPM WAP-4
class loco at its helm. Interestingly, this train shares its rake (RSA) with
Cennai Central-Ahmedabad 12656 Navjeevan express express. Around 4:40AM, we crawled out of station and I
again decided to doorplate albeit I was only half awake. I was not expecting
high speed action here but to my surprise the train did cross the speed of
110KMPH and for the first time ever since I boarded the train in Mumbai, the
acceleration of WDM-3D class loco was superb with 17 coach load, it crossed
110KMPH with ease. After spending some time at the
door, I returned to my berth to complete my much needed sleep and I was little
tired, too. I opened my eyes to see we
were exiting Dindigul Jn. around 7am, running right time. Again and as usual, after freshening up, I
decided to be at the door. It was beautiful outside with a lot of mountains and
some low clouds around but surprisingly no rain. I spent the entire 1 hour at the door, till
we reached Madurai – my intermediate destination to Rameshwaram. After crawling through the outer of Madurai
Jn., we pulled into Madurai Jn. platform# 2 on time at 8AM. Immediately after disembarking, a few railway porters gathered around to help carry our baggages but I politely refused them as I was carrying my backpack and my mom was with her duffle bag. </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">I bid goodbye to
11021 Chalukya express, and also thanked the loco pilots for doing a wonderful
job!! I was awed at the cleanliness of the railway station and it wasn’t too crowded. This was the end of my amazing
39 hours train ride but I was ready for a 4 hour bus ride. From Madurai we
took the Tamil Nadu State Transport bus service to Rameshwaram, a distance of
161KM.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7ClBuH2DE4/UiOFajpMSbI/AAAAAAAAAU0/6HofK1yj530/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7ClBuH2DE4/UiOFajpMSbI/AAAAAAAAAU0/6HofK1yj530/s400/043.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <u>WDM-3D of Pune shed at the helm of 11021 Chalukya express at Madurai Jn.,</u></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 200%;"> Traveling by bus was totally a
different experience from that of train, of course it was nice but at any day I’d
prefer train over bus or flight. Got a
good glimpse of Madurai town while traveling from railway station to bus
station, which was 10KM away. I really
liked the city, pretty clean and well managed. The
newly built bus station was huge and again pretty clean but I really had a hard
time communicating with people due to lack of my Tamil language skill however in
some way managed to communicate thanks to my Malayam language skill. After
asking a lot of people for the right bus to Rameshwaram, I managed to find one
just in time. One thing I noticed
is that although I was faced by a language barrier, people were still helpful! It took about 4 hours to reach the Rameshwaram
town bus station from Madurai. I have had my GPS on and was constantly tracking
the route and was eagerly waiting to travel over the Pamban bridge which
connects main land India with an island of Rameshwaram. It was an amazing feeling to cross over the Bay of Bengal on Pamban bridge. Nothing much had changed since my last visit in 2006 except the gauge conversion from meter gauge to broad gauge railway line. </span><span style="line-height: 200%;">Finally we reached our final destination around
12PM. This ended my one way journey of 43 hours from Mumbai to Rameshwaram, covering the distance if 1855KM. It
was an amazing journey which I’d like to do it again, and will do it again
soon!!</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOFAKbqoCFM/UiRHM8kP5cI/AAAAAAAAAVM/x30Y4_eZRko/s1600/map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vOFAKbqoCFM/UiRHM8kP5cI/AAAAAAAAAVM/x30Y4_eZRko/s640/map.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The route I took from Mumbai to Rameshwaram.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">……….Stay tuned
for a blog on journey back to Mumbai!!</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-3043260421162151392013-07-14T13:52:00.002+05:302013-07-14T13:58:15.826+05:30A Short Trip to Pune<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><u>A Short Trip to Pune</u></span><u><span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy";"></span></u>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Onboard
11019 Konark Express</span></u><span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy";">:
<span id="goog_972249441"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_972249442"></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
We
Indian Railway enthusiasts have always savored train journeys no matter the
class in which we travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The steerage
class with an emergency window (without bars) is a paradise for any railfan,
including me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Well...</span>after returning from the 12123/12124 Pune-Mumbai
Deccan Queen express birthday celebration, one of my very good railfan friends Akshay
Iyer asked me if we can travel to Pune again for a short rail fanning trip over
the weekend. Well…without any indisposition whatsoever my reply was approbatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
decided to travel on Bhubaneshwar bound 11019 Konark express and returned by
16382 Kanyakumari (CAPE) – Mumbai express.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We spent a good 5 hours in Pune, though we couldn’t railfan much but
time spent was more worth than railfanning for a change. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
We luckily got
confirmed tickets both ways without any difficulty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We traveled on 6<sup>th</sup> July 13 and
returned the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 11019 Konark
express was hauled by a pair of KZJ WDM-3A class loco, and surprisingly both
were in live mode. I have seen this train with twin power many times but this
was probably the first time I saw both locos live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Akshay boarded the train from the
starting point i.e. Mumbai CST, I decided to board from Dadar (a suburb of
Mumbai).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reached Dadar station well
before time and spotted a few suburban train services to and fro Mumbai CST and
a little later 12142 Patna-Mumbai superfast express hauled by KYN WCAM-3 class
loco running on time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Albeit this train
belongs to Central railway (CR), maintained by Mumbai division, it had all but
Central Railway carriages (coaches).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
AC class coaches belonged to South Western railway division (SWR), the non-AC
sleeper class coaches belonged to Northern railway (NR) and so on, I was really
surprised to see this. I, for a minute, thought that train has been transferred
to Eastern Central railway (ECR) zone.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
I called up
Akshay to find if our train will depart on time and if Nagpur bound 12139
Sewagram express departed, his reply was affirmative. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about 15 minutes (3:15PM), I spotted
Sewagram express entering Dadar station with KYN WCAM-3, the entry was quite
rapid and after a 2 minute halt, it left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No sooner the announcement was made on arrival of 11019 Konark express
than I saw it entering Dadar platform #5. The starter signal was already set
for its departure even before the train arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was, of course, hauled by a pair of KZJ
WDM-3A (diesel) class loco. Our coach was 9<sup>th</sup> from the loco, a
non-AC sleeper class with window berths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As usual after a 2 minute halt, the train chugged out of Dadar, the
acceleration of twin power was clearly felt. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about a Kilometer into the journey, the
train was doing approx 100KMPH through the suburbs of Mumbai with an awesome
chugging sound which we could hear in spite of being reasonably far from the
locos. At Thane Jn., we overtook 12619 Matsyagandha express bound for Mangalore
hauled by GOC WDP-4D (the dual cab diesel loco) around 70KMPH and also crossed
an unusually late running 11014 Comibatore-Mumbai express hauled by KJM WDP-4
class loco. This train was running late by over an hour, wonder where did it
get delayed!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
After Thane Jn.,
unfortunately we slowed down and almost came to a halt many times. Perhaps
Sewagram express, which was running approx 5 minutes ahead of us on the same
track, didn’t get clearance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
continued to accelerate and decelerate but we reached Kalyan Jn. on time (4:05PM),
a major junction station 52KM from Mumbai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We spotted Sewagram express moored on platform #4 as our train entered
platform #5 (of Kalyan Jn.). The halt time for both the trains is about 3
minutes and soon both the trains got the starter together. While Sewagram
express got diverted on North East line, our train took South line. Both the
train started almost at the same time, and ran parallel for a few meters.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After negotiating
through some sharp turn outs and a neutral zone (a short section of insulated
and dead overhead wire) (however neutral zone does not matter to a diesel
loco), the train accelerated to 100-105KMPH once again and maintained it for a
long time, even on sharp curves and under heavy rain. The train, therefore, was
running way ahead of schedule and as a result reached Karjat Jn. (100KM from
Mumbai) 5 minutes before time (4:45PM). Here the helper locos, known as bankers,
got attached to the rear of the train to assist in climbing the tough gradients
of Western Ghats (mountain pass). A pair of KYN WAG-7 was attached and in about
3 minutes the train started. However, for some unknown reason we took an
unscheduled halt of about 7 minutes moments after starting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps, the lead and the banker locos were
not synchronized.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The line between
Karjat Jn. and Lonavala (25KM) carved through the Western Ghats by the Brits is
nothing less than heaven, especially during monsoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the train climbs up, the beauty increased
with clouds kissing the mountains, numerous small waterfalls along the railway
lines, and many tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speed is
restricted to 50KMPH due to sharp curves, and a possibility of landslides this
gave me an opportunity spent a lot of time at the door to take videos and
photos. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As our train started to climb, I
spotted 19311 Pune-Indore express with BL WCAM-2 class loco descending the
mountains, also spotted 11302 Bangalore-Mumbai Udyan express with its usual KJM
WDP-4 class loco link, and 11030 Kolhapur-Mumbai Koyna express with another KJM
WDP-4 class loco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little later our
train took another unscheduled halt at Khandala station for about 10 minutes
which gave an opportunity to passengers to get down and click the beauty
around.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzWoAKj7240/UeJSjYjvMnI/AAAAAAAAARk/YG4z9cR9yM8/s1600/IMG_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dzWoAKj7240/UeJSjYjvMnI/AAAAAAAAARk/YG4z9cR9yM8/s400/IMG_0007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">BL WCAM-2 with 19311 Pune-Indore express descending the Western Ghats</span>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyQdG7x7HhQ/UeJTGAmZbbI/AAAAAAAAARs/Sz-j4rQ_OgM/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DyQdG7x7HhQ/UeJTGAmZbbI/AAAAAAAAARs/Sz-j4rQ_OgM/s400/IMG_0012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Konark express climbing the Western Ghats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UKnsQX8_mI/UeJTM-QYEXI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ztVDQxk3mIE/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UKnsQX8_mI/UeJTM-QYEXI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ztVDQxk3mIE/s400/IMG_0015.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the door of Konark express</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s_LA0O1aaks/UeJTlWVaxbI/AAAAAAAAAR8/9GpvoKRuFh8/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s_LA0O1aaks/UeJTlWVaxbI/AAAAAAAAAR8/9GpvoKRuFh8/s400/IMG_0020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Entering one of many tunnels between Karjat and Lonavala.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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We entered
Lonavala, a scheduled halt, around 5:40PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here the banker locos KYN<span id="goog_972249461"></span><span id="goog_972249462"></span> WAG-7s got separated, after helping the train
climb the gradient. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here we were
left to cover another 64KM to reach Pune Jn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After departing Lonavala, the train constantly maintained a speed of
90-100KMPH without slowing down significantly till we reached the Pune outer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, the train was running ahead of
its schedule by a good 15 minutes……. however not surprising it was held up at
the outer signal for about 10 minutes due to non-availability of platform, and
for a crossing of 16532 Yesvantpur (Bangalore)-Ajmer express hauled by KJM
WDP-4 class loco. Our train finally entered Pune Jn. platform#4 after
negotiating the turn outs at 20KMPH hence got delayed by 5 minutes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, after leaving Lonavala, Akshay and
I got busy discussing about the problems faced by the people of North East
India, the Chinese busyboding in Arunachal Pradesh and illegal immigrants from
Bangladesh entering India through the state of Meghalaya. I suppose the
discussion got interesting as our fellow passengers seemed quite interested in
our topics though they didn’t share their PoVs.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hsgYxdBl1W8/UeJT_nrCHGI/AAAAAAAAASI/9rhFSQwPzhs/s1600/IMG_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hsgYxdBl1W8/UeJT_nrCHGI/AAAAAAAAASI/9rhFSQwPzhs/s400/IMG_0034.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering Lonavala station. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EUK75WsrnQk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Our train running parallel with the Mumbai-Pune expressway. </div>
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<br /></div>
<u><span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></u>
<u><span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To
Mumbai on 16382 Kanyakumari (CAPE)-Mumbai express</span></u><span style="font-family: "High Tower Text","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">:</span>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
After
spending some good time in Pune with my railfan friend Archit Goel, it was time
to head back home on 16382 CAPE-Mumbai express.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big thanks to Archit for coming all the way to Pune station to drop us
in his car at midnight. We reached well before the arrival of our train, around 12:15AM and
as a result got some good time to spot some trains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kolhapur bound 17411 Mahalaxmi express had
already arrived on Platform #4 and a pair of PUNE WDM-3D class loco had already taken charge of the train, after replacing KYN WCAM-3 class loco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of trains which recently got transferred to South Central
railway (SC) from Central railway (CR) zone and now it shares its rake with
17416 Kolhapur-Tirupati express.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The announcement
of arrival of our train (16382 CAPE-Mumbai express) was made and it arrived 10
minutes before time around 12:35AM, at the helm was GY WDM-3D class loco. Our
coach was right in the middle, again a non AC sleeper car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The train got quite empty after a big chunk
of people debarked at Pune.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Meanwhile, GY WDM-3D class loco was replaced
by KYN WCAM-2P class loco (from diesel to dual voltage electric loco). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The </span>12702 Hyderabad-Mumbai Hussain Sagar express
arrived on platform #1 right behind our train hauled by KZJ WDM-3A class loco.
The starter to our train was finally given around 1AM after the loco change and
as we bid goodbye to Archit, we accelerated out slowly negotiating the sharp
turn outs at 20KMPH. I was feeling tired and wanted to sleep so I occupied side
lower berth and so did Akshay. While I slept for most part of the journey,
Akshay was wide awake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke up to see
our train entering the suburbs of Mumbai, running almost 25 minutes before
time. KYN WCAM-2P class loco did a fantastic job of maintaining the speed of around
100KMPH even through the suburbs of Mumbai. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We finally reached our destination, Mumbai CST,
15 minutes before time around 4:35AM and while we were exiting the station, an
announcement was made on arrival of 12702 Hyderabad-Mumbai Hussian Sagar
express. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We were really surprised as
the scheduled arrival time is 5:05AM and as we were about to board a suburban train,
we saw it entering platform #9 of Mumbai CST, 25 minutes before time. </div>
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<br /></div>
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In the end, we
boarded a suburban train (EMU) at 5AM to head home thus ending yet another
train trip but, of course, many more to follow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>A very long trip to South India is coming very soon!! </div>
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<br /></div>
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Link: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://reflectionsofpassions.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">http://reflectionsofpassions.blogspot.in/</a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-76884858705539978372013-06-22T17:14:00.001+05:302013-06-29T12:50:10.334+05:30The 84th Birthday Celebration Her Highness Deccan Queen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Prelude</b></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
This was rather a different kind of birthday celebration, the 84<sup>th</sup> <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="990c6b6c-807a-40a8-80ce-ca4c67dde9cc" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="fd4f91f9-d942-418e-811f-eafe312d9724" grcontextid="birthday:0">birthday</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="abe9a323-f03c-48da-8ad5-bc29ea32b137" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="949f21ae-e9aa-4617-bf26-8596260af42d" grcontextid="celebration:0">celebration</span> of 12123/12124 Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen express train. This train was flagged off <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="7c54c402-ea6b-487b-97fc-1887c1545ddf" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="224291e6-a6dd-4203-a62c-8cd26c254113" grcontextid="on:0">on</span> 1<sup><span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b8551425-cc1e-44b2-b026-b2bc7867be0b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="4fc92e24-233e-4bd5-a008-20f9a2ffddcc" grcontextid="st:0">st</span></sup> June 1930 between Mumbai and Pune as weekend train, especially used to ferry the Brits before independence. Interestingly, it is the first <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="4b66b340-551a-4c92-8dd4-15db2045b8ca" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="0e45dce2-bae0-4b3e-954c-41fd53696489" grcontextid="superfast:0">superfast</span>, and ISO certified express train on Indian Railways. Every year on
1<sup><span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="6894ca6f-f949-44fb-921a-ab775655c003" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="70773858-e580-499e-ad9d-3d1d5efcf902" grcontextid="st:0">st</span></sup> June we (<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="192bdef0-3248-4c5c-82a2-2cc4177a8245" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="1278846a-b343-4f4b-ac27-786fc14cb506" grcontextid="railfans:0">railfans</span> and regular passengers) conglomerate on platform#1 of Pune Jn. <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="211e1a5c-83a5-42c5-b147-f61201d6fb21" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="4234aabe-5792-46fb-be86-b721dab5d44e" grcontextid="to:0">to</span> celebrate
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="f711a924-41e3-41e8-8f98-0139fadf2a29" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="ce89800d-669b-4b90-8540-95a0ca261ca6" grcontextid="the:0">the</span> birthday of this lovely sweetheart. It sounds kind of infantile to most of the
non-<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="a2b561c9-7b49-4320-96f0-a15678e28b0b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="06bae9a3-000d-4764-8d8f-2bc0bc94ad7c" grcontextid="railfans:0">railfans</span> people but for us, it is the happiest feeling to be a part of this birthday celebration
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="e5d5be0d-d684-4318-94dc-17570fe2f4f4" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2b0ffcda-6068-4cba-8602-8a0e74cc52fd" grcontextid="every:0">every</span> year. <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> The </span></b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold; line-height: 150%;">84<sup>th</sup> Birthday Celebration H</span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; line-height: 31px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>er Highness</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
Like last year, this year too I decided to be a part of this <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c94a34e3-c886-45c8-b769-e390feb3c08b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2e174ebd-b5da-45d2-8b40-4cfe6efaa5ee" grcontextid="grand:0">grand</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="f5f588ff-0453-4eb1-b066-c9b8eabbc8c4" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="61ee1401-e6b4-41ca-bbec-c1047a6be153" grcontextid="birthday:0">birthday</span> celebration without giving it a second thought. Well<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c885b134-884b-40d1-a08e-0bbf4269ec18" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2414950b-aa64-47e2-ac6a-0bc1c3ba79ca" grcontextid="…:0">…</span>I don’t really
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="ee61a418-e0ef-4e1c-bbd0-eecc7b17ec82" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="adfa3fd5-d0b8-48a6-b66f-82a97e3f2535" grcontextid="like:0">like</span> to be a part of any birthday celebration or celebrate it but to this,
I just couldn't say no. <b>The occasion was the 84<sup>th</sup>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2ec4a444-52c6-478c-bd56-3653229f1d78" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="aa7b5cbb-eee6-4318-91ee-785b16f136b1" grcontextid="birthday:0">birthday</span> celebration of Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen express train. </b> One of my <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="362559ba-e69a-47bb-a6de-44f8158421c8" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="117fcf78-14ba-43ef-a024-f46640a5855a" grcontextid="railfan:0">railfan</span> friends, Akshay Iyer, and I
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="1b12b03a-914e-4473-9844-b8e2be449f6a" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2131d731-1125-4392-a6c4-f1bf53f0e8af" grcontextid="decided:0">decided</span> to travel together to Pune by an overnight express train. Albeit it takes approx 3.5 hours to reach
Pune from Mumbai by train, we decided to reserve tickets <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="12e3a2f2-ae98-4c6b-a22c-9b6ed8fd34ac" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="256d1929-4557-4591-9fa9-a6732c18c95e" grcontextid="on:0">on</span> 11027
Mumbai-Chennai Central Mail. However, to our surprise booking tickets in this
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b7b7203f-6c76-4e25-ab51-2a68dddabdbf" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="48e55c97-0215-46b4-94cd-a9d4713d2e1e" grcontextid="train:0">train</span> was not permitted (between Mumbai and Pune), the other <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c2ad089b-4693-4ffe-9e2e-52f425e31984" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="48e55c97-0215-46b4-94cd-a9d4713d2e1e" grcontextid="option was to:1">option was to</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="61f2fca0-a431-4f61-a5b1-bebd0d4df9d6" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="cee96175-a68e-4aba-8559-96fa22764be8" grcontextid="reserve:0">reserve</span> tickets <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="46f16ccb-abbe-4198-b71e-483cd3872c1e" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="cee96175-a68e-4aba-8559-96fa22764be8" grcontextid="on:1">on</span> Mumbai-Shridi fast passenger but even here the reservation
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="3f0dc83b-7cf4-4edc-8d60-8b3db01a88a0" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="40733444-2767-4ba4-939e-ec980fb1ef5e" grcontextid="status:0">status</span> was <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c262dfb2-8596-4695-b037-3523ec1bd81f" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="40733444-2767-4ba4-939e-ec980fb1ef5e" grcontextid="waitlisted:1">waitlisted</span>. There were, however, many other overnight express trains to Pune
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="469409e0-3ce4-40b3-bdad-e682ce069d27" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="6bf74520-177d-4d39-9967-87e6108c6206" grcontextid="but:0">but</span> we decided against it and booked bus tickets on Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) which we got without
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="56ebeaab-fcdb-4fe6-905f-9a862df512ec" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2944cac3-1eee-40b1-8c91-416243a3a5f5" grcontextid="any:0">any</span> problem. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5AcOAEw90e0/UcPdAxhRxmI/AAAAAAAAAQM/7NBvMK2Rnu4/s1600/WP_20130601_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5AcOAEw90e0/UcPdAxhRxmI/AAAAAAAAAQM/7NBvMK2Rnu4/s400/WP_20130601_001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An MSRTC bus to Pune</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 150%;">On the day,
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="1269a134-5900-4942-8260-9fc750b48477" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="e735dd8e-f36c-420b-af51-16086c3552af" grcontextid="rather:0">rather</span> night of travel <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b8bdc776-7b6a-4cb0-8758-6364a831297d" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="e735dd8e-f36c-420b-af51-16086c3552af" grcontextid="i.e:1">i.e</span> on 31</span><sup style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b9a95771-a125-4d91-8cd5-fe54fed7ac22" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="1ebd6adb-0541-4ff2-9260-d8bc13b322cf" grcontextid="st:0">st</span></sup><span style="line-height: 150%;">
May I was very excited because this was the first time after 2010, I was going to travel by bus to Pune. Akshay asked me
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="47291175-4612-45c4-a7c8-0e21ecc10d1c" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="6a7db653-4887-4f78-87b4-66713bd84e0d" grcontextid="to:0">to</span> meet at a bus stop in Chembur, a suburb of Mumbai. Upon reaching the bus stop, I saw a huge crowd getting ready to travel to various parts of Maharashtra, rather not surprising because it was a weekend. After confirming our tickets, we were offered to upgrade to an A/C class bus (Shivneri Volvo)
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="499c068d-9312-43bb-9f80-0f6c5abeda9e" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="5036d296-c0a5-4ada-8faf-2ef33d7d2806" grcontextid="which:0">which</span> we did after paying the fare difference. The bus arrived at 11PM on the button and it
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="00718716-520e-4bc8-9dc2-f66ac4440ab7" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="174d34ef-904f-4c31-b33e-001d2cb50a19" grcontextid="was:0">was</span> not a bad idea to upgrade as it was very comfortable, spacious, and very cold
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="9e8a9c1d-1f57-45b2-a6bb-85820afa6e27" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="06203942-576c-4c97-8fb9-18e35b0ffdf3" grcontextid="inside:0">inside</span>. I believe the bus is always a better
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2ce58cb3-7201-409d-b51f-01d65dd28dff" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c3bd3adb-5f84-438e-bc2c-184aa67ca9b0" grcontextid="choice:0">choice</span> to travel between Mumbai and Pune as it takes way too less time than
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="bdf432cd-3ecb-4ccd-a29e-3f87eb87747b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="74c75f9c-be11-4c7e-b1e7-ed398127e585" grcontextid="train:0">train</span>, thanks to the Mumbai-Pune expressway. After negotiating through the
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="8d18ffdd-5d76-45e1-8a4a-2065935eefd8" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="9cb8462f-b673-43ae-a844-1dba182dbb43" grcontextid="eastern:0">eastern</span> suburbs of Mumbai, we entered the expressway at Panvel. Mumbai-Pune Expressway is India's first high speed, 6 lane road, which starts from Panvel (near Mumbai) and ends on the outskirts of Pune, a distance of around 100KM. I decided to sleep for some time while we
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="8bffbc94-98d2-418a-a5f6-17ceaa8a8c0a" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="06bf7780-b9b4-4ec5-9446-0a38383a39ef" grcontextid="were:0">were</span> cruising over the expressway.
Akshay woke me up as we were almost reaching <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="d5a03208-8e03-47d3-ac72-9dbd7a3d07d8" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="af7d8a6c-a1a2-4526-9d79-a4d2ddbfa6b8" grcontextid="Pune railway station:0">Pune railway station</span> around
2AM. We reached our destination way too
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="0f6aaf51-44e9-4d18-af53-51580bc023b0" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="da83948a-358d-4bb5-88d4-a0b4569e7f13" grcontextid="early:0">early</span><span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="8c547460-0cb7-4b75-8a0c-7de035556365" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="da83948a-358d-4bb5-88d4-a0b4569e7f13" grcontextid="…:1">…</span>but it is always good to reach early!!
Had we boarded the train, we wouldn’t have reached any time before
3:30AM. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Upon reaching
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="3a807812-0e7b-4dce-bf39-1e57559d21e0" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="cb85e806-5368-46c0-b51b-172de660ff94" grcontextid="Pune railway station:0">Pune railway station</span>, the first thing we wanted to do was to have our lunch/dinner or
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="e7f9f5a3-c614-4387-bab8-cd29fc6dce3f" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="0e14e9e7-798f-492e-92a4-2c646a1217c9" grcontextid="whatever:0">whatever</span><span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="040b718c-251a-4e87-8f2f-b32974c87e55" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="0e14e9e7-798f-492e-92a4-2c646a1217c9" grcontextid="…:1">…</span>I don’t know what it is called when we a heavy meal around 3AM!! We did find a restaurant called Comesum on the station but it was a complete <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="3c2f1209-01be-4a81-b063-d2874e618468" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="870df330-f2e3-42b8-8842-d522a91f4264" grcontextid="ripoff:0">ripoff</span>, extremely poor quality and over priced. Anyway, even at 3AM, the station was bustling with
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c2bb1e2f-71bc-4d2b-8590-97186da39bbd" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="d69add77-e184-4574-a5fb-804510e2fb33" grcontextid="crowd:0">crowd</span> with people waiting for 12779 Vasco <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="995e2137-b0a0-4962-b611-5a3fc4fccb4b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="d69add77-e184-4574-a5fb-804510e2fb33" grcontextid="Da:1">Da</span> Gama (Goa<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="f3f55a83-c618-4913-9a49-99732166ebd6" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="d69add77-e184-4574-a5fb-804510e2fb33" grcontextid="):2">)</span>-Nizamuddin (New Delhi) Goa
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c8053032-dfd9-47ff-8f79-e00ada003955" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="0b130621-7a46-44fd-b55a-91a367e6ae0f" grcontextid="express:0">express</span> and other trains bound for North, West, and South. <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="598c85bf-bb6c-40a9-8a94-52a49c335a69" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="177472fd-7004-4fe7-9525-7104c7c273ae" grcontextid="With:0">With</span> a lot of time on hand, we decided to
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b0e76ba3-3268-4dda-9de9-56752ad05f80" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="dbf30caa-77cf-468f-83fe-f68b9753d19b" grcontextid="move:0">move</span> around Pune station for a short observation. 11027 Mumbai-Chennai Central Mail was
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="ee81b527-6fd4-48b7-9c86-2becae0973e4" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="388c1f3f-8c14-481a-a550-a6229d1fa9da" grcontextid="expected:0">expected</span> to arrive right time (3:25AM) on platform # 3 (the same train which we
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="f82cf31f-3e56-4a01-afb2-8e6fa48731ee" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="72f57ad2-f9ac-4046-a7ca-d134f562db6c" grcontextid="decided:0">decided</span> to take to Pune but didn’t get tickets), but not surprisingly it
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="edd6d882-b180-4a53-973e-6b352ea0526c" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="6bd59788-5b33-45e7-bcc5-6ab8d814ebc7" grcontextid="reached:0">reached</span> 5 minutes before time. The train
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="5bfc8d1f-a925-45de-8d53-f99dafd922e5" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="b215f943-69a5-47fd-9af6-1a06b496bad5" grcontextid="was:0">was</span> hauled by KYN WCAM-2P class loco and was replaced by GY WDM-3D class loco
(<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="935e6b83-6fd4-45dc-9bae-15c7a8166b64" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="b1c73d86-ef4f-4334-b643-fdca58bbad13" grcontextid="a:0">a</span> diesel loco) because the lines after Pune are non-electrified. Immediately after the departure of this train,
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="6d88b44d-c10a-4f39-a8c2-73c1fddf560e" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="5374df2a-b240-4a4c-9c13-856a8d61870e" grcontextid="announcement:0">announcement</span> of arrival of 51033/51027 Mumbai-Shridi/Pandarpur fast passenger
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c8312175-6652-4fb4-81ee-f57b8eb2eef0" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="9799735b-9eba-4e3b-918f-f04682ac97d0" grcontextid="was:0">was</span> made on the same platform. The train
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="62410535-fec3-4df1-aadd-cbfee672262b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="841356cf-45af-402d-ac23-dca09bd75b4c" grcontextid="closely:0">closely</span> followed Mumbai-Chennai mail and as a result arrived 20 minutes before
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="18f565c9-7242-4c9f-9566-b6b03592567c" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="76b1bf39-986f-44bf-98dc-b06855bb4bad" grcontextid="time:0">time</span>. The loco at the helm was KYN
WCAM-3 and was replaced by, a rather strange link, GOC WDG-3A. I wonder where this GOC loco came from!! The
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="4d6c0059-ccf6-47ee-a5c6-339f43a3faf3" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="3b5cb3cf-0113-4789-873f-5958a10c8867" grcontextid="usual:0">usual</span> link is PUNE WDM-2/3A. Anyway,
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="6b1475f5-42bd-472e-81e4-58b03b6706e8" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="53a65d8a-e58d-4e30-a220-61256c1bfe24" grcontextid="there:0">there</span> were some of my <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="fc026354-2266-4c0d-b32d-c1e2027f3cf2" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="53a65d8a-e58d-4e30-a220-61256c1bfe24" grcontextid="railfan:1">railfan</span> cronies traveling on this train for the same
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="56f0aa1d-67f9-421a-bb44-8bd8dea62db2" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="0fbac55e-11d3-449a-bf90-53c688dadfea" grcontextid="purpose:0">purpose</span> so it was glad to meet them. We
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2aae88b7-b96e-4346-b106-70715562f04c" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2539049c-d6a5-4089-8135-1757d54aee51" grcontextid="also:0">also</span> met some <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="3ce27e7d-d192-425e-8ac3-dd3d59af340c" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2539049c-d6a5-4089-8135-1757d54aee51" grcontextid="railfans:1">railfans</span> traveling all the way from Chennai to participate in the
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b518b5af-6abf-400f-b1b5-dc27ac09b517" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="57913309-74c0-47ac-a71d-50e6eac823b3" grcontextid="birthday:0">birthday</span> celebration. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Meanwhile, 12779
Goa express arrived on time from Vasco <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="fa26bf17-186f-445c-a16e-6eb1b53c61ae" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="48850d4a-ab91-415b-81df-cbe0d002f770" grcontextid="Da:0">Da</span> Gama (Goa) bound for Nizammudin (New
Delhi), at the helm was PUNE-WDM-3A class loco. This is one of the trains which gets a reversal here with a new set of locos (twin PUNE WDM-3As) attached to the other end of the train. On looking inside the AC coaches of this train, I
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="9bb0a67e-0b5e-4ff4-9b37-3b6d5b8e87cd" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="b04d9214-2bdd-402a-adef-6c83c35d2320" grcontextid="was:0">was</span> surprised to see some of my photos used for display without giving me any
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="0ae5b6bb-757e-42cd-8491-8320d8c2e84a" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="0922ad07-dd04-4df0-b19b-e022ee4893d6" grcontextid="credit:0">credit</span>. It feels nice that SWR guys have used
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="ad6703b9-c1ef-467f-b274-28caea1fa80c" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="53a0d47f-dbe6-4958-994e-e5842e853e9c" grcontextid="my:0">my</span> photos, but they should have given me some credit!! The train departed on
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="217523f8-9a24-4c38-9302-e7e6ad8a4ce6" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="a4d86f86-0193-49f5-b16d-bd9f684212fe" grcontextid="time:0">time</span> at 4:10AM. There were many <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="d1343cce-482b-419d-9cfb-5071ef23a293" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="55f1e55c-4fad-4460-87f5-23663741f98e" grcontextid="other:0">other</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="097322f0-11e9-40cf-9d70-34d4431b7777" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c6c9286c-6564-4434-a4f0-05c201037040" grcontextid="trains:0">trains</span> scheduled to depart/arrive, most of them running on time yet a <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="9ea4e93f-3c0b-4270-8326-c07ec70b2435" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c6c9286c-6564-4434-a4f0-05c201037040" grcontextid="few:1">few</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="53533779-5a8c-4023-87cf-8d91f06f0760" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c0f43711-98da-4bcd-970b-e0062f071457" grcontextid="delayed:0">delayed</span> by 20-30 minutes. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sT0iX--46Cs/UcVL-nIMAxI/AAAAAAAAAQc/S7LNncyz4Uw/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sT0iX--46Cs/UcVL-nIMAxI/AAAAAAAAAQc/S7LNncyz4Uw/s400/IMG_0003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An 86KG Cake to Celebrate the Birthday of 2 trains. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Around 6AM, a
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="64408a48-1b16-4e51-be57-daf6aedc670f" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="238e22e1-9812-4566-b06c-1d302767f984" grcontextid="huge cake:0">huge cake</span> was brought onto the platform weighing around 86KG. One of the good things about this celebration
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="1aaa98b8-0874-415d-8076-0d4091ed5646" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="36d5bb48-79f0-4f75-b584-bc7088b7bdae" grcontextid="was:0">was</span> that the 101th birthday of 12137/12138 Mumbai-Firozpur Punjab mail was also
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="31d9a1b9-b490-4d05-9c9e-c57009296d07" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c60c0782-5894-45df-9962-de92f54ca041" grcontextid="celebrated:0">celebrated</span> which I think was never done before. As the day advanced, a lot of <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="7d083e55-8514-4388-9ca0-ff8f23a5256b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="eb8a6771-d98f-4fc6-bc79-b22dcd101886" grcontextid="railfans:0">railfans</span> from
Pune gathered and it was good to see them around, also happy to meet my very special friend Archit Goel. The station was brimming with people all around waiting for the train to be shunted. Everybody, from kids to old <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="f3642f5a-4974-4eaf-8aa8-94de9bbad6ce" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="df8c81a2-bca1-438c-8da3-d216e3b85e58" grcontextid="lads:0">lads</span>, from cell phone’s Video Graphic
Array cameras to high end DLSRs, was waiting to click pictures. Around 6:30AM, GY WDM-3D class loco shunted
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="a204fd86-093f-49b8-be45-faf2696035df" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="32f4e52d-6d67-4eff-90e0-b7d524d4ccbd" grcontextid="the:0">the</span> rake of Deccan Queen to the platform#1. The joy and the emotion all
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c99953cd-903e-4e7f-b7ea-b4874daf0e81" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="b98a1d57-69c5-423c-8185-6b42b8e4b686" grcontextid="around:0">around</span> was quite visible as the train was being shunted. Little later, an adorned KYN WCAM-3 class loco
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="4c78e9ef-ad61-4456-bab8-5d7237538ffb" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="d93b9420-bfe2-423d-82e4-137a24468da7" grcontextid="was:0">was</span> attached to the train which hauled the train to Mumbai CST. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yFGSBQ76DAU/UcVOqtsxVFI/AAAAAAAAAQs/CXfvUUvgwqk/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yFGSBQ76DAU/UcVOqtsxVFI/AAAAAAAAAQs/CXfvUUvgwqk/s400/IMG_0009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GY WDM-3D class loco shunts the rake of Deccan Queen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4No90m5-9hY/UcVPMXs_ZbI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/Musb7jFGf1E/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4No90m5-9hY/UcVPMXs_ZbI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/Musb7jFGf1E/s400/IMG_0041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KYN WCAM-3 class loco getting attached to Deccan Queen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMH52paTSDI/UcVZwmct0jI/AAAAAAAAARU/jMJqWNPoJ-E/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMH52paTSDI/UcVZwmct0jI/AAAAAAAAARU/jMJqWNPoJ-E/s400/IMG_0019.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Deccan Queen being shunted</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 150%;"> After a grand celebration
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="6635ee38-52e7-40df-b2ac-aa98ef3a36be" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="826f084f-51cd-41b1-a01f-116efcf0cd0a" grcontextid="with:0">with</span> a lot of media <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="d2af712c-9ba2-4eaa-a680-0193708d5fa2" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="826f084f-51cd-41b1-a01f-116efcf0cd0a" grcontextid="lads:1">lads</span> and even politicians taking part, at 7:15AM the train
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="080220b6-6e1d-415b-8398-94302b5774e3" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="48245058-a162-45dd-811c-58e2c38947c5" grcontextid="pulled:0">pulled</span> out of Pune station towards its destination Mumbai CST, a 192KM
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2d6e6f30-3981-491b-a4ee-d0782a565cf6" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="360d8c5a-643b-4920-bb7c-af9ede783ec6" grcontextid="journey:0">journey</span>. After negotiating through the
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="097bb7e0-0729-4a61-9faa-7687e573a4b9" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="f03352de-ddfe-48c2-8e1c-9841fe3abb77" grcontextid="turn outs:0">turn outs</span>, the train picked up the speed and over took Mumbai bound Sahyadri
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="7f22c0dd-3bda-4937-b44b-c31db33c874b" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="5c574784-e4dc-4762-9aee-255f3bcd5f48" grcontextid="express:0">express</span> from Kolhapur immediately after leaving Pune Jn. A 64KM
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="270025e6-7a1c-447b-8d12-78a5a970a0f0" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="7515e83d-847e-4310-928c-addeadb18fcd" grcontextid="journey:0">journey</span> between Pune and Lonavala was done with good speed with the train
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="442de5c9-420e-4fd1-b695-1dc2307c2abf" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="aed99966-3b74-4408-9fcc-63cdeb19f007" grcontextid="touching:0">touching</span> maximum permissible speed (MPS) of 105KMPH and as a result arrived Lonavala
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="257d71c8-ff17-46d0-be8f-a9ed83b67b32" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="a27a503e-6757-4661-8e85-1924e60cbe6a" grcontextid="on:0">on</span> time at 8:08AM. The next 25KM journey
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="9b1abfb6-e9a3-49b1-bb02-3733f72fb2e7" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2c4fcbf2-0492-4e75-a92b-36ce8e451d4b" grcontextid="was:0">was</span> amidst beautiful mountains called the Western Ghats (Mountain Pass) between
Lonavala and Karjat as the train descends the extreme gradients with restricted speed of 40-50KMPH. While descending, the train took 2 mandatory
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="14dedd74-4d20-428b-a142-18f1cdc3fa26" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="045c1987-4f44-4b0d-8b0e-df7e5140a2a3" grcontextid="brake:0">brake</span> testing halts, as usual, however at one of the <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b73145ba-a0d3-48b4-94f2-bd09f58edc9d" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="045c1987-4f44-4b0d-8b0e-df7e5140a2a3" grcontextid="halts:1">halts</span>, the train got held up for over
10 minutes due to come technical difficulty with signal, as a consequence there was an unwanted delay.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">It was time to head to the dining car for some breakfast, in fact we were already waiting in the corridor <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="4284ac33-2a18-4f13-9eca-91ac686f8d92" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="781cf081-c0ce-4ff8-ab4f-213003bf0262" grcontextid="of:0">of</span> the dining car since the start of the journey chatting with the servers. This is <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="e8ab4b1e-e866-423b-8aaf-6e9ea9a59834" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="60538c03-8b95-4c06-8995-b7f3671a95c0" grcontextid="probably:0">probably</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="09c5ccc3-ac60-420a-812d-cbcdf3c965b9" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="2e016c90-10dc-4d40-8cc8-8339da19b801" grcontextid="the:0">the</span> only train on the Indian Railways to have a dining car, most of the trains
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="0421ec38-3b3c-47b8-828a-bd7935f8924f" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="5c912aa4-be14-4c48-bde5-6a60c71717ef" grcontextid="have:0">have</span> a pantry car. The food served on board is apparently the best with a lot of
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="e1d24e58-e2f5-4cee-8dc1-d123ec53f562" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="db750c68-2b32-4a32-aaef-bc3a62a0ecff" grcontextid="variety:0">variety</span> which one </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">wouldn't</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> find on any other train. I </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">couldn't</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> stop ordering baked beans with
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="8754fab9-f157-43de-82ad-e1316819ce87" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="f6a17cb9-3d75-4eb0-93f2-06b86d1487ae" grcontextid="bread:0">bread</span> slices. Well…<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="a9369bd9-369e-42e8-bc81-212a9481afad" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="8dcf5429-f382-4a1a-ae85-0ce674ac18e4" grcontextid=".:0">.</span>one of the reasons to order this dish twice was to spend
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="54fdf293-72ee-49a2-ac28-79ac18ab04c8" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="e3ab8e36-27ec-4fb8-857d-020c7a97748f" grcontextid="more:0">more</span> time in the dining car! </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tm_HN1EISZE/UcVXRGZ3p2I/AAAAAAAAARE/e3iqqrJqCRg/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tm_HN1EISZE/UcVXRGZ3p2I/AAAAAAAAARE/e3iqqrJqCRg/s400/IMG_0047.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dining Car </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 150%;">After clearing
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="bdcfc207-7d5f-46de-a334-594de17148da" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="02229831-aea1-44cb-b3ad-ea0197841de0" grcontextid="the:0">the</span> ghats (mountain pass) section, the train accelerated to make up the <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="ca14e690-d09c-4c5f-bafb-9b2cd572cf28" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="02229831-aea1-44cb-b3ad-ea0197841de0" grcontextid="lost:1">lost</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="f05ddef0-c8c8-4a55-b921-0aa5a807e7d1" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="175da337-aa69-4d1b-9db4-c7b42bd34124" grcontextid="time:0">time</span> however due to some caution orders (speed restriction) the train <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="4cf83bd7-9b7e-4dbd-ab23-deb9e1d13537" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="175da337-aa69-4d1b-9db4-c7b42bd34124" grcontextid="got:1">got</span>
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2fe5e96a-12d5-483c-8705-bc33d6a00331" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="f02cd2ef-0265-45ba-b19c-671c45ba63cb" grcontextid="further:0">further</span> delayed. Around 9:30AM, the
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="8ddb6bdf-9439-4c07-a7de-ecafd6127a1d" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="35857bfa-1f5e-435f-838c-421e3ebc5f86" grcontextid="train:0">train</span> skipped Kalyan Jn. (<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="6edf9294-9af2-487d-a83e-f38fbea71363" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c1a212d3-fb0d-425b-89de-11ef1f219aaf" grcontextid="a:0">a</span> major junction near Mumbai where most of the trains
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="96a38240-53a8-41e4-b115-12df3f9c5224" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c95c8294-5622-4f9f-acfe-7bdd5dd240eb" grcontextid="have:0">have</span> a 5 minute halt). Still 52KM to go
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="608a322f-baf5-46aa-9235-a9aad4fafb43" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="c1f5fc86-6e7f-4f56-9143-aea78d1b0b30" grcontextid="and:0">and</span> a delay of over 20 minutes, we were hoping the train will make up some lost
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2b6648f7-c55d-4015-9d46-836e3effc954" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="969cfa6c-818a-41e4-87aa-6717a5d48650" grcontextid="time:0">time</span> but it didn’t happen due to rush hour traffic in Mumbai suburban
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="618c4e1b-c1ff-4fa4-8216-6a0acda19de6" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="f77fdb7d-da2c-42c2-9002-57e0e0c30f92" grcontextid="section:0">section</span>. The train hardly got all clear
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="c422b4c7-df73-4d8f-844d-8f75ac12ae30" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="10bb424f-6bbc-4551-8782-cee727bab3be" grcontextid="signal:0">signal</span>, most of the time it ran <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="ce06ea62-acef-43eb-a14c-0d227e51a23e" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="10bb424f-6bbc-4551-8782-cee727bab3be" grcontextid="though:1">though</span> ‘attention’ aspect signal (the double
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="4332aa5c-31c4-4a60-b91c-4f2c7eb8ea26" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="a6dd7e3a-2644-431a-bd9a-6806771f0faa" grcontextid="yellow:0">yellow</span> aspect <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="bc900ebc-e304-4745-bfee-8b7276fb7ea0" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="a6dd7e3a-2644-431a-bd9a-6806771f0faa" grcontextid="on:1">on</span> MACL type signals on Indian Railways) which resulted in
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="450026f9-28b5-4f68-9cc3-8ae6c4fee377" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="60c002d5-a16b-44b6-9bdc-856ee863b8a5" grcontextid="further:0">further</span> delay. We finally arrived at
Dadar Central station, the penultimate station, around 10:25AM and the Mumbai
CST, the destination around 10:40AM.</span></div>
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At Mumbai CST, a
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2169d67c-f8d6-4f6e-800d-9d791949cdce" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="800fa559-e06d-4852-b68a-b66d9b6a2f23" grcontextid="lot:0">lot</span> of people including <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="6e225dca-6e85-4da3-8046-64d9211e9d88" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="800fa559-e06d-4852-b68a-b66d9b6a2f23" grcontextid="railfans:1">railfans</span> where busy getting their pictures clicked with
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="77c60319-f062-4079-889c-0b2423f2d6a6" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="4d263a3e-40ab-47c5-b69e-1cc16feca972" grcontextid="the:0">the</span> loco pilots which was very nice to see. I <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="055797eb-566b-4cef-af07-1897b715cff3" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="5f79aa99-46c4-4ffd-8cb0-b711c85f0e57" grcontextid="took:0">took</span> wanted to click my picture
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="b83987d3-6485-4ee4-b4e1-d7e2437a8c08" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="1e85c74d-7fbc-4d98-97bd-7d7bf1b35509" grcontextid="with:0">with</span> them but I didn't. After meeting
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="2b2b0e29-2758-419e-8cf8-b5eff3c66396" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="e016d437-f596-4428-baf5-258c62ef3497" grcontextid="some:0">some</span> other <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="bc93cd03-67b7-4655-976d-b1c15fc0c58f" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="e016d437-f596-4428-baf5-258c62ef3497" grcontextid="railfans:1">railfans</span>, Akshay, Sriram, and I decided to head home thus ending a
<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="41e8476a-dc41-4439-a31e-1b56451502ae" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="ee0606db-a8d5-4065-9173-9f8829186177" grcontextid="wonderful:0">wonderful</span> short journey until next 1<sup><span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct" ginger_sofatware_markguid="54d149c3-906c-4ba9-9e0c-dd98af183a64" ginger_sofatware_uiphraseguid="0df17ee1-0d6b-42e7-b86d-fe298ec4d4c7" grcontextid="st:0">st</span></sup> June. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-57848429162427300602012-11-03T20:57:00.000+05:302012-11-04T17:00:29.243+05:30Aboard 12262 Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Algerian; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><u><span style="font-family: Algerian; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Aboard 12262 Howrah-Mumbai
Duronto Express</span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
I’ve
had heard a lot of positives about the Durontos (The nonstop trains between two
cities) from my fellow railfans and friends alike, hence without giving a
second thought I decided to travel on this train from Howrah (Kolkata) to
Mumbai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I got a confirmed
ticket easily, upon checking the status on the day of my journey i.e. July 23rd,
2012 I was little surprised to see waitlisted passengers. The scheduled
departure of this train was 8:20AM from Howrah station so as usual I decided to
reach an hour before the departure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon
entering the station after negotiating through the crowded streets of Kolkata
even around 7AM, I saw a plethora of trains ready to depart and arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I glanced through the departure indicator to
see if my train was scheduled but it was not however I figured out that it will
depart from platform#21. Meanwhile, I saw Secunderabad bound Falaknuma express
leaving from platform#20, at the helm was an SRC WAP-4 class loco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also spotted Bangalore-Howrah express which
had already arrived hauled by another SRC WAP-4. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Finally,
around 7:45AM my train was announced to depart from platform#21, as expected….. but
for some unknown reason they (the section controllers) changed to platform#20 a few minutes before departure. The train was shunted in by a derated KGP
WDM-2 class loco around 7:50AM. My coach was B1 (classified as LWACCN), 2<sup>nd</sup>
from the loco which means I had to walk almost the entire length of the train.
The first coach was, of course, an End on Generator car (EOG) classified as
LWLRRM. As soon as this KGP WDM-2 got decoupled and moved away, a HWH WAP-4 got
coupled to my train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised to
see HWH WAP-4 loco because I was expecting an SRC WAP-4 as this train is
maintained by South Eastern Railway but later I learned that the regular link
is indeed HWH WAP-4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My coach was newly
built (manufactured in 2009) a CBC coach. At 8:20AM on the button
the loco pilots sounded the customary short and the long pitched tones and we
departed. Simultaneously an EMU also departed which ran parallel for quite a
long distance, and also Jaisalmer bound express train departed at the same time hauled
by yet another HWH WAP-4 from Eastern Railway side of Howrah station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took a lot of time to negotiate the speed
restrictions and join main line, unlike in Mumbai where the turn outs are quite faster, but upon joining (the main line), the
acceleration of a HWH WAP-4 was superb. I guess we were doing about 100KMPH
constantly for a long time and as a result reached Kharagpur Jn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in about 90 minutes (of course we didn’t stop
here). Meanwhile, the breakfast was served containing two slices of white bread, cutlets and
mango juice, it was good!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The LHB coach
was not too comfortable as compared with ICF/RCF but the large windows gave a
very good view of outside. We encountered a few Caution Orders (COs) of 30KMPH
right after Kharagpur Jn. but after clearing those COs, we were back at speed
of 110KMPH, in fact more than 110KMPH but rarely the train crossed 110+KMPH. After morning meal, I got
engaged in conversation with my fellow passengers as we continued into a long
journey of another 20 hours. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwY_XYaFq5RGTh7fB-aGvjJgnL-seZGBLnjmX0OLUgmCAaPLDgQ5TFh-yc97kxLn3NGUcdVrXXuX5wR1fTAxg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Aboard Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first technical halt was Tatanagar Jn., we
pulled in around 11:30AM and after a 10 minute stop and crew change off we
went. I saw a few, in fact; all of the armed guards got off of the train and a
few ‘passengers’ boarded the train. Now…..I suppose the tickets for
intermediary stations is not available on this train then how do these
‘passengers’ boarded with their luggage still, and I guess, will remain a
mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, the acceleration was
once again fantastic with new crew members taking charge of the train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought the train might run at 120/130KMPH
but I guess never crossed a 110KMPH mark, perhaps did 115KMPH for some few
minutes. The lunch was served around 1PM, which consist of typical Indian meal
of rotis (flatbread), vegetable, rice, and curry etc. The food was not too bad but
could have been better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
technical halt was Bilaspur Jn., we pulled in around 5:30PM and again a new set
of crew members took charge of the train. I also spotted Bhubaneshwar-LTT (Mumbai)
express hauled by a TATA WAM-4 class loco. I guess this, and Puri-LTT (Mumbai)
almost always gets a WAM-4 class loco. We, of course, overtook this train.
After a 10-minute halt we pulled out of Bilaspur Jn. and between Raipur and
Bilaspur I guess the speed did cross 120KMPH but only for a few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This train takes a detour and skips Raipur
Jn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hence I was not able to meet my
cousins…but nevermind!! The evening meal was served and then the dinner around
9PM. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dinner didn’t have any choice;
it was the same old thing!! Same vegetable, rotis, rice, and curry etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was rather disappointing but really didn’t
mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the dinner and light
conversation with my fellow passengers, I decided it was time for some good
sleep. I took the upper berth with the AC ducts right over my head, couldn’t
have asked for (anything) more. After watching an Air crash Investigation
episode (TAM airlines crash in Brazil), off I went to sleep. I was very tired
so I didn’t have a hard time catching sleep; besides being on train I have
never experienced disturbed sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
train stopped for 2 more technical halts viz., Nagpur Jn. and Bhuvasal Jn. but
I was fast asleep. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
The
next day I woke up to see the train entering Igatpuri around 7:55AM, pretty
much running on time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here the HWH WAP-4
22632 got detached and a KYN WCAM-3 21942. This is the same WCAM-3 loco which
caught fire while hauling the Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen express at Neral Jn.a
few months back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a 10 minute halt,
we pulled out of Igatpuri with cautious speed due to mountainous terrain and
steep down gradient. The breakfast was served which comprised of 2 slices of white
bread and a veg. cutlet with tomato sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Soon we crossed Kasara, the start of Mumbai suburban section with
cautious speed but after this the loco pilot accelerated to 100KMPH until we
came across another major and long caution order of 10KMPH. The reason was a
major train collision involving an MRVC EMU (the suburban train) and Nagpur
bound Vidharbha express hauled by another KYN WCAM-3 21939.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy7drw2IBGDpHgDRsQ2ZQ4mzi7EqI__-BDKvXmjA6cvEPX5dj5-SLHmlwFp2vxwY10lQgr7YC8eBBYOdsBYJg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
After clearing the
speed restriction, we were cruising around 100KMPH through the suburbs of
Mumbai until we came to a unscheduled halt right outside Kalyan Jn due to heavy
morning traffic and rush hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
cautiously negotiating though Kalyan Jn. platform#6, the train again picked out
the speed but did only 70-80KMPH because of Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen express
right ahead and a few CST (Mumbai) bound EMUs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The overall run through the suburban section was quite slow due to above
reasons but still the train managed to stay fairly on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We entered the destination i.e., CST (Mumbai)
around 10:40AM on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this marks
the end of my 26 hours 20 minutes train ride on a Duronto express. Overall, it
was a good and fairly comfortable journey but I think there’s some good scope
for improvement in the service.</div>
</div>
Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-56932620715391432282012-08-01T14:58:00.000+05:302012-08-04T01:03:23.598+05:30A 54 Hour Train Ride<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> </span><b><u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Prelude</span></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> This was a short trip to Kolkata for
my PhD exams and also a railfanning trip which I took July 19<sup>th</sup> 2012; honestly I
was more excited for my railfanning part in this trip than my exams. I’ve had some other plans, as well but they
didn’t turn out as I wanted. I Boarded Howrah bound 12151 Samarsata express
from Mumbai for an unusual 54 hour train ride instead of 35 hours…… and how did
this happen?? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please read on…!!!! :) </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Miriam Fixed";"> </span><u><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Miriam Fixed";">On Board Mumbai (LTT)-Howrah 12151
Samarsata Express</span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> This trip was no different from my
other train trips except for the fact that I was little more than just jaded at
the end of the trip, not that I didn’t feel jaded before but this was a little
too much to handle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was all geared up
with my backpack and left my house at 7:30PM for Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT),
the starting point for Howrah bound 12151 Samarsata express. This station being so very close to my house,
I was in no hurry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon reaching LTT,
the first thing I noticed was a complete makeover of this station. I couldn’t
believe my eyes that I am at LTT which was once so damn filthy!! My train was
already scheduled on platform#2 and as soon as I entered the platform, I saw my
train being shunted probably by one of those new WDS-6AD class locos, and 18029
Shalimar express aka ‘Super Crawler Express’ was already shunted on platform#1.
I was also very surprised to see the change in the orientation of this train;
usually all of the 9 AC coaches of this train are in front, but not this time hence
this avoided a long walk but I also knew that upon reaching Howrah I will have
to walk a long way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly settled in
on my berth and was quite happy to see the coach half empty after checking the
reservation chart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The train departed on
time at 8:35PM but little did I realize that this is going to be one nirvana of a
train ride! The loco attached to my train was WCAM-3 road# 21934, I was hoping
for a WCAM-2P loco but never mind..!!! After carefully negotiating the speed
restrictions, we came over newly laid 5<sup>th</sup> line and then the loco
pilot hit the gas!!! We were sailing at 80KMPH until we came to a complete halt
right outside Mulund station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I
didn’t know why but as soon as Chennai Egmore bound express overtook us, I
figured out that we will be diverted on main line and this is exactly what
happened!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought after joining the 3<sup>rd</sup>
main line, the train will at least do 100KMPH, if not 105KMPH but I was totally
disappointed. The train struggled to do
even 50KMPH and as a result we reached Kalyan Jn., the first commercial stop, 25
minutes late. We departed Kalyan after
about 15 minutes stop, quite unusual and got further delayed, a good 45 minutes
now. By this time I started to feel a
little strange because such delays have never occurred in Mumbai suburban
section unless something seriously has gone wrong. The speed (of the train) was
seriously taken a back even after departing Kalyan Jn. and to add salt to wounds,
the train was taken on an isolated loop line outside Titvala station. This was
by far the most unusual thing to happen and I was puzzled, I thought perhaps an
EMU will overtake but then this does not make any sense. After about 30 minutes
into the stop and couple of EMUs overtaking, I decided to call my good railfan
friend Arzan Kotval to check if he had any information about this
unusual delay of my train. Arzan told me that there has apparently been a major
train collision involving Mumbai CST bound MRVC EMU and Nagpur bound Vidarbha
express near Kasara. At first it was hard to believe but the same was confirmed
by a coach attendant, he said that it will take about 3 hours to clear but as
the details egressed and realizing the gravity of the accident, I knew we are
not going to move for a long time!!! Later my mom called and informed me that 9
coaches of an EMU train derailed due to landslide and Vidarbha express
which was running on adjacent track crashed onto the derailed coaches at high
speed. The loco hauling this ill-fated Vidarbha express was a WCAM-3 road#
21939. There were 3 more trains ahead of us stranded viz., Firozpur bound
Punjab mail, Nagpur bound Duronto express, and Amravati bound Amravati express.
Being at such isolated area and not knowing when the train will move had me quite disquieted,
I tried to sleep but couldn’t as the ACs were turned off and it was getting
very difficult to breath. Around 2AM, I spotted an unknown Duronto express
heading towards Mumbai, I was puzzled but I thought one of the affected lines
must be cleared but later I realized that this was the same Nagpur bound Duronto
express which is now heading back to Mumbai. This was soon followed by Punjab Mail and Amravati express.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now I became so sure that my train too
will return to Mumbai and this was confirmed by seeing my train loco, the
WCAM-3 21934 getting attached at the other end of the train at Vashind station.
Now I was left with 2 options, either my train will be canceled or will run via
different route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve had a backup plan
to take the first available flight to Kolkata in the event of this train being
canceled and if diverted, I decided to do the thing I love the most….railfanning!!! I was praying that the train shall get
diverted and my prayers were answered. One of coach attendants informed me that
the train will run via Panvel-Karjat-Pune-Manmad route. The usual train on an
unusual route, wow!! Never in my wildest dream had I ever imagined that my
train will run via Pune!! I, however, was a little concerned about my arrival at
Howrah yet the railfan part in me was very excited! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We
reached Kalyan Jn. again at 5AM and after an abbreviated halt, the train got diverted
on a line heading for Panvel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to
see the Panvel-Karjat route but I overslept only to be woken up at Karjat by
the vox of ‘Chai-Chai’ around 7AM. The train departed Karjat with three WAG-5
banker locos pushing the train, interestingly all three locos were ex-Bhilai
locos transferred to Kalyan shed. I was fully awake and was at the door, as
usual, to capture the beauty of the Bhor Ghat in rain. It was truly a tranquil ambiance, a lot of small waterfalls, mist, and drizzle. Here's the video of my train climbing the Bhor Ghats</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyOeF7RkY0gGXpjhpQGdZGrwngUuVlJ2kUXXVgspNb_EpHM6JBEgfSrlWHg2YYJv6pzjW6zqT7MSkH46gd1uQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span id="goog_702912462"></span><span id="goog_702912463"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We reached Lonavla around 7:55AM where the
thee banker locos got isolated. I was hoping to reach Pune around 9:15AM but
that didn’t happen. Between Lonavla and Pune, my train was given a lot of
unscheduled halts for Pune bound trains to overtake. It was only after 10:30AM
we entered platform # 1 of Pune Jn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
Pune I met Archit Goel after so many months and I was very happy to see him.
Meanwhile the power of my train, the WCAM-3 21934 got detached and, as
expected, a UBL WDG-4 road# 12311 loco came in to take the charge of my train up to
Manmad with a reversal at Daund Jn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After leaving Pune Jn., for the first time I
was happy to see the speed in excess of 90KMPH and the WDG-4 pulled my 24-coach
train with ease!! We reached Daund Jn. in less than 2 hours where my train
reversed after a 20 minute halt. As we were exiting Daund, I spotted Bangalore
bound Udyan express with its usual KJM WDP-4 loco entering Daund Jn. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0qB1ym9v0rA/UBjoDocDIbI/AAAAAAAAAOA/xt33bmKYD7Q/s1600/041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0qB1ym9v0rA/UBjoDocDIbI/AAAAAAAAAOA/xt33bmKYD7Q/s400/041.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>KJM WDP-4 at the helm of Bangalore bound Udyan express enters Daund Jn.</u></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lunch was served after Daund but my mom
had packed some home food so decided to avoid lunch served on train. Unfortunately
after Daund, we took quite a lot of unscheduled halts due to single line
section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one such halts, I spotted
the Mumbai bound 12102 Janeshwari express from Howah hauled by twin Pune WDM-3A
class locos and Pune bound Jhelum express from Jammu, hauled by twin GTL WDM-3Ds. The Jhelum express overtook Janeshwari express, for the first time I saw a
non-superfast express overtaking superfast express train. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DAxGc5ALPPE/UBjquQDZL_I/AAAAAAAAAOU/zCTiavV6Iog/s1600/051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DAxGc5ALPPE/UBjquQDZL_I/AAAAAAAAAOU/zCTiavV6Iog/s400/051.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><u><span style="font-size: x-small;">Twin GTL WDM-3D locos hauling Pune bound Jhelum express overtaking Janeshwari express</span></u></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> I was expecting to
reach Manmad Jn. around 5PM but we entered only after 6PM. This stop was very
important because from here the train will have all clear high speed run and
also I was able to determine the approx. arrival time at Howrah which was
around 11PM next day. The UBL WDG-4 loco got
detached and an SRC WAP-4 road# 22743 loco was brought in to haul my train all the way to Howrah. I also spotted Bangalore bound Karnatak express from New Delhi hauled by
twin ET WDM-3A locos entering Manmad Jn. After we departed, there was no stopping to my
train and it constantly maintained the speed of 110KMPH, even crossing this mark many times. I,
as usual, was by the door enjoying the speed and at this time I’ve had completed
forgotten as to why I was going to Kolkata!! The train hardly stopped at intermediate
stations and even at Nagpur the halt was not more than 10 minutes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Next morning I was eagerly waiting
to reach Raipur as my cousins were waiting for me with some homemade food. The
train entered Raipur Jn. around 7:30AM where I met my cousins and their family
after a long time. The train took less than 2 minutes halt as expected and
while departing Raipur, I saw Raigarh bound Gondawana express entering Raipur
with BSL WAP-4 class loco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
raining heavily in Raipur yet my train sailed at 110KMPH without any
difficulty. The next stop was Bilaspur which we reached in less than 2 hours,
maintaining good speed throughout. I spotted quite a lot of freight trains on
this section which is not unusual.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">I was quite chafed by my
co-passengers behavior who were apparently some railway employees working at Kharagpur Jn.
as ticket vendors. They were, not to mention, traveling for free in my coach. I
really hate such imbeciles who travel for free on trains. Besides, all of them
were heavy snorers so it was very difficult get sound sleep especially when all
4 of them snored together. I started to get real world-weary and couldn’t
door plate as it was getting too dark too soon. Luckily I had some air crash
investigation videos on my lappy which helped me a lot to pass some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We passed through some major stations like
Jharsurguda Jn., Rourkela Jn. etc with minimum possible halt time. </span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw1urqXBRKlFYU57WoyGX0iaKTlsakMsANtmZdgHHS8LfQ8Cm91zB0LS7GIPi7oJ0rwjUfo8rlDKydZfHUS7Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">After Chakradharpur, the train got
diverted on Purulia-Adra route and for the first time I saw heavily armed
policemen with AK-47 rifles and bulletproof jackets and helmets patrolling the
train as this region is very dangerous to travel especially at night time due
to heightened terrorist activities. Kudos to these policemen/paramilitary
forces for doing wonderful job!! Few minutes after departing from Chakradharpur,
we came to an abrupt stop for over an hour at a small station called Kunki for
no apparent reason. Later I learned that there was a loco failure of a freight
train which was running ahead of us. This additional 1 hour delay proved to be
very expensive! I was expecting to reach
Kharagpur Jn. around 8PM had it not been for this delay but we reached only after 9:30PM which meant reaching Howrah after 11:30PM.
Nonetheless, the speed of the train was good considering the fact that we were
passing through a very notorious area. As we were nearing Kharagpur Jn., the train
slowed down and stopped numerous times due to non-clearance of line. This was
very frustrating because it was already 10PM and we didn’t enter the Kharagpur
station yet. It was only after 10:30PM we reached Kharagpur Jn. Here almost
everybody disembarked and I was apparently the only passenger in the entire
coach. I was feeling very jaded and I knew
it will take more than 2 hours to reach Howrah so I decided to sleep off. I
finally managed to get some good sleep without being perturbed. I woke-up to see the train marooned again
right outside Howrah station due to non-availability of platform which is very
usual. After 10 minutes halt, the train
moved onto platform#21 of Howrah station around 1:30AM. I was very tired but
also relieved that I finally reached Kolkata after 54 hours of train ride. Luckily got some good sleep before my exams. I thank my good friend Apurva Chaudhary from
Kolkata for coming to receive me at the station at 1:30AM thus ending my 54 hours long train ride!!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-72685491435081506082012-05-26T13:57:00.006+05:302012-05-29T13:42:24.168+05:30Yet Another Rail Trip...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></b><u><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Prelude</span></b></u></div>
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This
trip was planned 70 days in advance on April 26<sup>th</sup> 2011 and the reason
was my Indian Council of Medical Research PhD scholarship exam. I’ve had also made a plan to visit Shillong
to meet Lynda but due to lack of time I cancelled it. Also traveled to Kerala
(Tellicherry) via Chennai, traveled by Coromandel express from Howrah to
Chennai Central and then by Chennai-Mangalore mail to Tellicherry. Met Vimal, an IRFCA Chennai member at Chennai
Central Station. Finally, on my way to
Mumbai, at first I decided to travel via Goa by Goa expess up to Pune and then
the Queen of Central Railway, the Deccan Queen to Mumbai but scrapped that plan
and decided to travel by Netravati expres to Mumbai from Kannur, in Kerala.</div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Rockwell Extra Bold","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><br />
<div style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Rockwell Extra Bold","serif";"><b> </b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Mumbai to Kolkata</span></u></b></span></span></div>
</div>
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<br />
After
excogitating over which train to travel, I opted for 12859 Gitanjali express, an
early morning departure from Mumbai. Although I prefer night starts but this was apparently
the only better choice to reach Kolkata on time for my exam. At one of the reservation centers in Mumbai
(although almost always I book my tickets online or through my cell phone) I
was surprised not to see long queues because it was a holiday season and
usually (and especially) people traveling to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar line up as
early as 10PM the preceding day to get
confirm tickets. Well…some were luck to get confirm tickets and those who did not
takes the other illegal way out. Anyway,
in about 5 minutes I got my ticket versus ~60-70 minutes had there been a long
queue. My travel date was July 15<sup>th</sup>
2011 and my exam was scheduled on 17<sup>th</sup>. I was happy I got around 2 months to prepare
for this exam. </div>
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On the day of travel, I was very
excited for 2 reasons: 1) Traveling by train, and 2) Visiting Kolkata after
exactly 10 years. My mom woke me up at
3AM on the button, got myself ready in an hour and off I went. Boarded a suburban train (or local train as
you call in Mumbai) for Victoria Terminus (VT) or Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), politically correct term, from Vidyavihar at 4:30AM and upon reaching VT/CST station at 5AM, I
was surprised to see the station so quiet, usually this station is full of
people during rush hour. Quickly I rushed
to platform 19 of VT station where Gitanjali express was scheduled to depart
and after reaching there, I saw a huge crowd ready to board the train, not an
unusual scene!! Also, I spotted now
endangered twin WCG-2 species (locos) on the same platform. Soon those WCG-2s were moved and
the rake of Gitanjai express was shunted in by a WDS-6 loco. This train shares its rake with Howrah-Puri
express which is why it had East Coast Railway rake but the train
belongs to South Eastern Railway zone.
My coach was 7<sup>th</sup> from loco and a newly built in the year
2010, also had those mobile/laptop chargers in each aisle. Exactly at 6AM, the WCAM-3 loco sounded its
hooter and off we were for a 1939KM journey to Howrah. It took about 7 minutes to come over to
mainline and after clearing the speed restriction, the loco pilot/engineer of
WCAM-3 loco stepped on the gas and we were cruising at 60KMPH……. and
accelerating!!! Dadar, the first
commercial stop arrived in 15 minutes, the stoppage was for 2 minutes and at
6:17AM we accelerated out off of Dadar station. The run from here was really good with the
train notching up to top speed of 105KMPH through the suburbs of Mumbai. We reached Kalyan Junction, 2<sup>nd</sup>
scheduled stop on time and after a 5minute halt, we got diverted on a North
East line. The speed on this section was considerable slower due to may up gradients and speed restrictions, nonetheless we reached Kasara in 2 hours (exactly at 8AM)
at an average speed of 60KMPH, not bad for its (the train) name and the
superfast status given to this train. FYI.....This train is the 2<sup>nd</sup> fastest
train (after Duronto express) between Mumbai and Kolkata takes 30hrs 30 minutes
to reach Howrah. Anyway, at Kasara the
train was given a pronounced stop because it was before time and also 3 WAG-7
locos (the bankers) were attached at the rear to help train climb the mountains.
After about 25 minutes stop, we accelerated out. Meanwhile, Nanded bound Topavan
express which was dropping back also reached Kasara however we were given a
penchant and accelerated out. As we moved out
of Kasara, I stepped to the door as usual enjoying the beautiful Western Ghats.
</div>
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Igatpuri
(IGP) was out next scheduled halt where the WCAM-3 was removed and a WAP-4 of
SRC shed was attached to haul my train all the way up to Howrah and I knew it’s
time for 110KMPH speed and sure the WAP-4 didn’t disappoint. Meanwhile, Topavan express too reached IGP
right behind us with a WCAM-3 loco which goes all the way to Manmad. Immediately after leaving Igatpuri, the loco
pilot/loco engineer didn’t perambulate and stepped on the gas. We were over
70KMPH even before the IGP trip shed.
Strangely, it was getting hotter with no sign of rain but I was enjoying
the speed sitting by the door. The next
stop was Nasik, the Wine Capital of India and one of the gateways to reach
Shiridi. We were for the first time delayed by over 10 minutes but that’s not
big deal!! The run after Nasik was really impressive with train maintaining a
top notch for a long time. I got little surprised to see the train skipped
Manmad at full speed. I immediately text my very good friend and a railfan
crony Arzan Kotval to know if the train has a halt in here, his reply was
negative. </div>
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I
started to feel a little dopy while sitting by the door so I decided it’s time
to get back to my seat for a siesta. I also remembered how lucky I was the
other day when I actually slept for few minutes at the door (of Azad Hind
express) and still didn’t fall off of the moving train. The food served on the train didn’t look too
bad but my mom had packed a lot of home made food so decided against having food served
on the train. After having lunch I was
back to doorplating and this time I made sure I don’t sleep or feel sleepy. All
this while at the door, I spotted a lot of trains in opposite directions with a
variety of locos.I was at the door until we reached Nagpur.</div>
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A lot of passengers wanted
disembark at Nagpur, the Orange Capital of India and one of the major junctions
where the trains from North to South and West to East meets. We reached Nagpur
delayed by 10 minutes and here I spotted a lot of trains, as well viz., Mumbai
bound Sewagram express was getting ready to depart, Pune bound GR departed with
Pune WDM-3A loco, and of course, the ever delayed Shalimar-Mumbai ‘Bullock
Cart’ express with TATA shed WAM-4 class loco, Patna-Bangalore Sangmitra express
hauled by a WAP-4 from ED and to name a few more. After a pronounced stop, we started
accelerating with new crew handling the train. It was getting too dark to see
anything outside so I decided to head to my seat for dinner and a good sleep. </div>
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At
Raipur, my cousin brother Nikhil was waiting for me to handover some home made
food. We reached Raipur, at 11:40PM delayed by 15 minutes. He's been at the station to receive me or meet me whenever I traveled to Raipur. Thank you Nikhil if you are reading this!!! After Raipur, I decided to catch some serious
Z’s. Woke up the next morning at 6AM to see my train stranded at some isolated
station in Jharkhand state. After a 20 minute wait, spotted an intercity
express hauled by KGP shed’s WDM-3A in the opposite direction. After this train left, we were given a go
ahead signal. We were apparently still running on time. </div>
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The
next big stop was Kharagpur Jn. (KGP), this station prides in having the
world’s longest railway platform. We
were again delayed by 20 minutes however after a 10 minutes halt we accelerated
out. I was hoping for some good speed again but…………….I was totally
disappointed!!! The train crawled big time for some unknown reason and we got
further delayed. By the time we reached
the outer suburbs of Kolkata, we were running 2 hours late. An unknown express
train hauled by TATA WAM-4 overtook us while we were still crawling through the
suburbs. After a delay of over 2 hours and a lot of unscheduled halts, we were diverted on a mid line and only
then the loco pilot showed some aggressiveness but it was too late. After reaching Howrah station, the train again took an unscheduled halt of about 20 minutes due to non availability of platform. We finally
entered Howrah station at 3PM versus 12:30PM had my train been on time thus. I was little tired but happy to travel to Kolkata. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arabic Typesetting"; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 200%;">Part II</span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; line-height: 200%;"> </span></b></u></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b><span style="line-height: 200%;">On Board Coromandel express A.K.A
‘Ambulance Express’</span></b></u></span></span> </div>
</div>
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<br />
Well…I’ve had
heard a lot about 12841 Coromandel express which runs between Howrah (Kolkata) and
Chennai Central like the speed, punctuality, cleanliness, and, of course, one
of the flagship express trains of the Indian Railways and this is the reason
why I didn’t think twice before traveling to Tellicherry in Kerala via
Chennai. Upon canceling my trip to
Shillong, I decided to visit Kerala immediately after my exams, albeit I wanted
to spend some time in City of Joy. This
train departs Howrah station at 1450 hrs and arrives at Chennai Central next
day at 1715 hrs, covering 1661KM in 26 hours 5 minutes at an average speed of
~63KM/HR. This is probably the fastest
train between these cities!!
Interestingly, this train is also known as ‘Ambulance Express’ because a
lot of cancer patients travel on this train to go to Christian Medical College
in Vellore near Chennai. Here's the photo of Coromanel expess. <u>Photo by Bharat Moro.</u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53EaKbF-OsU/T74APR0KydI/AAAAAAAAANw/bOZXHfhuzzA/s1600/coromandel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53EaKbF-OsU/T74APR0KydI/AAAAAAAAANw/bOZXHfhuzzA/s320/coromandel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Rockwell","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></div>
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I reached Howrah station well
before the departure time ~ 1300 hrs and I saw and was very much expecting huge
crowd at the entrance of the station.
Upon entering the station after negotiating through crowd with my
backpack I felt much relieved and as usual on seeing trains I forgot all my
worries. I guess it wouldn’t be
incorrect to say the trains act as an anti-depressant for me!!! I looked at the departure indicator but my
train was not scheduled yet, I also looked at the arrival indicator and saw
Gitanjali express from Mumbai had already arrived and some yet to arrive
trains. Albeit my train was not scheduled
but I got a feeling that the train will depart from platform 20 and I was
correct. Around 1400 hrs the train was
shunted by a derated WDM-2 class loco of Kharagpur shed. The train looked
clean, Center Buffer Coupling (CBC) rakes, my coach was 9<sup>th</sup> from
the loco. I saw a lot of people getting ready to board the train and in fact
some waitlisted passengers too boarded the reserved carriages all going to
Chennai but I was not surprised because I was told that this train runs full
all 365 days. After settling down at my berth, it was too difficult to move out
due to huge crowd blocking the entire passageway. The train was undoubtedly hauled by a WAP-4
class loco of SRC shed. </div>
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Right at 1450hrs the train
started to roll out of Howrah. We crawled for a long time but as soon as the
train changed to mid (bi-directional) line, the loco pilot/engineer proved why
this train is called the flagship train! I am sure we were cruising at 110KMPH.
We over-took a lot of suburban trains and also express trains however being a
CBC train the jerks were inevitable but it was fun!! The train maintained over 100KMPH mark until
we reached our first scheduled stop i.e. Kharagpur Jn. for a 5-min halt. We pulled in at sharp 1630 hrs (115km)!!
Although I was happy traveling on this train, I didn’t forget that this very
train had met with a huge accident not too long ago. It crashed while traveling
at 110KMPH in the state of Orissa killing some 15 people and injuring a
lot. We soon accelerated out of
Kharagpur Jn., and while we were still crawling out, I spotted Howrah bound
Falaknuma express from Secunderabad entering Kharagpur Jn. hauled by a WAP-4
class loco of SRC shed. After we left
Kharagpur Jn., we were back at 110KMPH speed and even on sharp curves the train
didn’t slow down. I was really enjoying
it but unfortunately couldn’t go at the door as it was already occupied by
waitlisted passengers. This is probably the only train ride where I couldn’t be
at the door even for a few minutes!! </div>
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The
next scheduled stop was Balasore and I was not surprised to see we entered on
time at 1800hrs for a 2 minute stop and immediately after we left Balasore, we were
back at top notch and I felt this time it was even more aggressive. I was sure
the speed was slightly but definitely over 110KMPH. Soon we crossed over to Orissa state and
passed through Jajpur Road Station at 110KMPH. This is the exact spot where the
train met with an accident. I was little nervous!! Here's the photo. <u>Note: I didn't click this photo.</u></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sja9NGPluBs/T73_pzdQATI/AAAAAAAAANo/e2gKLHlq-IM/s1600/coro_accident.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sja9NGPluBs/T73_pzdQATI/AAAAAAAAANo/e2gKLHlq-IM/s320/coro_accident.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It had become too dark to see anything outside
however I was lucky to get a glimpse of Chilka Lake under full moon night while
the train was on top notch and again on sharp curves it maintained max speed
throughout. The train passed through
some major stations like Cuttack, Bhubaneshwar etc. running on time but I was fast asleep. I woke up around 4:30AM to see the train
entering Vizag. This is the reversal
point for this train, SRC WAP-4 loco got detached and another WAP-4 of AJJ shed
got attached at the other end of the train. After about a 30 minute halt, we accelerated out of Vizag. The run from Vizag to Chennai was
disappointing with lot of speed restrictions and the speed, I guess, never
crossed above 100KMPH yet the train maintained its schedule. The next major halt was Vijaywada Jn. however
before entering the station; we took a long unscheduled halt of 25 minutes
right outside the station, probably due to non-availability of platform. Here I took my lunch consisting of only rice
and dal. It was very scrumptious and very, very cheap!! This is one of trains which run non-stop
between Vijaywada and Chennai Central, covering the distance of 431KM in about
7 hours. I was hoping for some high
speed run but again this never happened till we reached Chennai. Meanwhile I called Vimal, my very good friend
and an IRFCA member from Chennai, about my arrival. My co-passengers were all Tamils, probably from some political party as they were constantly talking about the political issues in Tamil Nadu. I was able to construe their conversation thanks to my knowledge of Malayalam language. <br />
We soon entered the suburbs
of Chennai running on time. It is only here I thought the train was running
above 100KMPH. At sharp 1715 hrs we entered Chennai Central, I was kind of sure that we wouldn't reach on time but it happened even after a lot of speed
restrictions after Vizag. I met Vimal
who arrived after 15 minutes. I really thank Vimal for coming to Chennai!! My connecting train to Telliherry,
Chennai-Mangalore mail, was scheduled to depart at 2025 hrs so I had a lot of
time to spend in Chennai and to do some railfanning with Vimal.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> Part III</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u><span style="line-height: 200%;">To Tellicherry on Mangalore
Mail..</span></u></b></span></div>
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<br />
This is not going to be too long!! After spending some good time in Chennai it
was time to board Chennai-Mangalore mail to Tellicherry. We (Vimal and I)
reached Chennai Central at 1950 hrs and I saw the train was already
scheduled. The loco link for this train
was a WAP-4 of AJJ shed. At 2025 hrs, the train started roll out of Chennai Central
station and I bid goodbye to Vimal and thanked him again for coming to see me at such short notice. On
board I saw a lot of local commuters traveling on this train up to Trivallur
and/or Arakonnam (AJJ), a better choice than traveling in suburban trains!! As the
train gained speed through the suburbs of Chennai, the only thing on my mind was to sleep and I was tired hence I decided to sleep immediately after crossing AJJ.</div>
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Woke up next day
to see the train entering Calicut (Kozikode), one of the major cities in
Kerala. I became nostalgic because I used to travel to Calicut almost every weekend
while I was doing my post graduation!
Tellicherry was not too far, approx 68KM more to go from here!! I finally managed to be at the door of the
train for some railfanning and observation. I spent good 2 hours at the door
with my backpack till I reached Tellicherry.
I spotted a lot of trains with diesel power locos as this section is
still non-electrified. At 0900 hrs, the train pulled into Tellicherry station.
Tellicherry is a small but beautiful town 20KM south of Kannur, the district
headquarter. Albeit notoriously well-known for its political rivalry yet a very
safe place to be! After disembarking I
didn’t think twice before making a move to my house by bus. I was very tired!
Thus ending my journey from Calcutta to Tellicherry via Chennai.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u>FYI……if
you ever happen to travel on a private bus in Kerala make sure you carry your seat
belt!!</u></b></div>
</div>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0Mumbai, Maharashtra, India19.0759837 72.87765590000003618.886636199999998 72.775582400000033 19.2653312 72.979729400000039tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-64535750559497724032012-01-14T00:59:00.009+05:302014-03-14T20:08:29.312+05:30The Destination - Shillong (cont....)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>…<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; line-height: 115%;">From Bangalore to Shillong</span></b></span></div>
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One of the reasons for this trip was a conference on cancer research. Anyway, I was happy that I arrived at Bangalore on time and didn’t have to belt along to catch my train to Guwahati and The platform#6 of Bangalore Jn. was totally crowded and I was not surprised to see the train completely full with no vacant berth and the passengers with RAC ticket status, as usual, started requesting for berths but the train conductor had only one answer i.e. “I am sorry”!!! Well..I really felt bad for those passengers who didn’t get proper sleep for over 50 hours.</div>
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My co-passengers were from different North Eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, etc. It was rather strange that initially we were mere looking at each other's faces and gave those pseudo-smiles but later into the journey we become like one big family. Anyway..it was 11:35PM but the train didn’t start (schedule departure time is 11:30PM), I got little curious and wanted to check but the passageway was too crowded with passengers trying to secure their baggage under the seats. Finally at 11:45PM the train started to roll with, I think, WAP-4 class loco from RPM shed/depot at the helm, 15 minutes late. I started to wonder if we will get further delayed or reach Guwahati on time. The first schedule stop, Bangalore Cantonment, was not too far just a few KMs away, nobody boarded the train, at least not in my coach. As the train rolled out again, I decided to sleep and thankfully I got a very good sleep for over 6 hours as I was tired…….The next day I woke-up to find myself at Chennai Central station (MAS) with vox of ‘chai-chai’ buzzed in my ears. This is the first reversal point of this train (there are 3 reversals in all). After about a 40-min halt, the train roll out of MAS, I thought it was a WAP-4 class from Erode shed/depot hauling my train but it was not to be!!! It was a WAM-4 class loco from Arakorram shed/depot. The run was not so good with a lot of unscheduled halts but once we left Ongole, the loco pilots stepped on the gas and we were at Maximum Permissible Speed (MPS) of 110KMPH constantly for a long time but, of course, the loco struggled. At this point I wouldn’t say we were running on time but we weren’t too delayed either and given the slack time to this train, I was sure we will be back on schedule. </div>
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I started to get a little bored but I was able to connect to the internet hence I got myself busy on my laptop for a long time. I also started to interact with my co-passengers and it was a good way to kill time. We discussed everything from my cell biology and molecular oncology to the Indian Army to the Chinese usurpation in Arunachal Pradesh etc; it was kind of fun yet informative. The next cubicle<b> </b>almost turned into a movie theater with loud Hindi movies being played on a laptop and around 12 people crowded the entire cubicle, exasperated a lot of other passengers. </div>
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Soon the train rolled into Vijayawada Junction, the next schedule stop delayed by 10 minutes. We’ve had a 30-minute stop because a parcel van got attached and that took a lot of time. Vijayawada reminds of my good old university mate Kotti Reddy, wanted to call him at the station but he stayed very far from the city center so decided against it. The run from Vijayawada to Vizag was a mixed bag, rarely touched 110KMPH maybe because this train has gotten a lot slack time and the loco pilots were in no hurry!! To give you guys an example: The time taken by 12842 Chennai-Howrah Coromandel express to travel from Chennai to Howrah (Calcutta) is ~26 hours but this train takes ~30 hours and both being superfast trains. Of course, the latter has many stoppages than former, almost double. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A WDP-1 class loco at the helm of Secunderabad bound express train at Rajmudry</td></tr>
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I was lucky to spot a WDP-1 class loco at Rajmudry for the first time; it was at the helm of an express train to Secunderabad. This is one of the loco classes with BO-BO axle arrangement (<span lang="EN">Two bogies or wheel assemblies under the unit)</span>, the other (class) being high speed WAP-5 class. <span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">After we left Rajmudry, for around 3 hours I was at the door, doorplating as usual…...Where on earth do you get a chance to sit at the door while the train is running at good speed!!! I’ve always enjoyed this!!! </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Talking about the food served on this train, I’d say it was not very good and unsavory but I had no other option. </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">The lunch and the dinner included a bowl of rice, the dal (preparation of pulses), and aaloo matar (Potatoes and Peas).</span></div>
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I was already 40 hours into the journey and another 40 more to go but I was enjoying the train ride. The only worry that I’ve had on my mind was to find a bus or a cab to Shillong after I reach Guwahati and try not to get cheated!! As the evening set in, we got ready for our next schedule stop, Vizag or <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span lang="EN">Visakhapatnam</span></st1:place></st1:city><span lang="EN"> another reversal point for this train. This station is a terminus which explains the reversal of southeast bound trains. The station looked clean and not too crowded and all of the ACs coaches of my train got cleaned. The schedule stop was for 20 minutes but the train took over 30 minutes stop, maybe an additional parcel van was attached or the one that was attached before got removed but </span><span lang="EN">I was glad because this time we did get a WAP-4 class loco</span><span lang="EN">. Here’s the photo I clicked:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12509 Bangalore-Guwahati express waiting for the starter at Vizag station</td></tr>
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Around 7:50PM we departed Vizag, the acceleration of a WAP-4 was evidently better (than WAM-4 loco). It became too dark for me to take videos however I was still at the door enjoying the fresh cool air and chatting with the coach attendant. In no time the train reached the MPS i.e., 110KMPH and we soon crossed over from Andra Pradesh to Orissa state. This tain has a quite a long run in the state of Andra Pradesh, right from Morning ~10AM to ~8:30PM but it was nice. After being at the door and chatting with the coach attendant for over an hour, I decided to return to my cubicle and luckily the food I ordered was already there. I’d say the dinner was little better than lunch but I was really hungry so I didn’t care about the taste, just gulped it. I was also a little surprised to see a lot of unauthorized ‘micro-entrepreneurs’ trying to make some quick money inside the AC coach, normally they’re not allowed (inside the AC coach). Anyway…after the dinner, we (my co-passengers and I) got busy chatting about something new. One of the co-passengers was very curious to learn about cancer and this being my primary research topic, I was very glad to explain him about the Cyclins and Human Ras proteins, the signal transduction, the cell surface receptors etc. but I wonder if he did really understand all or any of this.</div>
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It was around 10:30PM and I started to feel groggy especially after having a lot rice so there was no second thought about sleep however I wanted to see the Chilka lake but I again missed it (next time I will travel on a train which covers the state of Orissa during the day and I know the name of the train!!). My sleep was disturbed around 1AM due to an ugly commotion between 2 passengers. One fella wanted to reduce the AC temperature because it was, according to him, getting warmer however the other lad (rather old) wanted to increase the AC temp. because according to him it was very cold. Well..what do you do in such situation???? It was fine by me either way!!! They summoned the coach attendant however he (the coach attendant) was in no mood to listen to them, he got annoyed and said that the AC has been put on auto mode and the temperature settings will not change, in rather inexorable voice. He also ordered these guys to return to their seats. This thing happens, especially when you are traveling a long distance on Indian train. I’d say this was not so bad; I’ve witnessed a lot of worst incidences than this. Luckily for me, it wasn’t too difficult to get back to sleep.</div>
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I woke-up around 6:30AM and saw the train entering a small town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Balasore</st1:place></st1:city> for a couple of minutes schedule stop. It was a lot colder outside, I guess the temperature was around 11 Degrees C. but I was enjoying it even without warm cloths on. After we left Balasore, the next stop was Kharagpur Jn., a good 118KM run and it was done in style as the loco pilot maintained 110KMPH speed for a long time, I stayed a put at the door. Here’s the videos I took:<br />
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Kharagpur Jn. has apparently the world’s longest railway station, the length is about <span class="st1">1072.5m. with biggest railway workshop in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>, as well.</span><span class="st1"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span lang="EN">Kharagpur as a junction station was established in Railway map in December 1898.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12509 Bangalore-Guwahati express waits at Kharagpur Jn.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN"> Anyway, we have had a very long halt and to my surprise, a passenger train bound for <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Howrah</st1:place></st1:city> was given a penchant by the section controller. This passenger train was hauled by a WAM-4 class loco from Tata shed/depot. Here’s the pic I took</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0AWyn0KzZQ/TxAaMTjoB9I/AAAAAAAAAM8/RjgKIf-N680/s1600/DSCF0578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0AWyn0KzZQ/TxAaMTjoB9I/AAAAAAAAAM8/RjgKIf-N680/s400/DSCF0578.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WAM-4 class loco of TATA shed/depot at the helm of a passenger train leaving Kharagpur Jn.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN"> I had to be very careful because there were a lot armed policemen, and nonetheless I clicked the photos without any problem. One of my fellow passengers wanted to know the reason for clicking so many train photos.Well..what do you do when you are a railfan and have gotten a camera in your hand and you are at the train station? Yes…start clicking the train photos!!! . I explained to him about my hobby and passion for Indian Railways and he, not unlike others, was very surprised. The food served on the railway station by the vendors was not too bad, I’d say a lot better than the food served on board the train however I decided to have only a cup of tea, it was very sweet and strong but I liked it. Soon the starter signal turned amber, this was a 2ACL signal which means the train was not on the main line but had to roll over to the main line with a speed restriction of 30KMPH. I also knew we will over take the passenger train which departed ahead of us. As the train came over to the main line, the loco pilots were in no mood to perambulate. The train touched 110KMPH in no time and I was again at the door. The coach attendant (jokingly) asked me if I had a ticket to travel to Guwahati, presumably because I spent a lot of time at the door than in my cubicle, not uncommon for a railfan. Soon we over took the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Howrah</st1:place></st1:city> bound passenger train at good speed and I guess couple of other trains, as well. All of the trains were hauled by a WAM-4 class loco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">We weren’t too far away from out next major halt i.e. Howrah Jn., we were already cruising through the suburbs of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Howrah</st1:city></st1:place> and running ahead of schedule. Albeit we were only 50KM from Howard Jn. and running before time, I knew we wouldn’t reach on time, let alone ahead of schedule. The reason being non-availability of platforms as this is one of the busiest stations. As we were nearing Howrah Jn., we have had a very long ~30 minutes stop right outside the station but I absolutely knew this is going to happen. Meanwhile, I spotted Dibrugarh-Howrah Kamrup express entering the station, delayed by over 5 hours evidently due to fog. I got a little skeptical that even though the train is running fairly on schedule, it will get delayed big time due to fog and, unfortunately, thats exactly what happened!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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As I got off the train to buy a cup of tea but I was surprised to see a lot of people constantly staring at my feet. well, I guess because of my Ferrari Red shoes!!!! The <st1:city w:st="on">Howrah</st1:city> station did not change much since my last visit in November 2001, the old <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Howrah</st1:city></st1:place> bridge very much visible from the station, looked awesome as ever!!! Anyway, this was the third and the last reversal point for my train. I bid goodbye to WAP-4 loco, did a fantastic job all the way from Vizag to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Howrah</st1:place></st1:city> and got ready for diesel action all the way to Guwahati. My train got a WDM-3D class loco from HWH shed/depot and after about 30 minutes halt, we moved out of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Howrah</st1:place></st1:city>, 30 minutes delayed. The train was put on Barddhaman chord line section and though it was a total disappointment with regard to speed, I was happy to see the Eastern Railway suburbs of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Howrah</st1:city></st1:place>, looked rather rural.</div>
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After an unscheduled halt at Bardhaman Jn., we got branched off of the chord line onto un-electrified lines, rolled over a massive curve and into our final leg of the journey to Guwahati but still ~900KM to go. The next stop was Bolpur Santiniketan, arrived around 2PM, 45 minutes behind schedule. The engineer guy told me that the train gets delayed after Howarah and this is not uncommon. He also added that the punctuality of this and other Guwahati bound train from <st1:place w:st="on">South India</st1:place> has improved a lot as compared with the delays of over 10 hours or even sometimes 24 hours. This didn’t affect me at all because I didn’t have at catch a connecting train from Guwahati, I was relaxed.</div>
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It was a very overcast day, the time was around 3PM but it looked like 6PM and it got very chilled and foggy outside and me without my warm cloths, it got a lot more difficult to be at the door. I still tried to take videos but due to poor light, I couldn’t see anything on my camera screen but I stayed at the door even it was freezing outside. The police patrolling got heavy with heavily armed guards arbitrarily frisking passengers. This is another dangerous route with the local terrorist groups targeting trains, their first choice!! Nonetheless, I was very excited to travel on this route, it is very beautiful!!! And, of course, with the kind of security provided on board, I was sure we were going to be fine.</div>
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The next schedule stop was Rampur Hat and by now the train was running over 1 hour late. We entered this station after 3:30PM, against 2:20PM the schedule arrival time. I still don’t know for sure but the schedule stop for this train is 20 minutes in here. One of the reasons being a single non-electrified line and/or slack time given to this train. We however had over 20 minutes stop and I didn’t see any train crossing from opposite direction. For the first time I had a tea in Kular (clay pot), it taste very different but was really very refreshing. In fact, I had 3 cups of tea. It’s really a good idea to use clay pots, it wouldn’t pollute the ground and besides it gives opportunity to locals to earn some money as these pots are hand made.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clicked this from a moving train, while I was at the door.</td></tr>
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I started to feel the heat of chilling climate and I couldn’t stand it anymore. Luckily, my fellow passenger was carrying some extra warm cloths and he offered me a thick jacket seeing my predicament in T-shirt and short, I was shivering. Finally after an agonizing ~30 minutes halt, the train started and I felt a lot better. It was 4PM but it became totally dark and thick fog outside. I clocked the speed of the train over my GPS device and it didn’t go over 50KMPH and quite understandably. The visibility reduced greatly and I could barely see a distance of 100 meters, hats-off to the loco pilots for driving a train in such difficult conditions and making sure it does not stop or even worst gets cancelled but we were getting delayed, and by now the train was running over 2 hours late. Well..I can only say one thing in this situation, ‘it’s better late than never’!!!<br />
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Departing Farraka Town<br />
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The train again took a 10-minute unscheduled halt to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Farraka</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Town</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Later in the evening the fog increased and the visibility got reduced to almost 50 meters. I couldn’t see the signal, except for a ‘red dot’ At this time the train was running around 3 hours late. The AC engineer lad asked me to get my camera to take a video of the train passing over the dam over the river Bhramaputra. Unfortunately due to very low light, the video didn’t turn out good but it was amazing feeling to pass over the active dam. The sound of water falling from over the dam was deafening. We passed at a very slow speed of 30KMPH due to, I think, permanent speed restriction over the dam. After this, I decided to return to my cubicle and turned on my laptop to see if I may be able to connect to the internet. I was, in fact, able to connect but the speed was way to slow so decided to listen to songs by Train (the American pop rock band). I like the songs <i>My Private Nation</i>, <i>Save me San Francisco, </i>and<i> If It’s Love…</i>and<i> </i>after listening to My Private Nation, I wish I had my private nation!!!!!</div>
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The train took a lot of unscheduled halts, evidently due to bad weather and we got further delayed running late by over 3.5 hours. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Malda</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Town</st1:placetype></st1:place>, the next major stop was reached around 8PM. I decided to have my evening meal from the food vendor on the station and for a change and I got to eat home-made rotis and vegetables comprising of potatoes and onions, it was very scrumptious. After a long halt, we moved on with cautious speed. The next stop was New Jalpaiguri (NJP), a major tourist spot and rail head for Darjeeling, a famous hill station. One of the other fellow passengers from Andra Pradesh who was kind of animated throughout the journey started to overreact upon learning that the train isn’t going to reach New Jalpaiguri on time. He was a honeymooner, which explains why he got restless and agitated and wanted to reach the destination on time!! Given the distance and the speed (of the train), I calculated the time it will take to reach New Jalpaiguri and when I informed him that it isn’t going make it before 1AM, ~4 hours late, his face told the entire story. The train was slowly but surely moving without any unscheduled stop and this lad constantly kept his eyes on my GPS device because I told him that if the train speed crosses 50KMPH, we might reach before 1AM but it didn’t happen, too bad for him!!!</div>
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Once we reached New Jalpaiguri, he was a lot happy man and …well..I could understand his emotions!!! Nearly half of the passengers in my coach disembarked here including my good friend who gave me his jacket…which means…yep, you guessed it!!!! , I gladly returned it and thanked him and he invited me to his house, I accepted it. This was so nice of him!!! After we left NJP, it was a complete silence in my coach and a lot of empty cubicles. I was extremely tired considering I was traveling for over 4 days and another 15 hours to go. At this time I thought the train was running indefinitely late because nobody knew when will we reach Guwahati, not even the coach attendant but I was not concerned. I turned off the lights (of my cubicle) and went to sleep. </div>
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The next day around 6AM, my fellow passenger woke me up (he too became a good friend of mine). We had already entered the state of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Assam</st1:place></st1:country-region> and it very misty, overcast but beautiful and very rural. I inquired with the coach attendant about the arrival time at Guwahati and he said after 10AM (the schedule arrival time is 5:50AM). The train was made to wait a lot of time for other Howrah bound trains to cross as this was a single non-electrified line, saw Howrah bound Kamrup express from Dibrugarh, hauled by a WDM-3A class loco from HWH shed/depot. It crossed us at over 100KMPH speed and also spotted a couple of New Delhi bound Rajdhani express hauled by WDP-4 class locos and another passenger train hauled by WDM-2A class loco in beautiful livery. Here's is one of the photos.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12509 Bangalore-Guwahati express</td></tr>
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Guwahati station was not too far away, I guess 50KM but it took painful 2 hours to cover with hell lot unscheduled stops. Around 10AM we reached Guwahati outer and again we stopped due to non-availability of platform and in the interim I spotted <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Delhi</st1:place></st1:city> bound Poorvottar (Northeast) SK express hauled by another WDP-4 class loco. We finally got the starter and moved into the platform#6 of Guwahati station at 10:30AM, a delay of 4 hours and 40 minutes. I had an image of Guwahati station before I left Mumbai and it turned out to be true. It was crowded, dirty and complete chaos but luckily for me, my fellow passenger offered me a help to find a cab to Shillong. He was on his way to Zero/Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh, another 20 hours. After negotiating through crowded station, he managed to find a cab (a TATA Sumo) to Shillong. I thanked him a lot for his help!! From here, I traveled another 104KM uphill but it kind of took eternity to reach Shillong. </div>
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The cab driver didn’t start until his cab got full, it made me very frustrated because it was already 11AM and I was losing time. After a long delay, the cab did get full and we moved on. The Guwahati city was crowded with lot of shoppers was getting ready for Christmas and New Year. Soon we crossed over to the state of Megalaya and my happiness doubled. Shillong is, in fact, a hill station and a big city, as well. One of the major tourist attractions of Northeast India and, of course, very safe as compared with other North East states. We started to climb a tough terrain but we got stuck in the traffic hundreds of time. The road to reach Shillong is very narrow with heavy traffic and once we got stuck in the traffic, we didn’t move for about 45 minutes to an hour. To make matter worst, a landslide blocked a major part of the road so the driver of my cab was very cautious and then due to broadening of the road, we were made to wait at lot of spots. At one such spot, I witnessed, for the first time, live dynamite detonation. The sound was extremely huge, it also juddered our cab and, of course, the security check points added to my wretchedness. It usually takes around 3 hours to reach Shillong from Guwahati but I reached after 5 hours including a 30 minute halt at Nong Poh, in Ri Bhoi district. </div>
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Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-36837150548796089282011-12-25T00:15:00.004+05:302024-02-09T14:29:39.894+05:30The Destination-Shillong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Segoe Script","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 150%;">The Destination-Shillong</span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Segoe Script","sans-serif""> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy";">By Deepesh Soni.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;">Prelude</span></div>
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This trip hitherto remains my longest train journey, albeit I was not able to complete my trip due to a minacious circumstance. My plan to travel to Shillong was set up very well in advance and Shillong holds a special place in my heart And being a railway enthusiast, undoubtedly, I excogitated to reach Shillong by taking longest train route possible, eventually coming up with a plan to, first, travel to Bangalore from Mumbai, then take a train to Guwahati, and then a bus/cab ride to Shillong city, a total distance of ~4500KM and travel time of ~80 hours.</div>
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The return journey, however, was not gratifying at all and I was in hurry to reach home, missed my evening flight to Mumbai but did manage to board the next day morning flight from Kolkata (Calcutta).</div>
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<span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; line-height: 150%;">Mumbai to</span></u></b><b><u><span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; line-height: 150%;"> Shillong via Bangalore….!!</span></u></b></span></div>
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I was very happy that I finally managed to schedule a trip to Shillong but being a railfan, I have always preferred to take longer route and this trip was no different!! After contemplating different routes to reach Shillong including taking a train ride via New Delhi, I opted to travel, first, to Bangalore by 11013DN Mumbai-Coimbatore express which is evidently quicker than its counterpart the 16529DN Udyan express and would be perfect for me as I wouldn't have to spend more time in Bangalore city before I board 12509DN Bangalore-Guwahati express. I was getting very excited as the day of travel (December 6th, 2011) was closing in and just a couple of days ahead of my trip, I was all set up with my backpack but what really surprised me was that even my mom helped me pack my bag which she never did before!!!! <span face=""Segoe Script","sans-serif""></span></div>
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The schedule departure of my train (Mumbai-Coimbatore express) from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT, Mumbai) was 10:35PM and this terminus very close to my house, I was no hurry. I left my house after 9:30PM and I was sure I'll get a cab rather easily but I gotten blown out of water when nobody agreed to ferry me..wow!!! How am going to reach?? I thought!!! It was already 10PM. The other option was to board suburban train but this wasn't too easy as I'd have to change the train twice, besides not to mention the rush hour crowd in Mumbai suburban trains, but I finally did opt to board suburban (local) train and fortunately it wasn't too crowded. I reached LTT mere 20 minutes before the departure of my train. The Mumbai-Coimbatore express was already berthed on platform#2 and while entering the platform, I was about to get frisked by the security but they allow me to go without frisking maybe because I spoke with them in English and they kind of find it weird. Well...this is not unusual with me!!! This train being a 22-coach train and my coach being 5th from the engine (loco), I had to walk a lot of distance. </div>
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Anyway, whatever said and done, the rail-fan in me ignited upon seeing the loco link of my train, a WDP-4 20046 from KJM depot/shed, was facing long hood forward. Right at 10:35PM, the loco engineer (pilot) started to accelerate out of LTT and gradually gaining more speed as it rolled on the newly laid 5th line. The speed was just about okay until it reached Thane, the first schedule stop. The maximum speed it touched was 75KMPH however after Thane, the train took no time to reach 100KMPH, and once in a while it did 105KMPH. </div>
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The second schedule stop was Kalyan Junction and for some reason we reached 10 minutes late, maybe due to numerous caution orders…… however after we left Kalyan Junction, I guess the only thing the loco engineers did was to put the joystick in accelerating mode! We were cruising at 105 for most of the time after being hit by a speed restriction of 20KMPH and as a result we reached Karjat on time.</div>
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I started to feel a little tired and considering a very long journey, I didn’t think twice before taking forty winks ……however I did see the WAG-7 class loco ‘bankers’ (locos used to assist the trains to climb the mountains) getting attached to my train. I also saw the armed guards patrolling the train constantly as this train passes through one of the dangerous routes on the Indian Railways. I woke-up when the train was about to roll into Pune Junction, running on time. A bunch of passengers disembarked here however a lot of people boarded the train; I guess a few of them were genuine passengers while others were so-called railway employees traveling to Solapur. As soon as the train rolled out of Pune, I decided to go to sleep. </div>
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The next day I woke-up to find my train stranded at a small station on a loop line. I knew the reason, crossing of trains from opposite direction due to single line diesel territory. We were 15 minutes into halt but no sign of train crossing; however it was after 25 minutes I saw a passenger train bound for Solapur coming to a halt. We were still made to wait even after the passenger train left and I overheard from one of my co-passengers that ‘KK’ a.k.a Karnataka express bound for New Delhi will soon cross and sure it was. After about 50 minutes I saw this ‘KK’ with twin WDM-2A class locos from Itarsi shed/depot skipping the station from one of the loop lines. This ‘KK’ express has an interesting history, I will divulge it later!! We finally got the starter and rolled out of the station. I wondered if we were an hour late, well… not quite!! The run was reasonably good, touched 100KMPH speed regularly and I’d say the WDP-4 did a good job!! We were running on time thanks to the slack time given to this train. Meanwhile, I’ve had a good chat with the pantry guy, he sounded interesting fella with good knowledge of train timetable. He was very curious to know if I was from USA and didn’t believe me when I said I’m from Mumbai!!! I have noticed one thing while traveling especially by train that a lot of people are very curious to learn but finds difficult to initiate the talk but once they do start, they become very close to us…so close that we feel like we have known them for ages!!! I was as usual enjoying the train ride, seeing the beautiful countryside made me feel very happy and of course the cold climate outside. </div>
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Later in the day I was fortunate enough to meet one of the railway officials traveling to Bangalore from Guntakal. It wasn’t difficult for me to start the conversation with him; I saw the railway ID card and asked him if he worked for the South Western Railway, his reply was affirmative!! After taking about the basic operation of the Indian Railways, I started to talk about the technical aspect and he was quite surprised to learn that I know a ‘lot’ of technical things about the Indian Railways. He said that he is working in the signaling department of the South Western Railway Zone. I’ve had a nice time with him, got to learn a lot of new things about the signaling system on the Indian Railways. He also told me about the history of this KK express. The KK is actually prestigious Bangalore-New Delhi Karnataka express which in the 1970s used to run as Kerala-Karnataka express. One train used to start from Trivandrum as Kerala express and the other from Bangalore as Karnataka express and these 2 trains used to amalgamate at, I think, Secunderabad and hence the name KK express. Even after the separation of the 2 trains today, the name has stuck, sometimes for the one, sometimes for the other. </div>
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<u><b>An unknown passenger train hauled by GTL WDM-2A class loco entering an unknown station </b></u><br />
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<b> <u>The Sun sets but the journey goes on!!</u></b><br />
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I didn’t realize the time went by as I was so enwrapped in technical talk. Meanwhile, I saw a lot of trains passed by and though I don’t remember the name of each train, I did see Bhubaneshwar bound Prashanti express hauled by another WDP-4 class loco from KJM shed/depot and the other Chennai-Shridi express hauled by, I think, WDG-3A from GY shed/depot. But I did realize that my train was running late by an hour and I started to get a little worried because I didn’t want to miss my train to Guwahati and I’ve had a 1ittle over an hour to change over at Bangalore. When I enquired with one of the pantry guys, he said that the train would reach Bangalore City Junction (SBC) until after 11PM. I was appalled but I knew and was confident that we will make way before 11PM. As soon as we entered the suburbs of Bangalore I gotten very happy and even more so after I realize that the train is again running on time which means I will be at Bangalore City Junction at 10PM and will have about 1 hour 30 minutes. Fortunately the train didn’t take any unscheduled halt and entered SBC at 10PM, almost on time. </div>
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I was feeling a little tired after I got off of the train but was also excited to board Bangalore-Guwahati express for one reason; I always wanted to travel by this train to Guwahati. The Bangalore city looked very nice and clean, saw the new Bangalore ‘namma’ metro train system. ......However I would be wrong if I say I was not confused at Bangalore station, so I called up my good friend Akshay Iyer in Mumbai as he is very familiar and knows in and out of this place. He advised me that the train to Guwahati will depart from platform#6 and sure it was confirmed by the digital indicators on the platform. The crowd at the platform got denser; I guess almost everybody wanted to go to Guwahati and the worst affected was steerage. The train was scheduled……. but there was no sign of train even after 11PM (the schedule departure was 11:30PM). Meanwhile I saw 11013 Mumbai-Coimbatore express departing Bangalore after reversing, hauled by another loco i.e. WDM-3D class from Erode shed/depot on its way to Coimbatore, another 7 hours journey. At 11:10PM, my train (12509 Bangalore-Guwahati Superfast express) finally got shunted and I was shocked to see the un-reserved coaches getting completed satiated even before the train came to a complete stop. My coach was once again 5<sup>th</sup> from the loco (Coach# B3, a 2005 manufactured AC 3 Tier class, the coach was constructed at Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala). I felt a lot better after I boarded the train and in the cold ambience, the only thing I wanted to do was to catch some Z’s………</div>
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Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com1India20.593684 78.962885.536602 58.748036 35.650766 99.177724tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-71992782420205614292011-02-17T00:42:00.000+05:302011-02-17T00:42:16.094+05:30The Cell Biology - One Question Multitudinous Possibilities!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span> </span><span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Telomeres and Targeting Telomerase- A Prelude</span></div><div style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color rgb(79, 129, 189); border-style: none none solid; border-width: medium medium 1pt; margin-left: 0.65in; margin-right: 0.65in; padding: 0in 0in 4pt;"> <div class="MsoIntenseQuote" style="margin: 10pt 0in 14pt;"> By Deepesh Soni</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Telomeres are conglomerated of insistent DNA sequences at the end of one-dimensional chromosomes. There are 92 telomeres in human chromosomes at each end because humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Telomere, a ribonucleoprotein complex, is present at the end of the chromosomes to defend its haleness<b> </b>and furthermore to give one of the most indispensable things i.e. constancy to the chromosomes. Telomeres are a part of DNA rich in G base (TAAGGG) in almost all craniates. One of the most interesting things about telomeres is that they are bound by a complex called shelterin. Shelterin is composed of 6 complexes namely POT1 and TPP heterodimers, <span style="color: black;">telomeric-repeat binding factors i.e. TRF1 and TRF2, and Rap1 and Tin2. Another interesting realism about telomeres is that they contain epigenetic modifications like DNA hypermethylation and modification of histone which, interestingly, acts as down regulator of telomere length<sup> (1)</sup>. Sex hormones such as androgens and estrogens, on the other end, act as a telomere up regulators and this made me wonder if epigenetic modifications maybe used to target telomeres in neoplastic cells or in normally dissevering cells and decipher the change (if any) in the structure of a cell as a whole or part of it. Any change, however, in the structural integrity of telomeres or the protein complex will have substantial change in the functional property of telomeres. Shortening of telomeres is colligated with cell division over a period of time, telomeres gradually subjugates in size due to ‘end-replication problem’ as DNA polymerase cannot continue replication of the linear ends of the chromosome and this is one of the reasons imputed to senescence in vertebrates. In addition, any change in the chromosome structure will have DNA repair mechanisms activated barricading the crusade of a cell from one stage to the other of the cell cycle.<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Telomerase is a cellular reverse transcription enzyme that takes care of telomeres attrition via addition of TAAGGG from the beginning. Telomerase, not unlike, telomeres consist of complex domains namely a subunit with reverse transcriptase activity (Tert), an RNA component (Terc) and Dyskerin (Dkc1), a stabilizer for Terc. In the absence of telomerase, telomeres will not be able to maintain shelterin integrity. Telomerase is an essential part of almost all tumor cells giving them the immortality however there is an exception to this statement. In some cancers such as Acute Myelocytic Leukemia (AML), it was found that (perhaps) telomerase does not play a role in the malignancy, or there’s an alternate pathway which floods the telomerase in the cells. Also, down regulation of telomerase is associated with aging of cells and cell death via apoptotic pathways. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Materials and Methods:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span> </span>There are various methods available to detect the presence of telomeres in a cell. One of the methods is Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization (FISH). FISH is used to detect different types of DNA sequences using fluorescent probes which bind to the sequences corresponding to the probes and can be detected using fluorescence microscope. Other techniques include Southern Blot and Polymerase Chain Reaction are also equally useful. Telomerase, too, can be detected by using techniques such as Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, using antigen targeting specific epitope on telomerase. Other techniques involve the use of Southern blot, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> My Research Intent: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span> </span>After reading versatile research papers on telomere, I marveled if it would be possible to target one of the complexes of shelterin by modifying epigenetic marks such as histone or DNA methylation and bypassing the telomerase activity in that cell. Secondly, to insulate telomerase from the tumor and normal cells and canvass the structures and the difference, if any, in both types of cell. Thirdly, to confirm the function of sex hormones in the up regulation of telomeres in tumor, as well as normal cells and compare the results.</span></div></div>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-86441529648041472092011-01-31T23:46:00.003+05:302011-02-05T16:16:51.402+05:30Raipur Trip- A Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Yeppiee!!!! Got another opportunity to travel a long distance and this time to Raipur, the capital city of Chattisgarh state in central India. I traveled on 12/17/2010 and returned to Mumbai on 12/21/2010. I have always been an ardent train traveler and getting an opportunity to travel by train and in steerage class makes me feel very felicitous and on tenterhooks to figure out the loco links of trains in which I’m traveling makes me even more excited. Anyway, coming to the point…..I didn’t have enough time to book my tickets and was little discerning that I would have to clamber to get confirm tickets albeit it was not a peak season to travel. I made my choice to travel by Pune-Bilaspur express (rather weird choice if you’re not a train enthusiast) instead of traveling by train that would take me to Raipur from Mumbai in less time. Anyway, it was my choice and I always prefer to take a longer route. I looked at the availability of berths on 12/10/2010 but I wan’t surprised to see wait list and I knew it wouldn’t make a gumption to book my ticket and I, as a consequence, decided to wait until 12/15/2010 and why?????…well..to book the ticket in Tatkal (urgent) quota and hoped to get a confirm ticket.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> On 12/15/2010 I was prepared to book my ticket to Raipur in Pune-Bilaspur express and at 7:55am I was setup with my laptop and internet connection and at exactly 8am I hop-skipped to http://www.irctc.co.in and repleted my details but regrettably, and even after having high speed internet, the website didn’t process my reservation request….. and when I logged in again I blew out of the water to see wait list number 21 in mere 2 minutes but I had a kinda déjà vu that I will face this state of affair. However, I did have an alternate plan to travel by Pune-Howrah (Calcutta) Azad Hind express but I was not particularly interested in traveling by this train and….the reason??? Well…this and other Howrah (Calcutta) bound trains, due to increased onrush by Maoists, were and are still rescheduled and departs from respective stations to Howrah at around 4am ,…………but at the end of the day I didn’t have any option left and with rather hebetudinous mood booked my ticket in the least preferent train i.e. Azad Hind express..At the same time I also booked my ticket to Pune by Hyderabad bound Hussain Sagar express but I barely managed to get confirm ticket. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> On the day of departure i.e. 12/17/2010 I was manifestly excited but also spooky about meeting my cousins because I didn’t see them for over 7 years and to see them at such short notice made me feel timorousness. ….I packed my bags and left my house around 2000 hours to Victoria Terminus(VT) station to embark the train to Pune, schedule to depart at 2150 hours. At VT station there was a Brobdingnagian herd of people ready to board Hussian Sagar express to Hyderabad and it was not unusual. The train was shunted by a WDS-6 class loco and thanks to the digital coach indicators, I didn’t have to hunt for my coach. The carriage was quite new, manufactured in the year 2007 by Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bangalore but one thing I don't like about BEML carriages is that the window bars of non-AC class are pretty 2-dimensional as compared with window bars of carriages made by Integrated Coach Factory or Rail Coach Factory which gives a clear view of the loco and the train while on curve. Anyway, as I ensconced at my berth, I felt dog-tired and wanted to sleep but the thought of seeing the train skip Dadar at good speed kept my energy level middlingly high…….. and this is the only reason I booked my ticket in this train.(This is one of the trains which skips Dadar). Well…..I knew the loco link even before the corresponding train arrived to Mumbai from Hyderabad (This is the train that shares its rake with 17031/32 Hyderabad Mumbai express). The loco link was, undoubtedly, Kazipeth WDM-3A (didn’t see the road number but I guess it was 18893) and exactly at 2150 hours, the loco engineer sounded both the low and high pitch hooters and we took off…..The train took around 7 minutes to join main line..well…quite surprising!!!! After it linked with the main down fast line, for some reason, the train stopped abruptly just before Sandhurst Road station and I couldn’t figure out the reason, maybe a train was being shunted ahead of us. After a 3-minute unscheduled halt, we picked up the speed and skittered Byculla station at 60kmph due to speed restriction. The loco engineers didn’t waste any time and floored immediately after Byculla and in no time we touched 90kmph approximately. My excitation reinvigorated me and the feeling of being dog-tired died out as Dadar approached, well….. we were still doing around 90kmph but I had no doubt that we will touch 100kmph at Dadar and ……..finally….. there it was!!!……skipping Dadar at good speed but not exactly 100kmph , a sight which is still very fresh in my mind. In fact, I still remember the day in the year 1992, 12/24/1992 to be precise, when I traveled to Hyderabad in the same train (this train at that time was known as Minar express) and I can still sense the taste of skipping Dadar then. As we skipped Dadar, the train started to floor even more and we skittered Kurla at over 100kmph, (I guess Arzan must have gotten excited on reading this as this (Kurla) is his best-loved place to take videos and yes!!!…Kurla is a nirvana for train enthusiasts like Arzan and me) however as we approached Vidyavihar we came to stand still and this time I knew the reason…. 18029 LTT(Mumbai)- Shalimar (Calcutta) ‘bullock cart’ express was given penchant to move ahead of us….. but after an abbreviated halt, we accelerated and touched 100kmph in no time, it was quite a sight to skip suburban stations at high speed. At Thane, we slowed down and thanks to ‘bullock cart’ express, we stopped again just before Thane station. We were already delayed by 15 minutes but I was not worried about it. We had a reduced speed run until we came out of Parksik tunnel but once we skipped Diva Junction, the loco engineers again showed that they are not here to perambulate. We entered Kalyan junction, the first commercial halt, at 2255 hrs, delayed by about 10 minutes. I started to feel a lot tired and decided to jump on the berth to catch some Z’s. After we left Kalyan Junction, I had no clue about the speed of the train or which station we skipped but the only thing I remember is hearing blowers of WAG-7 class locos ready to bank my train at Karjat, a territory once ruled by mighty WCG-2 class locos…(hey WCG-2s!!!, you guys will always be in my heart). Pune was schedule to arrive at 0120 hrs and by the time we left Karjat we were running on time…… but even if we were further delayed I was not in hurry because my connecting train to Raipur was not schedule to depart until 0225 hrs. The run was good after Lonavala and I was fully awake by the time we entered the suburbs of Pune with Kazipeth WDM-3A going strong with its melodious hoots still bombinating in my ears. After a long spell of high speed, we came to stand still just outside Pune station, now…this is a kinda modus operandi I guess, every time I travel to Pune I have always experienced the abominable wait due to non-availability of platforms, it’s so-close-yet-so-far kinda feeling. Finally we entered Pune station platform number 4 at 0125 hours, delayed by 5 minutes but that’s reasonable. I appreciate the efforts of loco engineers and thanks to the slack time given to this train I didn’t worry about getting big time delay. It was chilling in Pune with minimum temperature of around 47 degrees F and I didn’t even have warm cloths on but I enjoyed it. Well…talking about the city of Pune, I have always enjoyed traveling and this is one of the cities I like the most.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">END OF PART I</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">PART II:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> It was 0140 hrs of 12/18/2010 and at platform number 3 of Pune Junction the crowd was getting denser and I almost horripilated but I tried convincing myself that this crowd wouldn’t board Azad Hind express and I guess it kinda worked for me because I heard the announcement that before Azad Hind express departs, LTT(Mumbai)-Coimbatore express is schedule to arrive on platform number 3. The train arrived, behind a WDP-4 class loco, on time at 0150 hrs and I was hoping to see, if not most, some of the crowd board Coimbatore express….but..to my horror! only about fistful of people boarded the train, leaving behind a massive growth of crowd to board Azad Hind express…NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At sharp 0200hrs, the loco enginner of Coimbatore express sounded high pitch hoot (ohh!! What melodious sound EMD locos make, makes you feel you are in the Americas!!!) and off it go on its way to Coimbatore via Bangalore. I was hoping my train will be shunted soon but it was 0220 hrs and still no sign of my train..wow!!! where is Azad Hind express????? and no promulgation whatsoever. I started to feel a lot tired without proper sleep and especially a hell lot of crowd around. It was around 0310 hrs when finally my train was announced…but hold on a second!!! …….it said the train is again rescheduled and will depart at 0345hours…well…okay….look at the brighter side of this..at least now I know the train will depart albeit further delayed. In a meantime, I spotted an IRCTC Bharat Darsan train hauled by a WDM-3D from Itarsi depot, a rather strange loco to spot at Pune but I was happy. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> After a while, finally I spotted a beam of red light flashing on the rear SLR coach and I knew this is it, my train is being shunted. The crowd started to get ready to board the train and I, too, got ready. Before the train came to a complete stop, the unreserved carriages got wadded completely. Again, thanks to the digital indicators, I didn’t hunt for my coach number but to my horror again, a massive crowd was to embark on my coach and they were already restless and started to bang the door to open and some over enthusiastic guys (not train enthusiastic) :) tried to enter the coach through the emergency window but unfortunately it didn’t open..well I guess if they participate in Olympics…they have a fair chance to raise the bars for India …:) . I knew the doors were locked from inside and will have to wait until the coach attendant arrives. The moment the door opened, people entered the coach like cervids trying to take to the woods from Osteolaemus species in some African country. I, too, was a part of the cervids and after I barely managed to enter my coach, due to total darkness (no lights), I found it very unmanageable to find my berth but eventually I did and momentarily the lights and fans were turned on and I felt a lot meliorate… It was already 0340 hrs and the only thing I wanted to do was catch some serious Z’s. The train was hauled by a WDM 3A class loco of Pune depot and later (from Manmad station) the train was suppose to get a WAM-4/WAP-4 class loco of Bhusaval depot. …At around 0350 hrs, the WDM-3A sounded its hooters and we took off from Pune and I felt a lot better yet at the same time knew that the train wouldn’t reach Raipur until 0100hrs the next day.I enjoyed the acceleration of WDM-3A and in no time we touched 105kmph and I enjoying the Alco sounds. We arrived at Daund junction, our first commercial stop, the loco transposed and attached at the other end of the train. We started after a 15-minute halt and I was absolutely exhausted and didn’t think twice before sleeping. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> I was awakened by the sound of a WAP-4 class loco at round 9am and there I was….at Manmad. I was really hoping to get a WAP-4 class loco attach to my train but…as my ‘luck’ would have it, it (my train) got a WAM-4 class loco and I was totally disappointed…well..not that the WAM-4 locos are bad but the joy of traveling in a WAP-4 hauled train is something very different…the smooth acceleration of a WAP-4 locos cannot be compared with a WAM-4 locos. After a rather long wait at Manmad station, we took off with WAM-4 apparently struggling to accelerate a 19-coach train but finally we touched 110kmph and it was a top-drawer to see some quasi–major stations skip at top speed, especially on curves. I was as usual at the door, door plating for most of the time, I didn’t even care to have my lunch and even though I was very hungry I forgotten all about it while door plating. We reached Bhusaval Junction, a major sation. Here, New Delhi bound Goa express overtook us with twin WDM-3As of Pune depot and both locos were live. I wonder why this train didn’t get a WAP-4 loco from Manmad??? Also, Howrah bound Geetanjali express from Mumbai arrived at Bhusaval right beind Goa express. I was skeptical that Geetanjali express will leave before us however, it didn’t happen but I was sure Geetanjali express will overtake us somehwere. Unfortunately, after Bhusaval we didn’t run at top speed and rarely touched 90kmph until Badnera (According to Arzan, this section got lot of gradients and sharp curves) After a brief spell of consistent run, we were taken on a loop of a small roadside station (I don’t remember the name) and I knew the reason and my worst fear became true…The home signal of that station turned proceed on the main line and I saw a WAP-4 hauled Geetanjali express overtook us though at not so good speed. At this time we were running late by over 2 hours but I was hoping that the train will cover up the lost time due to slack time given to this train, as well. Meanwhile I felt the hunger strike my stomach real hard and without giving a second thought, I ordered a veg-meal. The food was reasonably scrumptious but I was not worried about the gustatory sensation as much as I was worried about obliterating my hunger. It was getting warmer outside and after a heavy meal with lot of rice, I felt dopey and took a catnap while door plating (well…good that I didn’t fall off from moving train). We entered Badnera around 4:30pm another major stop, still running late by over 2 hours. The food vendors didn’t waste any time to sell their preparations and the vox of ‘chai-cahi’ by tea vendors made me feel very nostalgic. We left Badnera in about 10 minutes and the loco engineers showed WAM-4′s real performance. We were at 110kmph in no time and I, still at the door (and alive:) ) started to enjoy the high speed run again. Nagpur, the Orange City, was not too far away and I was hoping to reach around 7:30pm while keeping a close look at the km marking on OHE poles. The train abruptly slowed down, temporary speed restriction I guess, as we entered the suburbs of Nagpur and crossed Ajni station, I experienced the so-close-yet-so-far kinda feeling again. The train stopped at Nagpur outer for over 20 minutes due to non-availability of platforms (FYI, Nagpur is a major and extremely busy junction connecting trains from North to South and East to West)We finally entered Nagpur around 8:30pm, now delayed by almost 150 minutes and we halted for over 30 minutes, one of the reasons being crew change. I was assuaged after we departed Nagpur and even more excited as the WAM-4 loco showed its real class and maintained 110kmph speed, for a moment I cerebrated that a WAP-4 loco took charge of my train but I was wrong. I was very tired and wanted to sleep but I knew if I sleep, I might miss my stop so I decided to enjoy the high speed run. At this time, we were running late by 3 hours and I demurred to reach Raipur around 0100hrs. Soon we entered the state of Chattisgarh and I was feeling happy and excited to meet my cousins. The run in the state of Chattisgarh was middlingly good with, I guess, lot of speed restrictions and of course, this section is dominated by freight trains….kinda henpecked the ardor of the loco engineers to run at top notch….It was getting colder outside and..I started to feel a little uncomfortable by now and regretted that I didn’t carry warm cloths…I thought I was cashing in one’s chips..</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> We soon entered Durg station around 0000hrs and again we have had a long halt for some unknown reason, maybe a freight train was ahead of us. After we left Durg, the run was not too good, yet the loco engineer tried best to maintain top notch but I guess due a to freight train ahead, we struggled to reach 110kmph speed. I was again door plating but it was not that easy this time as it was chilling with temperature as low as 43 degrees F. Finally around 0100 hrs my train entered Raipur station and I was ready to disembark. My cousin had arrived at the station at 10pm to receive me and I regret that he had to wait for 3 hours at the station……but I guess this is how we become rail enthusiasts!!!!!</span></div></div>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3794237398105402182.post-84107232128663862562011-01-29T12:49:00.000+05:302011-01-29T16:02:27.220+05:30Chasing the Maharajas'- A Trip Report<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CDeepesh%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CDeepesh%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_editdata.mso" rel="Edit-Time-Data"></link><o:smarttagtype name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype name="State" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><style>
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<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">Chasing the Maharajas'- Well….yeah! That’s exactly what we (Arzan Kotval and I) did today i.e on 01/22/2011. Sounds kind of eldritch but…hold on a second…….our Maharaja for the day was….any guess????…..well…. It’s the Maharajas’ express which runs every fortnight..one of the expensive trains and the ticket costs up to US$ 20,000 for a single trip, besides, it is hauled by all sorts of weird links,…links as remote as Shakurbasti………but..hold one a sec again… where on earth is this place?, I guess half of the people in Mumbai (Bombay) would start scratching their heads and for me, I’ve already started to scratch my head and while I’m typing this, I still didn’t Google it. Anyway, coming to the point……first, I’d personally like to thank the individual(s) who invented the cell phones…and why???…… Because, had it not been for the call from Arzan, I’d have missed our Maharajas’ and also thanks to Arzan for coming to my place a little too soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">I was in the middle of my lunch when I got a call from Arzan asking me to rush to Vidyavihar as the Maharajas’ is on it’s way..worming out of LTT (Mumbai)…well…..I didn’t blow out of the water when I saw my poor results in exams while in school as much as I got blown out of water when I heard this piece of news and I told to myself….rushhhhhhh!…I guess my mom must have gotten a shock of her life to see me missing so abruptly and without informing her. …but I’m happy she didn’t file missing report at the police station.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">I left my lunch incomplete…and in the excitement forgot to wash my hands and, of course, forgot to flush my mouth with delicious mint flavor mouthwash and…… countenanced the bacteria to relish the banquet of scrumptious food prepared by my mom and, my mom probably received a lot of benedictions from those bacteria and….well… just in case if you’re wondering, …..they’re dead now…RIP!!!!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"> I sprinted to Vidyavihar train station with my camera and other contraptions,……it usually takes 5 minutes to walk from my house to the Vidyavihar station but this time I guess I kinda fractured all records and reached Vidyavihar in about 1 minute and 50 second..wow! Where’s my prize???? (kidding). J <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">I was all set up with my camera and on the foot-over-bridge I took this picture….(below)<o:p></o:p></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO1fwrKYSI/AAAAAAAAAA0/eGKoBKa9TqI/s1600/100E0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO1fwrKYSI/AAAAAAAAAA0/eGKoBKa9TqI/s400/100E0316.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>WDS-6 class loco</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">The WDS-6 class locomotive of Kurla shed got the opportunity to convey the Maharajas’ express to Victoria Terminus, Mumbai.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">And then came a series of clicks and not really disquieted about the police and security presence at the station…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">Here’s another shot after I descended from the foot-over-bridge….</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO2dxKnl2I/AAAAAAAAAA4/wZTM-bUH3HM/s1600/100E0315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO2dxKnl2I/AAAAAAAAAA4/wZTM-bUH3HM/s400/100E0315.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>WCAM3 and WDS-6 seems to greet each other</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">Our Maharajas’ started to kick the dust while a WCAM-3 at the helm of Pune bound Singhad express waits patiently for the Maharajas’ to clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">And this shot (below)..I guess I was not really happy for an EMU bound to Victoria Terminus arrived at wrong time and kinda obdurately obturated the view of the Maharajas’ when I didn’t want. I always get things when I don’t really need it but have to wait really long when I really need it..Wonder why this happens with me almost always.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO4mxEB2zI/AAAAAAAAAA8/V2dW_5gUBYk/s1600/100_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO4mxEB2zI/AAAAAAAAAA8/V2dW_5gUBYk/s400/100_0286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">The smiling face of the lady on the EMU car (beside the number 76277) seems </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">to be telling me that…..”there you go! Missed your chance to see and click </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">Ratlam WDM-3A”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">We boarded the same EMU to feel the joy of parallel run with Arzan’s handycam and my camera gaining other passengers attention…. The WDS-6 didn’t seem to floor well..or so it seemed….An idea stuck in Arzan’s mind (An idea! Wow! How remote is that in my mindJ)………not that it does not stuck in mind but it is a rare event J…….Arzan asked me to disembark at Sion and click smoking pictures…..smoking who???? Well..of course the locomotives… and I couldn’t disagree with him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">Here is a picture taken at Sion station….The WDS-6 going strong and, of course, flooring well !!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO6axZoLHI/AAAAAAAAABA/-DhDx2o5fhk/s1600/100E0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO6axZoLHI/AAAAAAAAABA/-DhDx2o5fhk/s400/100E0314.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">WDS-6 flooring well and seems to be in hurry to reach Victoria Terminus</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><o:p> </o:p>And another picture, this time, however, I managed to click the Ratlam WDM-3A (below) with no smiling lady around this time, however there were a few bunch of lads requesting to take their pictures…<o:p></o:p></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO8bLcMsdI/AAAAAAAAABE/p7wKtF6pIGk/s1600/100_0289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO8bLcMsdI/AAAAAAAAABE/p7wKtF6pIGk/s400/100_0289.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Finall I got you pal!!! Ratlam WDM3A trailing the Maharajas' express.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">Wow!!!! What a clean looking loco! Guys at GZB, are you listening????????<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">Arzan’s another idea (wow!! Another idea!!! ) was to board an MRVC (Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation) EMU…those white and swanky looking trains with the maximum speed of 100kmph but to our complete disappointment, the next train turned out to be a Dadar bound DC EMU…well…well..well….we still boarded it, in a hope to find an MRVC EMU at Matunga (next station)..and sure we did this time, but not too soon as our Maharajas’ rushed to its destination quite fast… I guess I underestimated the WDS-6 loco. We, too, arrived at Victoria station in about 20 minutes and found that our Maharajas’ taking rest at platform number 19 of Victoria station before a really long trip…Meanwhile we met Abhishek Bajpai and his group, they were on their way to Braganza valley for a 3-day rail fanning trip….wow!!! You guys get time to go on a 3-day rail fanning trip???..How I wish that the rail fanning was a paid job!!! J<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">.Later they boarded the Deccan Queen express to Pune and from Pune they booked Ernakulam (<st1:state w:st="on">Cochin</st1:state>) bound Purna express to Magdoan (<st1:place w:st="on">Goa</st1:place>)..One of the trains I traveled frequently while I was studying in Kerala…In a meantime, I took the opportunity to click our Maharajas’ resting at platform 19 of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Victoria</st1:place></st1:state> station (below)<o:p></o:p></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO98DV0K8I/AAAAAAAAABI/rtiQVaoQ6pc/s1600/100_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3LljJgdcrEQ/TUO98DV0K8I/AAAAAAAAABI/rtiQVaoQ6pc/s400/100_0296.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>WDS-6 resting at Victoria Station with the Maharajas'</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"> All these while I was aware of the heavy security presence at this station and Jan 26th round the corner but as my ‘luck’ would have it (I guess the ‘luck’ seems to have an animus relation with me) one of the security guards wanted to run a ‘check’ me but….. later let me go without any checking…wow!! I wonder what made his mind change!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">We bid goodbye to Abhishek et al’ and proceeded to catch an EMU to experience another parallel run. Again….. an idea stuck in Arzan’s mind (hey Arzan! Quite a lot of ideas stuck in your mindJ) and we decided to board Kurla bound DC EMU. We expected to see, first, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nagpur</st1:place></st1:city> bound Nandigram express and later our Maharajas’. We were at the door, keeping a close eye on down fast line and at Sion we encountered a parallel run with Nandigram express and I was impressed with WDM-3A acceleration. As we entered Kurla (the last stop) we were hoping to see our Maharajas’ blast past at high speed but just when we had a coup d’oeil at track number 5… and repugnance!!!!!!! Again as our ‘luck’ would have it…another Victoria Terminus bound EMU, with a face of smiling lady, stymied our last hope of seeing our beloved Maharajas. Ohhh!!! geeez!!!!!! I was absolutely disappointed and tempestuous and even more was Arzan…The look on the Arzan’s face told the complete chronicle and if a mere look could obliterate …I guess the driver of that EMU would have had popped his clogs hundreds of time…… As we bid goodbye to our Maharajas’ express and in rather sad way….I rushed home…and those bacteria still procreating but were minutes away from their death…and Arzan with his deplorable face went to capture the Deccan Queen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><o:p></o:p>I guess my mom was brimming with anger…no, not for leaving abruptly but for leaving lunch incomplete….I was exhausted and in critically need of water after a stint with the Maharajas’ but I was ready for another stint and this is all for the love of the Indian Railways!!!!!!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;">And yes!! Before I may conclude this report…I guess I can stop scratching my head now because I found that Shakurbasti is in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">New Delhi</st1:city></st1:place>. Thank you! Google baba!!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 9pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 9pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"> <span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I dedicate this trip report to </span><b style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><u>Jack McKinnon</u></b></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 9pt; text-align: justify;"><link href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CDeepesh%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><style>
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</style> </div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">And, of course, to all the hoi polloi who loves trains<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 1pt;"> And yes!!!!!! Thank you for reading all the way down!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal;"><st1:city w:st="on"></st1:city><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"></st1:place></st1:city><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>Deepesh Sonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119021854477681716noreply@blogger.com0