Bhavnagar-Kochuveli Express

Vatva's WDG 3A pulls the Bhavnagar- Trivandrum Kochuveli Express into Madgaon.

Busy Afternoon- on Daily Basis!

Having dodged a person, who gave "Dwenty one rupees" to the coffee vendor for having bought three cuppas- I march towards the customary position where I always stand to see train. In my route, I come across many nuns- in their uniform, ladies with horizontal "kum-kum", and amidst the heavy coconut flavored air. Finally in the hotspot- the place where you can see the entire crowd awaiting their journey to their homeland.

If you are sitting in Hotel Saravana Bhavan at Chennai Central, you can find many ladies with horizontal "kum-kum", loose hair tied at the tad end of its tip, mostly curly, with coconut oil applied and gents with horizontal "kum-kum", curly hair, with heavy coconut oil- in the entire evening. If you are in Bangalore City Railway Station or at Yesvantpur Railway Station, a secondary railway station for the city of Bengaluru- you can see the ladies and gents of the features I've mentioned above almost entire evening. But if you are either in Hyderabad Deccan (often referred as Nampally Railway Station) or Secunderabad Railway Station, the only time when you can see the people with those features is just at afternoons. Yes, if you want to see major gathering of Malayalees at the twin cities of Hyderabad & Secunderabad, probably the best place to get them all under one roof is platform #1, Secunderabad Railway Station- at 12:00 noon.

And no prizes for guessing the train incoming correctly, as the only train from twin cities to reach state of Kerala is the Sabari Express, which is probably the biggest ever train in my opinion. In the month of January- it brings back people who have been to their native state for celebrating Christmas and New Year- along with the students who have been to the industrial tour to the Gods Own Country. If you think these are the only two reasons for me to call it the biggest train- you are absolutely wrong. The devotees of Aiyappa Swamy also get catered by the Sabari. As the month of February comes- the devotees who have missed out to worship lord Aiyappa, plan their trip in February. As soon as its March and once the Summer Vacations start- Sabari serves people by taking them to their native places and then starts the actual rush. April-May-June, each and every month, irrespective of the weather is- it carries the maximum people it can. And once the month of "Chingam" comes in Malayalam calender, the Thiruvonam patronage starts. As as the Dussehera vacation starts, the Industrial tour season starts. Dussehera Vacation visits to native places, Industrial Tours of engineering college students, and slowly the season of Christmas hits dawn. Yes- Sabari Express is the only train from twin cities to the Gods Own country and yes- its the biggest train ever in my opinion.

The crowded platform 1 moves a bit towards railway track- as they hear a honk from the mighty beast from Krishnarajapuram- the locomotive made in heaven- GT46PAC. People say "Entering the train bound to your place makes you feel half in your place" and that is absolutely apt. Many faces get an unknown glow, seeing their source of transportation to their native place. The people of general compartments get alerted as they have an uphill task to do. Yes- love at first sight- KJM WDP4 20042 doing the honors in Long Hood Forward.

The train comes to halt. The luggage is loaded in Luggage Vans at either ends of the train and the passengers enter the train. At least 15 people surround each door, awaiting their entry in the Sabari. Heavy luggage to handle, just one odd persons traveling, and many for seeing offs. The starter has been given- Parcel vans are locked. The passengers who got their reservations waitlisted enter their abode- footboard. The assistant chief comes out of cab- with his walkie talkie and green flag. The guard speaks out "Loco pilot 17230, please move" and the WDP4 yells at its best. The roar gets louder as the throttle is increased and the train starts to move out of Secunderabad.

WAIT!!!!

Somebody pulls the chain- yes! The assistant chief runs to the coach where the chain is pulled. Yes, one doesn't afford to miss Sabari as he has to wait for one full day for the next connectivity to their homeland.

"Honk-Honk-Hooooooooonk... Honk-Honk-Hooooooooonk... Honk-Honk-Hooooooooonk..." The chief confirms the chain pulling and once the pressure is released, the train gently moves out of platform 1 of Secunderabad.

File pic of Sabari Express at Ghatkesar

Yes, if you want to see major gathering of Malayalees at the twin cities of Hyderabad & Secunderabad, probably the best place to get them all under one roof is platform #1, Secunderabad Railway Station- at 12:00 noon.

Bhusaval Pune Intercity Express

After having reached Palasdhari in Khopoli bound EMU, Bangalore bound Udyan Express buzzed. It was followed by Mumbai bound Hyderabad-Mumbai Daily Express. After some time and some adventure into hills, we got to capture this beautiful scenario- Bhusawal Pune Intercity Express curving into Palasdhari with its customary WCAM class locomotive in the lead.

And when the train was passing by, the deceleration due to the gradient was clearly noticed as two WAG7 class locos were pushing this train from behind and still the speed couldn't be maintained as it was ascending probably one of the very steep gradients in Indian Railways.

Tranquil Telugu Talli.

Riding all the way from college- as soon as I enter Mehdipatnam, some sort of unknown irritation. Something what keeps me shout at all fellow vehicle drivers.

Traffic in Hyderabad is hell.

No discipline.

In the meantime, some dumb lady comes on road with her 5 year old son- and poses as if she is ready to send her under tyre. But needless to mention, even if the bike comes to a close stop to him, mind you- you will be probably hammered badly.

Impromptu disc. Pillion riders head hit my helmet.

Irritation.

Fly over- and a jam on that. Thanks to new speed breaker for some hospital.

Lakdi ka Pool- the completion of holy "pradakshina" to the railway station, which began earlier that day. Needless to say- Amidst heavy traffic, with buses switching over lanes to get on to their respective routes.

Ditch- and bounce of a bike in it.

Dwarka Hotel- drools for a second and then again some faggot gets off 113 M bound for Uppal.

Impromptu Disc- and Pillion riders head hit my helmet.

Irritation.

Then finally the Tranquil Telugu Talli Fly over. The cool breeze from Hussain Sagar welcomes you. All are at high pace, heading towards their destinations. I brake. I decide to go slow. Yes tranquility on road is what I want. Looks towards Buddha Statue. He is watching all the chaos filled Secretariat Signal as well as the Telugu Talli flyover with calmness like no other place.

And when all of a sudden the peak point of fly over is touched- my bike automatically accelerates to the down gradient. I get to see the chaos at the end of flyover. Yes signal is danger and there are many vehicles waiting. One last glimpse at lord Buddha and we get drowned into the lower tank bund.

Traffic in Hydeabad is hell- however there are exceptions like Telugu Talli fly over.

Understanding few Words was never easy.

Take Care

phrase of care

1. 1.

   be cautious; keep oneself safe.

   "take care if you're planning to go out tonight"
2. 2.

   make sure of doing something.

   "he would take care to provide himself with an escape clause"

Some people like me can understand the intensity of that only when someone tells it at a time when they need it. I bet you'd definitely understand it when you are old enough to have a driving license, and you're risking taking your 1995 made "about to scrap" car to pick your elder- even after having said no by elder at home and when someone supports you and says "Take Care".

Congratulations

kəngratjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/

noun

plural noun: congratulations

1. 1.

   words expressing one's praise for an achievement or good wishes on a special occasion.

Numerous congratulations, but all you know how to respond is with a "Thanks" and a smile on face. That is what I understood when someone said "Congratulations". That practice continued till I faced some sorts of failure. And finally, when I came out of losing streak- the words did mean self explanatory! And the moment I had to say the customary "Thankyou" with a smile on face, I understood that wasn't the apt reply. Right from elders at home to the close friends, when they congratulated me, deep in my heart, few untold tears were formed. Those are the tears which are worth getting. Yes- the untold tears after close people convey congratulations are more sweeter than the success that we achieve. Few wish it directly and few do fun of us- but at the end of the day, they all convey the same.

Raigir on a Rainy Day!

This was my umpteenth visit to the best natural place around Hyderabad- Raigir. I was already much aware of this place- so I decided to go all by myself. That day was a Wednesday and it was the day I thought I would go. It was slightly raining and after I texted my idea to my fellow ferroequinologists, majority of them suggested to be careful while few others said it was a bad idea. But against all odds, I decided I will show up  to myself at the Famous Raigir curve, to which I have never walked. I've been onto the hill many times but I have never walked to the curve. The idea was inspired by Anil- going to Raigir curve on a Wednesday afternoon.

I walked to Vidyanagar- took MMTS bound for Lingampally upto Secunderabad- then took Hyderabad Warangal pushpulll to Raigir. I started walking towards the curve- I recollected all the trains I would be getting- Secunderabad bound Golconda Express, Korba bound Wainganga Express. Nizamuddin bound Rajdhani Express and yes- some freight action. I was hoping for some EMDs in form of freights. Wainganga's official link as per many sources was an EMD, but it generally gets an ALCo due to shortage of EMDs.

I heard some honk and yes- the action begins. Secunderabad bound Golconda goes. And no photo taken. Only KZJ bound trains or the SC bound trains with some rear loco will give nice shots. Some quick discussion with few of my friends on WhatsApp. Quick call to few fellow ferroequinologists to get updated with statuses of trains I had to capture. And then, dark clouds enter the atmosphere- which added up to the beauty of the nature. Lush green trees and dark clouds on top of it- a perfect combination which one would love to see.

Yes- Wainganga was coming anytime and I got geared up with my camera to click the perfect shot. I heard some ALCo honk and the beautifully rebuild Krishnarajapuram WDM3A in short hood forward pulled the Korba bound Wainganga Express. I captured- at two instances- so that I won't miss out anything. A wave to chief and he waves back. I recollected if it was only WDM3A from Krishnarajapuram which was rebuilt. I confirmed it by calling Pramath, a fellow ferroequinologist from Bengaluru.

Korba bound Wainganga royally passes through the 90* curve at Raigir.

Next I heard something what I just hoped for- yes an EMD honk, from KZJ side. So that was helpless either. Within moments, a PUNE WDG4 entered the scenario and there was only one loco with BOXN rake. When the train was about to pass completely- I heard some roar from the rear end of the train. "There is a loco behind" I talked incoherently.

Yes, it was an EMD and it was coupled in short hood back mode. And this time- I made most out of what I was blessed with.

Now I started awaiting something more rear and brilliant to witness- the India's one of the only two ICF Rajdhanis- at the mighty Raigir curve with a white stallion at its helm. There was almost an hour to kill the time, so I decided to do some nature photography. I tried my best to pan shots to the vehicles that were passing through the highway to Bhoopalapatnam. Then entered few unknown insects- which grabbed my attention.

Then I had to encounter couple of freights, of which one happens to be RoRo. Yes a RoRo train came to Raigir- but its the RoRo one actually thinks when he imagines RoRo in IR. It is a military rake, where few jeeps and trucks were being transported on a flat bed rake. Lallaguda WAG 9 was the power. Yes, I did capture even that- which happens to be a rare spotting.

Then Goutham calls- he says Rajdhani has crossed Bibinagar- so I get ready- it may show up anytime, considering it is Rajdhani. I got myself busy in a call with my friend, as I didn't want to feel lonely on such an atmosphere. I knew I could click by being on phone. So, as usual- the 15 minute wait for Rajdhani was a very short one as I was on call with my friend and finally I could hear some honk. Within moments White Stallion with ICF Generator car- followed by vintage red coaches and after couple of coaches- a Duronto coach- after which, tons of metal with vintage Rajdhani livery paint and

*Click*

*Click*

*Click*

*Click*

*Click*

Rajdhani bound for Hazrat Nizamuddin at Raigir- enough said.

And the Rajdhani bound for Nizamuddin went past me. I thanked my friend for making my 15 minute wait a very short and sweet one- thanks to AirTel and Nokia, or Samsung in my friends case. Then I started walking back- yes I was heading home by APSRTC bus. There was no train till 16:00 in the evening, so I decided to go off to home in a bus, which drops me right in front of my home.

It went just like how I thought- I got down in front of my home.

-Prithvi.

A Sojourn on the Mandovi.

Yes- KJM WDP4- 20019 was brought and it was coupled in SHF to Bangalore City bound Rajdhani Express. Announcements for Bangalore City bound Udyan and its pairing trains were going on. The coupling was done and I took the hotspot. Reverser to neutral and a bit of throttle.  I was switching on head lamps, emergency brake was also applied. I and my assistant were talking in Walkie-Talkie. After checking the locomotive, I signed that any damage done to loco from now on will be in my account and my assistant joined me at the deputy hotspot. We got starter and I asked the guard about the scenario at the other end of the train. A gentle voice was heard “Loco pilot 22692, please move” and I hit the “Horn L/H end” button. The brake was released and as a railfan, I did what a typical railfan wanted to do. Yes- twintone honk at a station. And I gently put the first notch and ………. 

TTTTTTTTttttttttttttrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggg… TTtttrrrriiinnnggggg…. Trrrinnnggg… trriinnggg……..

“What is this… oops where has the notch lever gone? Where is 22692? Where is WDP4 20019? Oh gods please save me- I am responsible for that loco”… 

TTTTTTTTttttttttttttrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggggggggg… TTtttrrrriiinnnggggg…. Trrrinnnggg… trriinnggg……..

“Oh was it a dream…. Oops who is calling? +3444- what is that number? Who is calling me? Is it real world?”  I was puzzled. Then I figured out where I was sleeping and what happened earlier night- everything in a fraction of second and finally I remembered that I asked Anil to call me up as I was sleeping close to mid night and I had to catch Mandovi Express that day. “Fine- let me cut and WhatsApp him” and without second thought- I cut the call.

I recalled the moments of the dream- Yes Bangalore Bound Rajdhani Express at CST Mumbai. I was loco pilot of Rajdhani powered by an EMD. What was Rajdhani doing at CST? May be what I though the previous day was being true in my dream- may be.

I woke up Goutham and we  got ready at speed of light and so did the time run. After having a casual chat with TTE regarding upgradation of our ticket to Sleeper Class or Three Tire AC, we decided against upgradation and we head to check our power even after having known Udyan had come with KJM WDP4B 40015 previous night. A customary power check and we were back to our seats, when the chief decided to trigger the throttle and let the “10103 Chhtrapathi Shivaji Terminus Mumbai – Madgaon MANDOVI Express” begin its journey of the day.

This part of the junket was the one what I awaited as a foodie. Both of us hoped that it was Ahuja catering that day and we bought one plate of Samosa. Hot hot samosa, with onion & garlic chutney. The smell of the chutney itself said “Ahuja is your caterer” but just for a confirmation, we asked the one who sold us the Samosa.

“Contractor kaun hein?”

“Ahuja sir”

“Badiya, kaafi kuch suna hein uske bare mein. Aaj toh khoob khana hein”

He grins and leaves. He leaves couple of what can be called best samosas I’ve ever taken. The onion & Garlic chutney was amazing and there was an instance where we fought for that chutney.  The train was hitting top speed, crossing numerous trains and skipping many local stations and everything went unnoticed as the hot hot samosas in our hand didn’t let us think about the other stuff. And no sooner we finished eating samosas, Seera Upma awaited to enter our stomachs. The chief stops the train at Dadar and serenity of the bay is slightly lost as couple of passengers come and occupy their seats. The train gently moves out of Dadar and slowly picks up pace. We were competing few locals and finally we hit the top speed. The train was trashing local stations with the chief giving continuous honk of the deadly WDP4, hitting the calmness to a very huge six just like how Chris Gayle does. Meanwhile in the coach, we were totally busy in enjoying the delicious Seera Upma, and the taste of Seera gave me a strong reminder of Bellary, where in all marriages, this is a customary sweet at the breakfast or evening snacks.

Thane comes and our bay is overcrowded. We decide to hit the doors and we do it after finishing our breakfast, which we ate at very slow pace. A quick look up on web regarding the train we would cross- “Kerala Sampark Kranthi- WDP3A, Coimbatore Bikaner AC Special, Mandovi, Dadar Janshatabdi, Karmali Shatabdi and Konkan Kanya- the major ones” I read out. Pratik Shetty confirms off-link to Coimbatore Bikaner Express- PUNE ALCo. Karmali Shatabdi had different ideas, as its earlier service crossed it before Panval, which meant one crossing was preponed. Yes Karmali Shatabdi of that day was rescheduled at 13:30 hours. A quick halt at Panvel and we head towards KR-SWR.

We wait for a passenger at unknown station and I almost fall down from a running train. Yes, the ladder under the steps broke and I was safe enough, the last step was strong enough to carry me. I sat at the door carefully and then came the board “WELCOME TO KONKAN RAILWAYS- KONKAN RAILWAY AAPKA SWAGAT KARTA HEIN!” Then a Masala Dosa seller comes and I grab one quickly. I eat it at the door and just enjoy the beauty. It was expected- we were traveling in wrong season and we expected Yellow Konkan. The chief is no mood to slow down and he hits MPS. Being fourth from loco- the roar of the lion pulling us was audible and every time it honked- it gave me goose bumps.The wanderlust I had to travel across Konkan was coming true.

The atmosphere was a bit cold but that didn’t stop me from door plating. The clacking sound of steel clashing with steel along with the roar and shout of the GT46 PAC adds up to the beauty of The Mighty Western Ghats, along with Garam Chai- which makes it perfect atmosphere for a person- err, a ferroequinologist, at least. We expected ourselves to wait for Kerala Sampark Kranthi but KR stopped it for us. Goutham who was busy with his Bread Omlette- missed out as I just got a good glimpse at the WDP3A, a rare property of Indian Railways. It was waiting with Chandigarh bound Kerala Sampark Kranthi Express and it was waiting for us at Roha. We skipped Roha like a boss as the chief gave a honk which I can never forget. The blazing honk of WDP4B in LHF with two flags out for exchanging signal with station master, and I envied each and every one who was on platform, and I felt sad as they couldn’t figure out that it was something special to some species on earth.

We were busy in finding out the location Natarajan Chandra Sekaran and Ujjawal Kashyap did trainspotting, as we knew we were nearing Mangaon. We came to halt at Mangaon and for better part of next twenty minutes, we were motionless as we waited for north bound Mangala Lakshwadeep Express. As soon as Mangala went, our train was given clearance and once again, the EMD GT46 PAC showed its aggressiveness. We were hitting top speed at very short time and then came the first tunnel. Sudden Blast of pitch black darkness with sound produced by tons steel clashing together- all that with the roar of the GT46 PAC. Few things in life cannot be missed under any circumstances and very few of them come in darkness. No exceptions for this, this one was totally priceless to me- the one which I awaited. The loud sound of steel clashing and the re-sound of the very same sound made it music which I awaited since many days. It made me deaf even to myself. For the first couple of tunnels, I couldn't stop shouting out loud of joy.

Few areas and tunnels were negotiated at a very low speed as we could notice the reason for deceleration- yes the track works were going on. Then after touching top speed for the umpteenth time, we noticed something very strange. A triangular board with “110”, which means trains are allowed to maintain 110 KMPH? This is something very exceptional on KR’s part. It’s a very rare spotting, considering the terrain on which the route is built.

And when I was thinking of all this, suddenly yet another tunnel came and yes- yet another out of world experience, in the darkness. The sound which comes when a train is hitting 110 KMPH with WDP4B in the lead is a mixture of what I imagined in my childhood. The roar of an EMD, clickey-clack of steel wheels on polished rails and the reverb of everything- making it a perfectly amplified sound, by the tunnel itself. I have been into tunnels at places like Shiradi Ghats, Braganza Ghats, but in all places, the speed was 30 KMPH. Negotiating a tunnel running under mighty hill on you at speed of 110 KMPH was something I cannot describe in words.

And all in this- Goutham asked me if I wanted watermelon- my favorite fruit. My instant answer: “YES”. I grab few watermelon slices and the chief was in no mood to slow down. We slowed down at couple of instances but only for making sure we weren’t over speeding in regions with temporary speed restrictions.

The food vendor comes to take order for food- and we ask what all are available. He spoke out a very big list of what was available and we decided to take two veg dum ki biryanis.

The train finally slowed down after very long time and it was scenic Diwan Khavati- where a local vendor of cucumbers said “Netravati ke liye rukhegi.” So its GOC v KJM time folks! We took our positions of capturing the train, and we waited for good 20 minutes and finally WDP4D came out of a tunnel- with its head lights on. “Err- mine won’t be focusing” I though in myself and glad the LP switched off the head lamp, allowing me to film a clip of it without any additional bokeh in it. GOC WDP4D #40099 it was.

We rushed to our coach and we finally entered our coach. All these unscheduled halts meant we were running behind time and by the time we entered Khed, it was almost one hour late. After Khed, we got our food served. After Chiplun, our coach was half empty and the EMD wasn’t disappointing us. A stop just before Ratnagiri and we crossed the Mumbai bound Mandovi Express leadby my favorite loco WDP4 20019 from Krishnarajapuram diesel loco shed. Ratnagiri was done which meant the loco pilot changed- and yes Panval Viaduct was something we were waiting for. There were two more bridges which come before Panval Viaduct, so it is obvious for a first timer to get confused and come to know that it is not Panval Nadi Viaduct at the last moment and we were no different to show that excuse. Two bridges, of which one read Pomendi Viaduct and after that- yes- Panval Nadi Viaduct.

The passengers in the coach were sleeping without any tension, but they didn’t know that they were on something which was placed on hollow erected piers. The train negotiated n number of tunnels and bridges and there was a time when the only pattern of the journey was “Bridge-Tunnel-Bridge-Tunnel……” Yet another 110 KMPH mark and we lost our minds once again.

The chief then halts for the Dadar bound Janshatabdi to cross us and the sun was hitting his destination. Yes we were running late by close to two hours and it was Vaibhavwadi Road, where the Janshatabdi Crossing was scheduled, for that day. The location was simply superb- it was totally filled with yellow. And in addition to that, it was golden hour. It was the situation where I decided to take wee bit of risk and jump into bushes so that I get one nice video of Dadar bound Janshatabdi Express. I went deep into bushes, got my camera and everything set perfectly. A honk somewhere far off with our EMD roaring- yes the train was approaching. Gradually it got louder- I got confirmation call from Goutham as well.

Slowly I could hear the iron horses working and in few moments, I could feel the vibrations as well.

Three

Two

One

“Record”

The Dadar bound Janshatabdi is pulled by Ernakulam DieselLoco Shed’s locomotive with bald head looks.

I entered into train and it was getting dark. And it was time for sunset. Sun setting from two hillocks was too much to ask, considering we were moving at high speed but that was something I’d really reject if I get to capture it. I was ready, awaiting for the perfect moment. And I clicked few pictures, which didn't turn out to be good, but watching sun set amidst two hills- it was just a text book sunset.

The train was running late by 2.5 hours and we were asked to stay back at Kudal. The Sawantwadi Dadar Rajyarani Express was on the other platform but both continued to be motionless. Then we were expecting that Trivandrum bound Rajdhani might have got late and may be it is overtaking us. But no- it was Ernakulam bound Mangala Lakshwadeep Express, which overtook us at Kudal, taking off reputation for the Mandovi for that run. It was like a fire ball approaching to burn the Mandovi black and blue.

As if the overtakes and crossings weren't enough, we had scares of loco failure as well. But glad it was a chain pulling prank and we could march ahead to our destination. Mandovi was signaled to wait for three crossings- CST Mumbai bound Konkan Kanya Express at Pernem, Kochuveli-Hazrat Nizamuddin AC Special at Thivim and for Lokmanya Tilak bound Matsyagandha Express at Karmali. Finally, we made a move from Karmali- with a good 3.5 hours delay, which meant we would have yet another night with very less sleep. After Karmali, there was no looking back, as Mandovi was given total preference. We had to hunt for a retiring room or else a night accommodation at Madgaon and we had to catch Mumbai CST-Mangalore Junction Super Fast Express next day. I saw the places where I visited in June 2013- Majorda Junction to Madgaon- which consist of Suravali. Finally, Mandovi dropped us at Madgaon at 22:00, a good 3.5 hour delay.

A thankyou to you if you have read it till here :) .

-Prithvi.