The 84th Birthday Celebration Her Highness Deccan Queen

Prelude

This was rather a different kind of birthday celebration, the 84^th birthday celebration of 12123/12124 Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen express train. This train was flagged off on 1^st June 1930 between Mumbai and Pune as weekend train, especially used to ferry the Brits before independence. Interestingly, it is the first superfast, and ISO certified express train on Indian Railways.  Every year on 1^st June we (railfans and regular passengers) conglomerate on platform#1 of Pune Jn. to celebrate the birthday of this lovely sweetheart. It sounds kind of infantile to most of the non-railfans people but for us, it is the happiest feeling  to be a part of this birthday celebration every year.  

  The 84^th Birthday Celebration Her Highness

Like last year, this year too I decided to be a part of this grand birthday celebration without giving it a second thought. Well…I don’t really like to be a part of any birthday celebration or celebrate it but to this, I just couldn't say no. The occasion was the 84^th birthday celebration of Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen express train.  One of my railfan friends, Akshay Iyer, and I decided 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 on 11027 Mumbai-Chennai Central Mail. However, to our surprise booking tickets in this train was not permitted (between Mumbai and Pune), the other option was to reserve tickets on Mumbai-Shridi fast passenger but even here the reservation status was waitlisted. There were, however, many other overnight express trains to Pune but we decided against it and booked bus tickets on Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) which we got without any problem.

An MSRTC bus to Pune

On the day, rather night of travel  i.e on 31^st 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 to 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) which we did after paying the fare difference. The bus arrived at 11PM on the button and it was not a bad idea to upgrade as it was very comfortable, spacious, and very cold inside. I believe the bus is always a better choice to travel between Mumbai and Pune as it takes way too less time than train, thanks to the Mumbai-Pune expressway. After negotiating through the eastern 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 were cruising over the expressway.  Akshay woke me up as we were almost reaching Pune railway station around 2AM. We reached our destination way too early…but it is always good to reach early!!  Had we boarded the train, we wouldn’t have reached any time before 3:30AM. 

Upon reaching Pune railway station, the first thing we wanted to do was to have our lunch/dinner or whatever…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 ripoff, extremely poor quality and over priced. Anyway, even at 3AM, the station was bustling with crowd with people waiting for 12779 Vasco Da Gama (Goa)-Nizamuddin (New Delhi) Goa express and other trains bound for North, West, and South. With a lot of time on hand, we decided to move around Pune station for a short observation. 11027 Mumbai-Chennai Central Mail was expected to arrive right time (3:25AM) on platform # 3 (the same train which we decided to take to Pune but didn’t get tickets), but not surprisingly it reached 5 minutes before time. The train was hauled by KYN WCAM-2P class loco and was replaced by GY WDM-3D class loco (a diesel loco) because the lines after Pune are non-electrified. Immediately after the departure of this train, announcement of arrival of 51033/51027 Mumbai-Shridi/Pandarpur fast passenger was made on the same platform. The train closely followed Mumbai-Chennai mail and as a result arrived 20 minutes before time. 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 usual link is PUNE WDM-2/3A.  Anyway, there were some of my railfan cronies traveling on this train for the same purpose so it was glad to meet them. We also met some railfans traveling all the way from Chennai to participate in the birthday celebration. 

Meanwhile, 12779 Goa express arrived on time from Vasco Da 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 was surprised to see some of my photos used for display without giving me any credit.  It feels nice that SWR guys have used my photos, but they should have given me some credit!! The train departed on time at 4:10AM. There were many other trains scheduled to depart/arrive, most of them running on time yet a few delayed by 20-30 minutes.

An 86KG Cake to Celebrate the Birthday of 2 trains. 

                      Around 6AM, a huge cake was brought onto the platform weighing around 86KG. One of the good things about this celebration was that the 101th birthday of 12137/12138 Mumbai-Firozpur Punjab mail was also celebrated which I think was never done before. As the day advanced, a lot of railfans 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 lads, 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 the rake of Deccan Queen to the platform#1. The joy and the emotion all around was quite visible as the train was being shunted. Little later, an adorned KYN WCAM-3 class loco was attached to the train which hauled the train to Mumbai CST.

GY WDM-3D class loco shunts the rake of Deccan Queen

KYN WCAM-3 class loco getting attached to Deccan Queen

The Deccan Queen being shunted

           After a grand celebration with a lot of media lads and even politicians taking part, at 7:15AM the train pulled out of Pune station towards its destination Mumbai CST, a 192KM journey. After negotiating through the turn outs, the train picked up the speed and over took Mumbai bound Sahyadri express from Kolhapur immediately after leaving Pune Jn. A 64KM journey between Pune and Lonavala was done with good speed with the train touching maximum permissible speed (MPS) of 105KMPH and as a result arrived Lonavala on time at 8:08AM. The next 25KM journey was 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 brake testing halts, as usual, however at one of the halts, the train got held up for over 10 minutes due to come technical difficulty with signal, as a consequence there was an unwanted delay.

It was time to head to the dining car for some breakfast, in fact we were already waiting in the corridor of the dining car since the start of the journey chatting with the servers. This is probably the only train on the Indian Railways to have a dining car, most of the trains have a pantry car. The food served on board is apparently the best with a lot of variety which one wouldn't find on any other train. I couldn't stop ordering baked beans with bread slices. Well….one of the reasons to order this dish twice was to spend more time in the dining car! 

The Dining Car 

After clearing the ghats (mountain pass) section, the train accelerated to make up the lost time however due to some caution orders (speed restriction) the train got further delayed.  Around 9:30AM, the train skipped Kalyan Jn. (a major junction near Mumbai where most of the trains have a 5 minute halt).  Still 52KM to go and a delay of over 20 minutes, we were hoping the train will make up some lost time but it didn’t happen due to rush hour traffic in Mumbai suburban section.  The train hardly got all clear signal, most of the time it ran though ‘attention’ aspect signal (the double yellow aspect on MACL type signals on Indian Railways) which resulted in further delay. We finally arrived at Dadar Central station, the penultimate station, around 10:25AM and the Mumbai CST, the destination around 10:40AM.

At Mumbai CST, a lot of people including railfans where busy getting their pictures clicked with the loco pilots which was very nice to see. I took wanted to click my picture with them but I didn't.  After meeting some other railfans, Akshay, Sriram, and I decided to head home thus ending a wonderful short journey until next 1^st June.

Aboard 12262 Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express

       

        Aboard 12262 Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express

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.  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.  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.  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.  Also spotted Bangalore-Howrah express which had already arrived hauled by another SRC WAP-4.  

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^nd 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.  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.  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.  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.  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!!  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. 

                                     Aboard Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express

 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.  Anyway, the acceleration was once again fantastic with new crew members taking charge of the train.  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.  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.  This train takes a detour and skips Raipur Jn.  hence I was not able to meet my cousins…but nevermind!! The evening meal was served and then the dinner around 9PM.  The dinner didn’t have any choice; it was the same old thing!! Same vegetable, rotis, rice, and curry etc.  It was rather disappointing but really didn’t mind.  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.  The train stopped for 2 more technical halts viz., Nagpur Jn. and Bhuvasal Jn. but I was fast asleep.

The next day I woke up to see the train entering Igatpuri around 7:55AM, pretty much running on time.  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.  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.  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.

                                 
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.  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.  The overall run through the suburban section was quite slow due to above reasons but still the train managed to stay fairly on time.  We entered the destination i.e., CST (Mumbai) around 10:40AM on time.  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.

A 54 Hour Train Ride

 

 Prelude

       This was a short trip to Kolkata for my PhD exams and also a railfanning trip which I took July 19^th 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??  Please read on…!!!! :) 

  On Board Mumbai (LTT)-Howrah 12151 Samarsata Express

    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. 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.  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.  I quickly settled in on my berth and was quite happy to see the coach half empty after checking the reservation chart.  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^th 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. 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!!  I thought after joining the 3^rd 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.  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. 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! We reached Kalyan Jn. again at 5AM and after an abbreviated halt, the train got diverted on a line heading for Panvel.  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

   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.  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.  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.  

              KJM WDP-4 at the helm of Bangalore bound Udyan express enters Daund Jn.

       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. 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. 

        Twin GTL WDM-3D locos hauling Pune bound Jhelum express overtaking Janeshwari express

      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.

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. 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.

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. We passed through some major stations like Jharsurguda Jn., Rourkela Jn. etc with minimum possible halt time.

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!!

Yet Another Rail Trip...

                    Prelude

This trip was planned 70 days in advance on April 26^th 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.

  

                   Mumbai to Kolkata

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^th 2011 and my exam was scheduled on 17^th.  I was happy I got around 2 months to prepare for this exam.

                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^th 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^nd 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^nd 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.

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.  

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.

                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.

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.  

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. 

 Part II 

                                 On Board Coromandel express A.K.A ‘Ambulance Express’

           
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. Photo by Bharat Moro.

                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^th 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.

                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!!  

                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. Note: I didn't click this photo.

 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.
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.

 Part III

                                                            To Tellicherry on Mangalore Mail..

    
            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.

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.

FYI……if you ever happen to travel on a private bus in Kerala make sure you carry your seat belt!!