A chilly trip to Shirdi and back.

I had planned a family trip to Sainagar Shirdi (SNSI) after we railfans had visited the brand new station in 2009/10 as a special Janshatabdi was run by CR during the day time. After 2131 and 2132 were announced, in the recent budget, it was introduced as a Superfast with excellent arrival and departure timings at SNSI.

The beauty of the timings of 2131 was that one could go to office and then board a train late in the night, have a sound sleep and then get down at SNSI , have darshan and come back by 2132 and reach home well before evening the very next day. So effectively, it meant only one weekly off needed to be spared. Of course having a Sleeper accommodation helped as one could rest while returning back too. Plus the excitement of a day journey added to my interest.

I had booked tickets for a Monday night departure by 2131(Dadar-Sainagar Express) on 20th Dec 2010 and return by 2132 on the very next day for my mom, dad, aunty and yours truly between Kalyan Junction and SNSI. As the scheduled departure of our train from Kalyan was 22:25, we left home at 21:00 and boarded a Kalyan Slow local which terminated on Platform no 1 at Kalyan. I asked Shantanu Kulkarni for the expected platform and he messaged me back by saying that in all probability it will be pf no 5. I decided to take his advice and came down the steps of the Brand new Wide FOB at KYN. This FOB has truly done wonders in terms of crowd management and dispersal. I wonder when Thane will get something like this!

As I was accompanied by my family, the chances of doorplating were next to impossible. I very well knew this at the outset and hence had booked tickets for 2LB, 1MB and 1UB berths so that railfanning continues unhindered. I checked the reservation charts for our names and the coach position. We were in S3 which was 11th from the engine. There were announcements of Saket Express and CSTM UP local from Kasara being regulated for some time in the North-East line as there was some technical glitch in the UP line towards CSTM. Thank God, down line was clear!
There was a continuous stream of Locals arriving and departing from the platforms 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7. Platform no 4, 5, 6 and 7 were additionally handling Mail/Express trains. The section controllers were doing a fantastic job of maneuvering each train to their respective platforms. The station was swarming with commuters of all kinds.

Though 5 digit numbering was supposed to start from the morning of 20th Dec 2010, KYN was still using the old 4 digit system. 2527, CSTM –Latur Express came behind a KYN WDM on platform no 5. Next in line to enter was 7057 CSTM-Secundrabad Devigiri Express behind a WCAM3 on pf no 4. After 2527 departed, 7057 made its way out. The next parade of M/E trains started with 1017 Chalukya Express arriving on Pf 5 and 2322 Kolkatta Mail arriving on Pf 4 behind a customary WCAM3. The CR rake of Chalukya was extremely dirty. I was having apprehensions about the cleanliness my train 2131 will have as it was commencing its journey from Dadar too. Again, 1017 was cleared first followed by 2322.

Finally, the coach position indicators on pf 5 indicated that 2131 was indeed scheduled to arrive albeit late by 10 minutes. Surprisingly, Pune WDM3D 11176 was doing the honors of hauling our train. It was indeed heartening to see that the coach was extremely clean. We boarded the S3 coach and settled down peacefully. The train did not move till 22:47 after which we were cleared for departure. They late night food options available on the train were Veg-biryani and non-veg biryani. The TTE came and checked our e-ticket and didn’t even bother looking at the Photo-ID proof. In the meanwhile our WDM3D cleared the points out of KYN station and started speeding up really fast with our rake. As my parents were all set to sleep, I had no options, but to go to the UB and try sleeping. None of us wanted the fans working as it were very cold inside the coach. We shut the glass panes of our window as it was increasingly becoming chilly in the compartment. We were carrying enough sweaters and blankets to protect ourselves. I had dared not to wear any sweater and just lie on the UB with a blanket. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sustain myself for too long in that condition, I disturbed my mom to bring out the sweater. At 2:30 am, we came to a halt at Manmad Junction on pf no 6.

I decided to get down from my Upper berth and take the Side Lower Berth as nobody was occupying it. Also ventured out with my Dad to find the elusive Chaiwalla. Tea was literally a cup of hot sugary syrup. But that was a life saver. I enquired with the station staff, if we will be put on SCR line or sent back with reversal on the old CR line. Nobody was able to give me a clear picture, finally the starter was given and we were allowed to proceed onto the SCR line after a halt of 25 minutes.

The Ankai Killa looked stunning in the moonlight and I was happy that I will be able to catch it soon in the broad daylight again in a matter of few hours. It was freezing cold and felt like temperature was in single digits. For people like me, who has lived all his life in humid conditions of Mumbai, this was a refreshing change. We stopped at Kopargaon for 3 minutes and then a few of our fellow commuters started making a beeline to the loo to freshen up. I saw the Manmad-Daund line moving away from us after Puntumba. The next 21 kms were undertaken at a very slow speed. In all probability we were cruising at speeds below 60kmph and sometimes even 30kmph. Finally, the Night sky was getting brighter over the horizon as we were nearing the temple town of Shirdi. In fact, at 04:20, when we alighted at SNSI, it seemed like the whole city was awake. There were so many neon lights advertising the motels and lodges. We took an 8 seater auto rickshaw to the temple road. The Station is about a Km from the temple. They charge Rs 10 per seat for this 5 minute ride.

As we got down, we were swarmed by a host of sales guys from various motels for accepting their offer for wash and change facility. We decided upon one guy and followed him all the way to a small lodge where we got a decent accommodation for Rs 350 for 7 hrs as we were supposed to return back at 10:00 am to the station after the temple visit. After completing the morning chores, we entered the main decorum of the temple by 05:30 and had a peaceful darshan by 06:15am. As we had nothing else to do, we visited the museum and other related artifacts in the vicinity. We finally returned back to the station after a rather early morning breakfast. The chill in the air was still persistent.

The return journey was what I was waiting for as it was a day journey. We reached Sainagar Shirdi Station which is still clean. I managed to click a few photographs of the station, before entering the lone platform of SNSI. The only train at the station was that the one which we were supposed to board. The loco had reversed and the rake was in one of the two siding lines at the station. The platform line was empty and it had washable apron. I decided to soak in some sun and walked to the loco and clicked a few more pics of our train. One thing I like about this miniscule station is that the signages were all there and the lone canteen served some hot bread patties with branded tomato sauce. They also served batata wadas and veg sandwitches. The owner of the canteen seemed to be very optimistic with the prospects of this station growing in stature over the next few years. He believed that in a few years time, he will have trains coming to SNSI from all major cities in India.

At 09:30 the 2132 stabled on the siding line started moving ahead, only to reverse back with the rake onto the platform line. Some non reservation passengers had already occupied their seats in 2S coaches while it was idling on the siding line. Exactly at 10:00 we departed from SNSI with some devotees chanting Saibaba’s bhajan. We were running at a sedate speed. There were many speed restrictions enroute to Puntumba. A few minor bridges, a RUB had speed restrictions of 30kmph. As we joined the Mainline from Daund to Manmad Jn at Puntumba, the late night CSTM-Shirdi Passenger’s loco Pune WDM2 17987R had reversed and waiting for us to clear the single line. Look at the irony of IR, here we were returning back and there was a train which had almost left from CSTM around the same time we left KYN and it hadn’t yet reached SNSI.

As we came to a halt on the beautifully curved platforms of Kopargaon, the other platform had Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express behind a Pune WDG3A 14810. Both of us departed in the opposite direction simultaneously. At the next unscheduled stop, we were held up for crossing by a Twin Diesel hauling the Nizamuddin-Goa Express with 187XX leading the loco pack. I turned on the GPS on my phone to just check the speeds at which we were running and it was clocking a good speed of 102-105kmph.(let’s not debate the speed as I know GPS are not very accurate in reading out speeds of moving trains). Soon it was time to spot the Ankai Killa. I am simply spell bound by its beauty and monstrous standup in an almost plateau region. I also spotted the single line diverting to Aurangabad. We were again taken on the SCR line to enter Manmad and were berthed on pf 5. Orders were being taken for food on board, but we decided to not buy anything as my mom had carried some fruits and nuts while boarding the train.

As the SCR line joins the CR lines from Bhusaval, one comes across the Passenger yard at Manmad, filled with lot of rakes and blood red liveried accident relief train. I could spot one WAP7 20207 and many WCAM3s, WAP4s and some WAMmies. Tapovan Express was already waiting with a huge load of unreserved passengers to Nanded. My view was blocked by the presence of a Container rake on the adjacent track. It was headed by a twin Diesel pack with the leading loco being the Green beauty, WDG3A 13457. By now we were delayed by 10 minutes. We had vada pav from Manmad which were too salty. I was feeling sleepy so decided to take a power nap before Igatpuri arrived. I woke after an hour to see us waiting at Nasik Road. As we were approaching Igatpuri an emergency chain pulling (ECP) brought our rake to a standstill. I could spot a few men getting down from the coaches and making their way to the adjoining villages. After a halt of 10 more minutes, we entered pf 4 at Igatpuri to see the Rajendranagar Express being cleared ahead of us from pf 3. LTT-Gorakpur 2541/2 arrived on Pf no 2. We waited at Igatpuri for more than 20 minutes and then proceeded slowly down the gradient over the majestic Thull Ghats.

We halted for the customary brake testing halts. I managed to photograph the catch siding and the famous viaducts enroute. As there were no brakers attached to our trains we were given a run through Kasara, where I could see 2 sets of WAG5 bankers awaiting duties. As we passed Umermalli cabin, saw the ERS –NZM Mangala Express cross us. Next to follow it was an MRVC rake to Kasara. We crossed the Mumbai Jabalpur Garib rath near Vasind behind the customary WCAM3.

Surprise visitor of the North-East line was the Pune-Nizamuddin Duranto Express, as it might have been diverted due to Gujjar agitation on the WR line. (Information courtesy Mumbai IRFCANs) We crossed the Aurangabad Janshatabdi behind a diesel link at Titwala. We entered Pf 6 at KYN at 15:29 delayed by 40 minutes. I was more than happy to arrive on pf 6 as pf 7 had an MRVC local waiting to depart at 15:33 for CSTM.We boarded the local without wasting any more time. After 2132 cleared the points we were given the go-ahead. I could see the Sinhagad Express to Pune arriving on Pf 4 at KYN. Got down at Dombivali and took an auto to reach home.

It was a fulfilling trip and I expect more and more people to chuck the dangerous road trips to Shirdi and take the pleasant journeys to SNSI via the 2131/2. More importantly the timings are excellent for an overnight journey and return back the next day by afternoon.

4 days, 2 trains, 1 rake and 1 faithful loco

Dear Friends,
Have been very busy in the office lately, so couldn’t blog my journey properly. I have tried to note down all the points of my journey. Some pictures have been uploaded on the Openline.

The plan was to board the 2201 LTT-KCVL Garib-rath from LTT and travel till Trichur(TCR) and return back by 2202 on the very next day with my aunt. I start with the afternoon shift in office the previous night.


On 9th Dec left office late @ 23.00hrs.Reached Cstm by 2315.The last Ambarnath fast was late,came in at 2325, and left at 2328.
Crawled from Parel 2 Dadar behind the Konkan Kanya Express.
We were put on slow track from Thane.
Reached Dombivali at 00.30 and managed to reach home at 0040 and went to sleep at 0200 after packing bags.
Got up at 0445 & left at 0545 for office again !
Abhishek Tamhankar smsed me about a ACDC local getting stuck at Nahur.
I took the 0611 local and got down at Thane.Crossed to platform No 1, and boarded 6.52 slow to cstsm, reached at
0750.
Saw the cylinder blast site near the concourse.
Reached office by 0810.
Work was normal.
Copied some movies to my new cell for watching during my night travel in Garib-rath..
Had lunch and left at 1420.
Took the 1451 Karjat fast to Kurla.
Saw some slewing and alignment work near platform 5,6 at CSTM.
Reached Kurla at 1510, decided to walk to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
Took 15 minutes to do so.
Saw the erstwhile pf 9 and the still existing phatak near Kurla startion on the way.
Saw the first double decker flyover in India under construction.
Bought platform ticket 4 my colleague, who accompanied me to LTT.
2201 LTT-Kochuveli Garib Rath was on pf 1.
Wdm3a 17894 alongwith a Wcam3 was seen idling on pf 3.
We walked the entire length of pf to see coach configuration.
Messaged the details of coach configuration to Shantanu Kulkarni.
My Dad was supposed to give me a 2nd bag @ Thane.
Mom was also supposed to come to Thane by commuting by the 0430 fast from Cstm bound for Badlapur.
The real scare was of Dad not picking up his phone even after more than 10 calls.
In the meanwhile Mom called up my neighbour to check the lock on our door.
It was locked. Then finally Dad called up to say that he was at Thane and coulnt hear the phone as it was in his pants
pockets and in a silent mode.
We left at 0459pm and came to a halt at the outskirts of Vidyavihar.
After a halt of 5 minutes, we soon joined the mainline and speeded up.
Reached Thane at 5.25pm.Finally, met mom and dad.
After a good lesson on safe travelling, and then I boarded the train back.
The next shocker was awaiting me. While shifting my clothes from office bag to travel bag, I recollect seeing my e-ticket but somehow it got misplaced.
I was of the opinion that I had a bad omen to start with.
After searching for more than 15 minutes,i gave up and decided to reproduce only my id card and pay a fine of Rs.50.
I had never done such a thing in my life.
I was sweating in an AC compartment.
Finally after sitting on my window seat, i just decided to resign to my fate.
Then out of the blue, i decided to look on the side of my seat.and there i found it, finally bringing some peace to my mind.
I couldn’t bother doing railfanning during this period.
I did see the DMU at Diva Jn.
Also when we reached Panvel, saw Trivandrum-Nizamuddin Rajdhani arriving on pf 7.
We were berthed on pf 6 and stayed put from 1825 to 1840.
Reached Pen at 1910 for a crossing. I think it could have been Mandovi Express. Left Pen at 1920 and again came to a stop @ 1940 for an overtake by unknown express.
Came to halt at Kolad at 20.30 for 2052 Madgaon-Mumbai Janshatabdi crossing.
Getting blankets was a task as people had already ventured to G1 to collect it as it was chilly in the Ac compartments.
By the time i could procure one, only bedsheet was available,rented it for Rs.10.
Had my dinner of Chicken biryani and gave my lower berth to an elderly couple.
Chill was acceptable as AC temperature was kept high on request of passengers.
We were continously hitting good speeds on the KR section in the night.
Could fainty here tunnels and viaducts passing by.
Finally after 4-5 fake waking ups from sleep, finally my alarm rang at 0530.
Got up and saw Bhatkal going through without stoppage.
I decided to freshen up and by the time I was ready to hit the door,it was 0600.
By that time,Shiroor and Byndoor must have passed.
We were slowing down to halt at Bijoor for a 2 minute halt.
My coach was 12th from the engine, so I rushed in through the vestibules right upto the J2 coach, which was 2nd from the engine.
Scenary inside J2 was like a refugee camp.
People were sleeping, rather trying to sleep in all possible positions.
We saw a freight with twin WDG4 crossing us at Bijoor.
We passed blasting through the first station after Bijoor, Senapura in all glory.
At Kundapura, Ernakulam-Rajkot express was waiting for our crossing on the platform line behind an Ernakulam WDM3A.
As the expected crossing was already negotiated, we were not expected to halt at Barkur.
Both LPs were showing flasher lights to stations passing by.
The crossing was for Trivandrum-Nizamuddin Rajdhani hauled by the dual cab green WDP3A.
Again the rake was mixed livery of red,cream and BSNL3G Ads.
There were a lot of student crowd waiting at Udupi to board the Rajdhani.
We had reached Udupi late by 45 minutes and we were made to overtake a double headed bcna rake with WDG4
through a loop line.
By the time we reached kankanadi, we were almost on time reaching there by 0810.
After crew change we left at 0830.
We were made to wait as an unknown express had left before us.
Before the netravathi river we were made to stop and then proceed at slow speed, its still a single line.
Trusses are ready on the banks, waiting deployment. Soon we passed the triangle to Mangalore Central.
Now there was no stopping as we overtaked the rake which had proceeded before us as we were in a bouble line
section by now.
Reached Kasargod late only by 10minutes.
At Nileshwar saw BCNA-HS rake.
We reached Kannur delayed by only 15 minutes.
At Kannur, I had 3 Medu vadas at Rs18. the only options inside the train was Bread omlette and Upma. I dont like both
of them.
We were on platform no 1 and Yeshwantpur-Kannur rake was stabled on pf 2.
We left in 5 minutes.
At Etakkot, again saw blue liveried BCNA-HS rake.
Saw many freight rakes at West Hill
And we slowed down to enter Kozhikode to enter pf1 on right time at 1150.
Ordered for Chicken Biryani which came in as early as 1115.Food items sold at Kozhikode included parotha, egg curry.
Kozhikode had the Kannur_Kozhikode_Charavattur passenger in one of the pf lines.
We were made to travel at 20kmph over the infamous Kadalundi bridge.
Reached Tirur before time at 1235 and left at 1240.
Saw Trivandrum-Kozhikode janshatabdi coaches entering Tirur and they were vinyl warapped with Joy-Alukkas
Jewellary
I was sure of reaching Shornur before time as our line was clear ahead and only Karakad to Shornur was predominantly
single line.
We were made to slow down near Pallipuram and halt at Karakad as we were running before time.
I managed to click some wonderful pictures of trains on the curve.
we have Bharatapuzha for company on side and paddy fields on the other side.
After a halt of 5 min we were allowed to proceed on the single line.
Some sleepers have been laid near Shornur for the incomplete doubling work.
As we were entering Shornur, saw the Nilambur line joining us from the left.
On the right was a coach maintenance facility.
As we entered the pf, adjacent track had Venad express scheduled for departure towards Trivandrum from Shornur
after us.
The other pf had Mangalore_Chennai Egmore express which shared rake with Chennai Egmore_ Thiruchirapalli Express.
We had reached 10 minutes before time.
Food times were sold like hot cakes at 1330.
At Shornur saw a First Class coach and Janshatabdi styled AC ChairCar in Venad express.
We were welcomed by rains in Shornur which continued till Vallatol nagar.
Bharatapuzha had more sand that water as always.
Chennai egmore must have had a loco change as it left before us.
We had a crew change at Shornur and left late by 10 minutes.
The windows had a lot of dirt on them.
I did try to clean my window but there was moisture between the two glasses, making it impossible to have a clear
view.
We passed Wadakancheri at good speed and reached Trichur late only by 5 minutes.
I alighted right in front of the Station entrance, made my way out and took an auto to my place and in 10minutes
I was at home. Auto fares are very high in Kerala.



Now its time for plotting the return journey from Trichur to Thane by 2202 KCVL-LTT Garib rath. Here it goes...


I was returning back from Trichur (TCR) by 2202. Though our house is just 2kms away from the station, i insisted on leaving home by 1230pm for a 1415 departure of 2202, so that I could indulge in some railfanning at TCR.
After taking an auto to the station and reaching there by 1240, I saw that our train was scheduled to arrive on pf 2.
I had travelled by 2201 a day back and was fully aware of its coach configuration, yet checked G1 to be 3rd from the engine.
As we ventured on the pf1,6346 Netravathi express from LTT to TVC arrived at TCR behind WAP4 # 22619.
Kollam-Kakinada Spl came behind a WAG5.
Advertisements on stairs existed at TCR, which was introduced in Mumbai region a few months ago.
Washable apron was being made on pf 3 as Guruvayur Shuttles from TCR uses it as a terminal pf.
Parshuram Express came with behind a WAP4.
It had Non AC First Class and ACCCs, C1 & C2.
Next to come in was Sabari express behind another ED WAP4 @1332 and left at 1340.
A Sabarimala Spl bound for Secundrabad came behind a WAG7.Some swamis made last minute scramble to enter the GS coaches as they were caught unawares of the trains as it arrived without any destination boards and announcements.
Our 2202 came behind the same ERS WDM3A 17894, I had footplated a day back while coming by 2201.
It came and left dot on time.
I had booked 2 Lower Berth seats via IRCTC, so eased into them and bid goodbye to TCR.
We had a maharashtrian family of 4 besides us.
They were touring Kerala 2nd time in the last 5 years, it seemed that they had a liking for the God's Own Country.
We have a crew change at Shornur(SRR) and a stoppage time of 25 minutes.
We reached SRR at 1450 and left at 1515.
WDM18600 came to SRR with TVC Janshatabdi. Its got be one of the longest JS in India, if not the longest.
We reached Tirur at 1600 and left after a 2 minute halt.
As we reached Kozhikode(CLT) i ventured out to procure some Halwa and banana chips for office friends.
We were halted at Parapanagadi and Mahe before coming to halt at Kannur delayed by 15 minutes.
We left in 5 minutes.
We had stopped at Kanhagad too. It seemed that the train was not enjoying the priority it enjoyed while coming.
I thought we will be late in reaching Kasargod, but we reached there delayed only by 5min.
Had dinner of chk biryani. Aunty had veg biryani. The only other option available was chappati & korma.
We were ready to sleep as I went to G7 to procure blankets and pillow along with bedsheets.
We reached Mangalore junction at 2030. We have a crew change here.
We had a small mice for company, as it used to run around the coach every now and then.
Went to sleep on Middle berth as we had a older lady in the bay. Offered her my Lower Berth.
This family had a tour of kerala and were distant relatives of Chaitanya Gokhale.
As I was carrying Samit's Latest Atlas, i was doing great in predicting the next stations and the possible crossings. The father of the family was engaging with me in some fruitful conversation about IRFCA, what we do and how i bought this book online. Thats when his son told me that they had a railfan in their family called " Chaitanya" and i completed him by saying, isnt he, Chaitanya Gokhale, Pune. They were amazed.
I got up at 0545 and found myself at Ratnagiri. On the adjacent platform was a passenger. I think it could be the Ratnagiri-Dadar passenger.
We left at 0555 and passed through some fantastic tunnels and bridges on the way.
At savarde we crossed a WDM3D hauled Ro-Ro service.
Came to an unscheduled halt at Kamathe at km marker 138.
Though there was no crossing we left in 5minutes.
Crossed an unknown express at chiplun with 3AC coaches.
We blasted through Khed at 0723. It has a new FOB and a ROB.
I decided to do some prediction in terms of crossing we were supposed to witness before reaching Panvel.
I sticked my neck out and announced ttat we will have atleast 4 crossing before Panvel.
Came to a halt at Vinhere at 0745 for a crossing by WDP3A hauled Nizamuddin-Trivandrum Rajdhani. Soon after that we left at 0755.
Upma and bread omlette were the only options for breakfast.
We came to a halt at Roha at 0850. Saw a WDG4 12265 with BCNA rakes.
After a GOC WDM2A hauled in the Diva-Sawantwadi passenger, we moved ahead on our journey.
We slowed down at Nagothane. Saw some incomplete viaduct, rock cuttings,and then were halted at Kasu for a crossing by 20036 hauled Mandovi express.
There seems to be more work done in Pen- Panvel section than in Pen- Roha section.
We crossed Mangala Express at Apta.
Sleepers have been laid here.we crossed Diva-Roha passenger hauled by Kalyan WDM3G at Somatne.
Reached Panvel at 10.20am and left at 1030. bid fond farewell to Mr. Kulkarni's family with the promise tat they will inform Chaitanya Gokhale about our Journey.
I was ready to get down at Thane after Dativali Curve went past us.
Luckily we were given a run through Diva and managed to join the Mainline as the EMU was delayed.
We were crawling through the entire Parsik tunnel as a TSR of 20KMph existed at the mouth of the tunnel for track work.
By the time we came to a halt on pf 6 at Thane, the 1123 Badlapur fast from Pf 5 left. As we were not carrying a great deal of luggage, i managed to go to pf 2 and take a Kalyan local to Dombivli.
Thus bringing to an end of a whirlwind tour of Kerala in 4 days, 2 trains, 1 rake and ofcourse 1 faithful loco ERS WDM3A 17894.

i love mumbai locals ...i love working for tatas...

Making of a Rail fan

Today, while commuting to work from Dombivli to CST Mumbai, I came across a 5 year old young chap who had all the makings of a rail fan. I had boarded the 11:59 CSTM local from Dombivli and was seated comfortably by the window facing the fast tracks in a near empty 1st Class compartment. It was 12 car DC train. My coach was 3rd from the CSTM end and adjacent to my window was the door of the ladies 1st Class.

We departed at 12:01 and after stopping at Kopar and Diva Jn, we reached Mumbra, where this toddler entered the compartment accompanied by his father. The father came and sat beside me while the toddler, was spoilt for choice of window seat. He had the window seat opposite to mine as well as the West facing window available to him. Without an iota of doubt he decided to sit opposite to me and view the world outside. In fact, he was so small that his feet didn’t touch the ground when he reclined back. That’s when he ditched the seat and decided to stand by the window. As soon as we left Mumbra, we entered one of the two small tunnels on the line. The motorman hadn’t turned on the lights in the compartment and sudden cut-off of natural light meant there was darkness in the compartment for a few seconds as we were traversing the tunnel.

The ignorant kid, Saurabh( that’s his name) was petrified and screamed, “Abu, ye kya tha ?”(What was this?). His dad tried to pacify him by saying that it was just a mountain. The smart kid said, “Abu, ye tho gufa tha naaa….” (Wasn’t it a tunnel?). Saurabh had already made a mark on my mind by this statement. As we entered the next tunnel, Saurabh was more daring and did not seem to be withered by the darkness this time. He asked his dad, why the tunnel was so small, as the last time they had travelled by train, he had seen a long tunnel. His dad told him that, last time they had taken the fast train, hence the tunnel was longer.

As we were approaching Thane, we crossed over the Thane Creek Bridge and this chap was all excited to here the rumbling sound when we went over the iron girder bridge. We spotted a few EMUs bound for Thane and Panvel on the Trans Harbour line and everytime he noted a train, he used to go ballistic and shout, Abu…train…Abu..Train… The dad was having a field day in keeping his ward under control.

Every time we stopped during the journey, he made it a point to ask which station it was. He was too small to read the station name and as soon as we left Thane, we were overtaken by a loud and hard chugging WDM3A Loco from SCR stables of Kazipet pulling the Hyderabad-Mumbai Express. The chugging sound was deafening and we had a short parallel run and Saurabh was all animated. He first tried to close his ears with his tiny hands and finding them to be too small to be effective, he decided to give an ear to the chugging sound of the loco and as it sped past us, he began shouting, “ Abu..Special Train…Abu …Special Train…” . By now, everyone in the compartment was observing this kid’s mannerisms. I was privileged to be sitting just opposite to him. He was almost leaning on me to see the Last coach of the Hyderabad-Mumbai disappear from our visibility.

As we pulled into Mulund, he had both his hands out of gap in the window and screamed at the ladies waiting to board the adjacent 1st class door saying, “Mujhe hath do naa… (Give me your hand or possibly clap my hands). A few college girls who were waiting to board our local were amused by his gesture and were giggling as they board the adjacent door. As we left Mulund, a WCAM3 Loco with an unknown express sped past us from the adjacent track and Saurabh was again shouting at his best, calling it a special train. We halted at Nahur within 3 minutes of our departure from Mulund and saw the Truck-on-rails being stationed on the 5th line and a JCB was filling it with a load of ballast to be transported down south towards Ghatkopar. The truck-on-rails doesn’t fail to amuse even the worst critic of railways for its innovation and I had a kid in front of me who would have been watching it for the first time in his life and he was curious at first and when he noticed that the truck did not have normal wheels, he was all the more excited and was all gung-ho about it. As we reached Bhandup, he repeated his act of asking the ladies to clap his hands. Even though none of them obliged, everyone had a smile for him. His wish was granted by a blind hawker who was trying to locate the door and accidentally touched Saurabh’s palm. As the Over head equipment (OHE) van, Kaveri was visible on the fifth line resting at Bhandup, Saurabh was again seeing something new. He queried his already frustrated father about the new type of train he just saw. I tried to intervene by explaining him the use of such a vehicle for the maintenance of the Over-head cables. After that he stopped looking at the railway tracks and concentrated on the cables over-head. He might have been trying to deduce some logic out of it. At Vikhroli, a furious sounding CSTM-Nagercoil Express behind an Erode based WDM2A went past us blasting on all cylinders.

All this while he was standing and the opposite window was empty. At Vidyavihar, we saw a group of men working on the Over head cables for the new lines between Thane and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. Saurabh kept on studying them till they disappeared into the distance, as we moved away from them on our journey to CSTM. He was exhausted by now and finally decided to rest on the seat available to him. Even though he was feeling drowsy, he had his one hand out of the window to feel the wind. In a matter of seconds, he fell asleep. Soon, his dad sat beside him and made him comfortable, by allowing him to lie down properly. At Dadar, the father-son duo got down and I was left wondering, when would this kid join the growing army of the rail enthusiasts. I would see myself in him.

IRFCA is awaiting you Saurabh….

-Nikhil Padinjaroot Karunakaran
Dombivli East

Section Controlling at its Best

Managing the suburban section of CR is no mean feat. Not only has the section controller have to ensure the punctuality and safety of suburban locals, he has to make sure that the intermittent Mail/Express trains departing from CSTM also manage to glide to glory without a lot of disruption for suburban commuters. Yesterday, when I reached CSTM to board and EMU for Dombivali(DI), I found that all trains were delayed by 10-15 minutes. The actual cause of delay was not known to me.

I had entered the station from the Kalyan (KYN) end FOB at 17:40. The indicators read as follows: 17:36 DI Semifast on Platform (PF) 7, 17:40 Asangaon(AN) on Pf 6. PF 4 and 5 did not have any departures scheduled and Pf 3 had Thane Slow Local with a scheduled departure of 17:43. As locals were yet to arrive on pF 6 and 7, the platform was jam packed with anxious commuters. By the time, I could reach the end of the FOB, 17:36 DI had arrived and the social animals had taken it over. Venturing down the stairs would have been a futile exercise, hence I waited on the FOB to see if anything gets scheduled on Pf 4 and 5 as 17:44 Ambarnath(A) and 17:55 Badlapur(BL) were expected next.

From the corner of my eye, I could see a DC EMU approaching PF 5, so decided to take a chance and came down the stairs, by which it was scheduled as 17:55 BL fast. This was followed by an MRVC rake for the 17:40 AN. As soon as the MRVC entered PF 6, starter for 17:36 DI on Pf 7 was given. In the meanwhile I managed to grab a window seat facing the east side.

As soon as 17:36 DI cleared the points in CSTM yard, 17:44 Ambarnath(A) was scheduled to enter Pf 7. Soon, I saw 17:40 Depart from Pf 6 and 17:44 A enter PF 7 simultaneously. One more thing to be kept in mind was 1023 Sahyadri Express was waiting on Pf 9 ready for its departure at 17:50. The controller decided to allow both, 17:55 BL fast and 1023 Sahyadri Express to leave exactly at 17:55. The Ambarnath fast of 17:44 was held back as it had just entered pf 7 clearing the points for 1023.

We were put on the slow track and I could see the WCAM3 hauled 1023 clearing the 15 kmph PSR on PF 9.We had a short parallel run with 1023 till the iron girder Carnac Bunder Bridge. Eventually we managed to pick up speed, leave behind the WCAM3 and sped past Masjid and Sandhurst Road(SNRD) as there were no slow locals ahead of us. We did slow down at SNRD for the PSR on Pf 1. I was expecting to be held back at Byculla(BY) and lose time as 1023 was nowhere in sight. The signal was green for Pf 3, which meant, any hopes of crossover before 1023 was dashed off. By the time we came to a halt on Pf 1 at Byculla, WCAM3 overtook us from PF 3. The late running 17:44 Ambarnath local with a 17:51 departure at BY was scheduled next on PF 3.

Better sense prevailed and instead of allowing our BL fast to cross-over, we were made to continue on the slow track as the line ahead was still clear. We did good speed at Chinchpokli and Currey road, only to slow down a bit before Parel and coasted through the PF. As we were entering Pf 1 at Dadar (DR), 1023 was nowhere to be seen, which meant that it had already left. A sneak peek at indicators of PF 4 at DR ensured that Amabarnath Fast was scheduled next. We has a brief halt of 2 minutes at DR and departed slowly towards Matunga(MTN). Interestingly, Ambarnath fast, which was nowhere to be seen till now, came out of the blue with 3001C cab and overtook us before MTN, showing the true power of MRVC rakes. We did halt at MTN for a mere 10 seconds and then were allowed to crossover to the fast tracks.

All this meant, everything worked as per plan and all trains 1023, Ambarnath and Badlapur fast were not inordinately delayed and all of them should have managed to gain the lost time. I had been witness to many such situations, and I thought I should share the joy of such adventures with you.

We arrived at DI at 18:51 against a scheduled time of 18:49, which meant the 17:44 Ambarnath must have been a real terror on the tracks, to cover at least 10 minutes of lost time. Comments welcome…

Romancing the Metre Gauge in Monsoon(Akola-Indore MG trip)

What do you do when your meticulously planned rail fanning trip washes away due to incessant rains? Immediately plan a new rail trip to some other location and find solace. A few rail fans from in and around Kalyan had planned a Shiradi Ghat trip during the 1st weekend of August 2010, but the amount of rainfall that had battered the Konkan coast ensured that the timetable goes for a toss as landslides were reported from Adavali and unfortunately the line remained closed for more than 10 days. Even-though transshipment of 6345 Netravati Express was done by Konkan Railways, there was no guarantee of reaching Mangalore right in time to catch the outgoing 6516 Mangalore-Yeshwantpur Express. We decided to dissolve the plan and opt for a Metre Gauge (MG) trip from Akola to Ratlam. Unfortunately, many of our group members couldn't muster enough time for this trip, so yours truly and Shantanu kulkarni teamed up to do this trip and enjoy the scenic MG section before it is taken up for gauge conversion.


All the tickets were booked in hush-hush. Shantanu managed to book twin berths for 2111 Amravati Express from Kalyan to Akola Jn and 458B Akola-Ratlam passenger. We had planned to return back from Ratlam by 2472 Swaraj Express after an overnight stay in Ratlam. But as this was not a preplanned trip, we had to rely on tatkal bookings for this section. By the time, we managed to reach the counter, tatkal quota had exhausted and the only other alternative readily available was the super crawler 9024 Firozpur-Janata Express. We decided to tweak our plan to get down at Indore (INDM) and catch the 9310 Indore(INDB)-Gandhinagar Express for an overnight journey and then catch 9116 Bhuj-Bandra Terminus(BDTS) express from Vadodara(BRC). These last minute discussions meant we were booking tickets online on 5th August at 23:00 hrs over the Irctc website, when our journey was to commence on 6th August 2010.

This was going to be my first overnight trip with a rail fan, a trip which was spanning over 3 days, but I had a wonderful person for company in Shantanu Kulkarni. Not only did he share his immense knowledge with me, he also corrected me whenever I was wrong. Kudos to you boss for making my trip a memorable affair to remember.


As we were boarding the 2111 Amravati express from Kalyan at 21:03hrs, I left my home (Dombivli) at 19:30. Took a share auto to the station and reached platform No. 1 by 19:45.I knew that there was a Kalyan Semi fast departing Dadar at 19:01, hence decided to wait for its arrival in Dombivli at 19:52 as any other local train would have been difficult to board, for that time of the day. As I was approaching Kalyan (KYN), 2 expresses, one with WDM3D and the other with a WCAM3 sped past me in the opposite direction. As the train was very crowded I could not peep out to note the train name/numbers. After slowly negotiating the turnouts, my EMU came to a halt on Platform No. 1 at KYN. The skywalk being built by MMRDA was nearing completion and was already being used by commuters. It was 20:05 and I had an hour to spend at the station, so decided to venture out on the Skywalk network. I climbed the FOB and walked a few meters towards the south end and few meters towards the north end of the KYN West Skywalk and was amazed to see the whole network of the skywalk. I became sure that a complete study of the skywalk would easily take an hour, so decided to ditch the idea and return back to the station to observe more interesting trains. While I was getting down on Platform No 4, I saw the 2128 Pune-Mumbai Intercity Express glide pass the edge of Platform No 7 silently behind a WCAM3. Below the newly built FOB is the place where reservation charts for outgoing trains is pasted. There were four rows of reservation boards placed perpendicular to the platform edge. The reservation charts for 2105 Mumbai-Gondia Vidharbha Express and 2137 Punjab Mail were already put up. At 20:15, Vidharbha express entered pf 4 behind KYN 21951 WCAM3 and 2860 Howrah-Mumbai Gitanjali Express arrived on pf 5 behind KYN 21963 WCAM3 at 20:20.




Soon, a huge crowd gathered near the reservation charts and I found that the board was being updated and reservations charts for 2111,2322,8029,7057,2163,1011,2527 and 1017 were put up filling up all the four rows. After the crowd became manageable, I ventured to confirm our berth nos to be S4, 35(Upper berth,UB) and 40(Side Upper berth, SUB). Interestingly, the chart also mentioned our coach to be 5th from the engine and was a CR00026 coach. Having confirmed our reservation, I decided to walk up the length of the platform and found a black board mentioning the departure of 2101, 2151 and 2809 from their respective terminals (CSTM/LTT) at 04:00am till 11th August 2010. Post Gitanjali Express' departure came the 1068 Faizabad-Mumbai Saket Express behind another KYN WCAM3. In the meanwhile, 2137 Punjab Mail made its presence felt on pf 4 with KYN WCAM3 21981.


I called up Shantanu to know his whereabouts and he mentioned that he had reached the station complex and was getting down from the FOB. He also mentioned that a railfan, Karthik Gopalan from Chembur was waiting to meet us on the same platform. Soon we managed to meet him and exchange tit-bits about the Mumbai Suburban sections, MRVC locals and many other things, which typically make us railfans passionate about railways. He seemed to be very happy to finally have the lone 9 car MRVC 1041-42 rake back on track on the harbour line. It was taken off service for a few days and was spotted by yours truly and many others at Matunga sidings. After a few MRVC locals bound for the south-east lines used pf 4 for their scheduled halts at KYN came our 2111 Mumbai-Amravati Express, hauled by KYN WCAM3, 21894. We had to walk back as the train halted at least one coach earlier than its normal position. We managed to keep our bags on our berth and bid good-bye to Karthik. We left within 5 minutes and slowly criss-crossed the South-East bound lines and negotiated the DC-AC neutral zone outside Kalyan North. Shantanu pointed out the Electric loco shed and the many WCG2s waiting inside the shed for scrapping. We decided to stand by the door of our coach, though not much was visible outside, discussing how Bhor ghats were longer and more interesting than Thull ghats to watch during day time. We reached Kasara, a technical halt for our train at 22:15 and KYN WAG7 triplets were attached at the rear end as bankers. Then started the slow and steady ascend up the Thull ghats to reach our first commercial halt at 22:45. We were berthed on pf 2 and pf 1 was occupied by 2137 Punjab mail. It had got twin bankers in KYN WAG5, which was detached by now. We decided to venture to the front of our train to see WCAM3 detachment and WAP4 attachment. As our WCAM3 was detached and moved into the loco escape line ahead, Punjab Mail with Ghaziabad WAP1 22072 was given the go ahead at 22:50. It had waist level head lamps. After wait of 5 more minutes, a Bhusaval (BSL) WAP4 22680 came to take charge of our train. Both of us returned back to our berths and our train left at 23:08. We decided to hit the sack as we had a wonderful MG journey awaiting us in the morning.We had reached Nasik Road at 23:50 in a matter of 42 minutes. As we had to alight at Akola Jn(AK) at 6:05, I kept an alarm of 05:00 hrs and went to sleep on the SUB, Stantanu being taller decided to occupy UB. Whenever I woke up in the night, I found our train to be running, so safely assumed that we would reach Akola on time and went back to sleep again. Our coach was a well maintained one, the mirrors had markings of 2010-11, but one of the fans in our section was making a loud noise, which was put off later by one of the fellow commuters. As it was drizzling outside, temperature inside the coach was cold enough to stay put without a fan. I noticed that Shantanu had woke up at 4:40 and spotted Malkapur, 8 minutes before time. I woke up at 5:00 am, freshened up and spotted Shegaon at 5:30. As we were approaching Akola Jn, we spotted Maharashtra's oldest Thermal Power Plant, Paras in the distance. There were freight lines running away from the mainlines to the power plant. It was drizzling and the twin cooling towers of the plant were surrounded by clouds. It was truly a wonderful scene to start the day with. We reached Akola Jn at 6:15 and even though it was raining, I ran towards the loco to catch a glimpse of our WAP4. As I was taking a snap of our loco, the LP said, “ Arre hum ne kya paap kiya...hamaari bhi photo lona yaar.” (Why don't you take our snaps, we haven't committed any sins). I was thrilled to hear this and obliged them by taking their snap. I wished them a good day ahead walked back into the platform shelter.









After 2111 left Akola, we strolled down the Pf 2 towards Bhusaval to have our first look of the MG on offer. In the meanwhile SRC WAP4 22272 arrived on platform 1 with 2810 Howrah Mumbai Express. On the through lines was Jhansi based BHEL WAG5 24098 waiting with a long BCNHS rake in blue livery. As we didn’t find any tea vendor in 2111, we approached the refreshment stall on PF2 for 2 cups of tea. Even though the tea offered was nothing great to write home about, I must admit, it was the sweetest tea I had in my whole life. It was hot sugar water. As both of us wanted some change, we decided to offer Rs 100 to the refreshment stall personnel. Surprisingly, he did not object and happily returned Rs 90 back.


One look towards the North West side of the station gave us a clear glance of the MG yard at Akola. There were a few red liveried Accident relief wagons, a crane on flat bed and a few passenger coaches. We also spotted an inspection car in blue livery. Our 458B Akola-Ratlam Fast passenger was berthed on pf 5, though without an engine. It had markings of Western Railway (WR) and only 3 reserved coaches (S1-S3) and the rest of the train had Unreserved (UR) coaches totaling 11 in all. Some of the coaches had a rebuild marking of 1998 and 2004. We moved into our coach S2, where we had booked berths 29 and 30. To the uninitiated, a typical MG sleeper coach has a seating capacity of just 48 with 3 doors on one side and lavatories at both ends. The middle door forms the median of the coach, splitting it into 2 sections of 1-24 and 25-48, with 6 seats in a bay and 4 compartments in each section. As it is smaller in width and height as compared to a conventional Broad Gauge (BG) coach, there is no space for side seats and the corridor is on the side. The coaches were non-vestibuled, but the berths had satisfactory cushioning, contrary to our perception. The UR coaches were of course without any cushions. Soon a YDM4 started chugging from the adjacent pf and moved ahead to reverse back into our pf line. This was my first sighting of an MG loco and it impressed me with its chugging. It had a sweet honking sound and was doing so while reversing back to couple with the rake. Shantanu educated me that Ratlam based BG diesel locos and Mhow based MG diesel locos shared similar liveries of Red-White-Black. The loco doing the honors for the day was MHOW 6300 YDM4.


The coupling procedure looked so simple to the naked eyes. The hook got entangled to the rake automatically as the loco reversed back. The couplers were CBS styled. I must admit that I don’t know the technical name for such coupling. Railway personnel moved in to connect the vacuum pipe. That’s it, we were ready to depart. There was scanty rainfall, since the time we had arrived at Akola and the rake was soon filling up with people. By the time we left there were about 25 commuters in our coach. The UR coaches too were sparsely populated. We were feeling hungry and the only eating options available on MG platforms were kachoris, being sold by an old man limping along the platform. We decided to buy a plate of kachoris and, they were delicious. We couldn’t resist buying another plate. They were crisp, inspite of the misty weather. The masala inside the kachoris seemed to have a blend of garlic and a few unknown spices. It tickled our taste buds for sure.



We saw a TTE waiting under the asbestos roofed portion of the platform. Shantanu began discussing with him the intricacies of an MG journey and the TTE believed that the MG route might go on for another year, inspite of the guage conversion news doing the rounds. When we told him that we were here to only enjoy the MG ride, he discussed the Neral-Matheran and other NG routes. He seemed to be very passionate about steam engines. Further on our journey, we found him to connect well with the passengers as well as the railway personnel on the varied stations enroute.


In the meanwhile, we spotted 8410 Ahmedabad-Puri Express with ED WAP4 22555. At 7:31, with a long hoot, our Mhow 6300 started chugging out of Akola on my maiden journey of MG. Awaiting us were one of the best hinterlands in the heart of Incredible India. Akola Jn had electric signals, but the entire route ahead had semaphore signals. The MG lines move away from the BG lines at Akola with a 90 deg curve facing Bhusaval. As our coach was sparsely populated, both of us were at the luxury of peeping out from any of the 6 doors. But it was drizzling and we were trying to soak in the romance of MG trains. Enroute we saw 3 small stations, Ugwe, Gandhi Smarak and Patsul. Even though, these stations weren’t on the list of scheduled halts, our train did make brief halts and the TTE did use this opportunity to hop into the next coach to verify the passengers’ tickets. He also warned us that some UR passengers might try to enter the SL coaches, so we were better off keeping the doors locked at stations. But the railfans in us never missed the opportunity of getting out in the open whenever we halted at stations. The route was full of green vegetation. Very few human habitats could be seen. The only people who could survive here were farmers as there are no industries or the infrastructure to support them.


At KM Marker 698, we reached our first commercial stop, Akot at 8:45. We left at 8:57. The route had many TSR and PSR of 15kmph and 20kmph. We never ran at MPS. The condition of the track under SCR left a lot to be desired. At Hiakhed, we spotted “CR” markings on the iron window grills of the waiting room. All the stations had the typical look of being the epicenter of the village it sustained. The common features at all the stations were the station master’s office, booking counters, a namesake waiting hall, a token wielding railway personnel waiting to handle over the badminton racket shaped token exchanger to the Loco Pilot(LP), semaphore signals and its controlling levers. We did notice a few BCNA styled MG goods wagons, Flatbeds and cabooses’ rusting in the siding lines of few stations. In all probability, freight is no longer being hauled in this section, even though T/G and caution signs for Goods as well as Passenger traffic existed all along the track. Some stations had 1957 engraved in Devnagri script just below the station name. It was really worth noting that all stations enroute were using solar panels for lighting. Its food for thought for major stations in metros where we have so much of electricity being used for lighting up the platforms in the night.

MG crossing at Wan road from nikhil on Vimeo.

After Hiakhed, started the ghat section, we were slowly going up the hills and YDM4 was showing no signs of fatigue. It was pulling the rake amazingly well but for the many speed restrictions imposed in the section. We reached ‘Wan Road’ at 10:00 and confirmed with the LP that the wait was going to be a long one for a crossing. We kept ourselves busy by capturing the pictures of our train from various angles. We also saw the manually operated levers to change the tracks and signals. It was indeed engrossing to see all of these happening as we don’t get to see such operations in Mumbai suburban network. One might need special permission to reach the RRI cabins at stations in Mumbai. Here everything was happening in public domain. We gathered enough courage and decided to ask our LP the permission for foot plating on the locomotive. He understandably denied it as we were totally strangers to him. We appreciated his sense of responsibility and decided to go back and not bother him anymore. After another Mhow YDM4 with Ratlam-Akola passenger crossed us, we started the journey again into the hilly terrain. After KM Marker 655 started the famous ‘Wan Loop’, we managed to capture a video of the same. The entire loop was covered in little over 4 minutes. It’s a marvelous piece of engineering and a must watch. Only once you reach exactly below from where you started on the ‘Wan loop’ does it sink in. Back home we do see trains going up and down the Kopar loop, but this was something special.

WAN Loop on Akola-Ratlam Metre Gauge Section from nikhil on Vimeo.

After Wan loop, Shantanu decided to take a break and rest for sometime on the UB. It was a slow paced journey through, Dabka, Thuthikad and Ratnapur. There is an iron girder bridge across an unknown river before Ratnapur, which we crossed at 11:55. We left Gurhi at 12:35 delayed by more than an hour and 15 minutes. We reached Takal at 12:50 and Khandwa(KNW) at 13:40. We had reached KNW, late by 40 minutes and we had a crew change here. As we were approaching KNW, the BG double electrified lines from Mumbai passed below our tracks to come back and join us at KNW. The BG station though visible from MG side of the station is separated by a few stabling lines. The station was chaotic. There were many people loitering on the platform. There were cows relieving themselves on the platform and vendors selling food. It resembled a market place. It was lunch time and we were travelling light hence we decided to munch on some Puri Subzi and AluWada-Sabzi. The Puris and Aluwadas were just about okay. The subzi again was a watery/oily affair with Potatoes and green peas. We left within 15 minutes and were now travelling in WR territory. We reached the next three stations, Ajanti at 14:10, Attar at 14:30 and Koltakheri at 14:50. We crossed RTM-AK passenger at Ajanti. The train was touching 60-70 KMPH speeds in WR territory but never MPS of 75, though, it was much better than SCR section. Shantanu remembers spotting a few metres of a new bridge with ballast laid. We reached Omkareshwar road at 15:30 and it was pouring cats and dogs by then. There were many passengers awaiting our train at this station. There was an information board on the station asking the pilgrims to alight there for the famous Shiv temple.

crossing narmada river in heavy rains at omkareshwar road from nikhil on Vimeo.

The halt at Omkareshwar was a small one, and since it was raining heavily, many UR passengers tried to barge inside the SL coaches. We did try to stop them from entering the reserved coaches by directing them to the other UR coaches, but a few unrelenting passengers barged in and tried occupying our berths. Luckily, the new TTE who had boarded at KNW was still in our coach. As soon as we left Onkareshwar road in drizzling rain, we could capture the gorgeous Narmada River flowing under the bridge. Soon the TTE came asking the UR passengers for their tickets and a travelling party of 2 tall and sturdy gentlemen and a lady who had forcibly occupied our seats, tried to intimidate the TTE by saying that they were from the army. Our TTE too was equal to the task and he said in no uncertain terms that they will have to get down at the next stop and board another coach as being a military personnel they should understand discipline better and should behave themselves. TTE also retaliated by saying that if they did not intend to get down then he will have to take action against them and that he was quite a disciplinarian. TTE was impressive in his way of tackling unruly passengers and he deserved special praise.


The next thing on our agenda was the Ghat section of the Vindhyas. It started 2 stations before Kalakund. We were slowly going up the incline. The rains had subsided by now and as we were approaching Kalakund, we could spot another YDM4 from the Mhow stables warming up for banker duties on the adjacent track. Kalakund was a scenic station on the curve. As the banker loco had went to reverse into our track. Many passengers had climbed up on the roof of the UR coaches. They were perched on top in spite of enough space available in the train. After successful banker coupling, we started on the fantastic climb up the Vindhya Range. The next 30 minutes were the best part of the journey. We encountered the picturesque ghat section, with mountains, valleys, viaducts, four tunnels, many rock cuttings, rivers and one breathtaking waterfall to end the section at Patalpani. Now we know why the station was named so. I would recommend this Ghat section for any rail and nature lover alike. There is so much on offer, especially in the rains. We could see many love birds (couples) perched atop the mountains facing this breathtaking waterfall and discussing their future. The banker was detached and we reached Mhow, the biggest MG station on offer at 18:00, one hour late by now. Mhow had a huge MG passenger yard and diesel loco shed. Water filling and crew change was scheduled at Mhow. We had ‘Poha’, recommended by Dombivli based IRFCAN, Abhishek Tamhankar. It was indeed good to taste. We saw a Ratlam-Mhow passenger on pf 1; we were put on Pf 2. Pf 3 was empty but, soon there was an announcement of Mhow-Ujjain being shunted into Pf 3 by yet another YDM4. We were given the go-ahead at 17:50.



We were expecting time recovery of about half an hour between Mhow and Indore Metre Guage(INDM); but again we had to stay put for more than 30 minutes at Rajendra Nagar to allow a INDM-Mhow Local to cross us. At Rajendra Nagar we spotted MG on concrete sleepers. We expected the concrete sleepers to be designed for dual guage for the impending BG conversion but they could only sustain MG rails. The scenery outside was slowly and steadily resembling the outskirts of a city. Soon we were entering Indore MG station, late by 45 minutes. We contacted Ruchir Sharma, IRFCAN from INDB, but he couldn’t meet us due to heavy rains.

YDM4 6605 at rajendra nagar with mhow local from indore from nikhil on Vimeo.

Indore BG and MG co-exist on Pf 1-3 and Pf 4-5 respectively. We decide to venture out as the next train we were supposed to catch had a scheduled departure of 22:45. The INDB station complex looked good from the exterior. YP 4028 is plinthed right in front of the station complex. We were dumb-struck by the grandeur of the steam engine. As the RPF guys were standing right next to it, we did not take a chance in photographing the steam loco. Outside the station, there was enough space for private vehicles to drop in and pick-up passengers. There were CNG autos and Tata Magic pick-up vans awaiting commuters. As it was raining incessantly and we were short of an umbrella we couldn’t venture out much. Shantanu’s shoes had given away after the whole day doorplating on the MG trains and we were desperately searching for a shop selling sandals. After a few random enquiries he did manage to settle for a nice pair of sandals. The next thing on our mind was to buy some Kalakund for Abhishek Tamhankar. All the eateries we enquired, were selling everything other than Kalakund.


We roamed around the bus-stand and found that it was busy with tour operators shuttling between Indore-Ujjain and Indore-Bhopal. There was a large city map inside the bus-stand. There were many restaurants in and around this area proclaiming to provide vegetarian thalis at reasonable cost. It was too early for us to decide for dinner, and our carry bags were taking its toll on our shoulders, so we decided to keep our bags in the cloak room and venture out on the other side of the station for Kalakund. The cloak room was a nondescript place on the platform no 1. We tried to bring the attention of the cloak room keeper to our bags, but he was busy counting money and was least interested in listening to us. On further insistence, he took out the register and started noting down our tickets details and after the formalities were over, he asked us to lock the bags and keep it in an iron grilled room. This is when we told him that we were not carrying any locks and that he could keep it the way they were. But he said that he will not take the risk for any loss of articles from the bag and hence will not allow us to keep the bags in the room. Dejected, we made our way the other side of the station by crossing the FOB. This side was relatively quiet and instead of restaurants and sweet shops, we came across a large number of hardware stores selling everything from auto parts to concrete mixers. We returned back to the station and took pictures of the BTP wagons, the MG counterpart of BTPN wagons. The MG section of the station was busy with shuttles plying to and fro between Mhow and Indore. Finally we went back to the side where we had seen the YP loco plinthed, to have some dinner.


Dinner was ordinary. Shantanu ordered for a Special Veg Thali and I opted for Veg Pulav. The veg pulav turned out to be veg fried rice. The dessert for the day was gulab jamun. Adjacent to this restaurant we found a sweet shop, where Kalakund was available for Rs. 200 per kg. We went back to the station. We had about 1.5 hours to spare and decided to walk the length of all the BG platforms and study the various BG rakes on display. Habibganj-Indore intercity had just arrived on pf 3. It was hauled by RTM WDM-3A 16159. It had many coaches in Karnavati livery. On the adjacent pf 2, 2973 Indore-Jaipur with a scheduled departure of 22:30 was already berthed, ready to be hauled by BGKT WDM-3A 16276. The day long travel through the hinterland had drained out our mobile batteries and we saw the opportunity of recharging in the AC coaches of INDB-JP. It had a 3 tier AC and a Hybrid 2A/3A combo. That gave us an opportunity to see the interiors of the hybrid coach. After sufficient recharging of the mobiles, we made our way to pf 1, where our train, 9310 Indore-Gandhinagar Express was ready with RTM WDM-3A 18608. In the distant night sky we could see catenary poles reaching INDB. As we had a scheduled departure of 22:45, we knew that we would trail INDB-JP till Ujjain.


We had middle (60) and upper (61) berths allotted in S2 coach. One look at the reservation chart, made it very clear that the coach was full of passengers bound for Vadodara(BRC). As our co-passengers booked on 2 Lower berths got upgraded, we missed no opportunity to occupy them. Later in the night 2 passengers did turn up but they understandably went to sleep on the MB and UB. We left at 22:45. Both of us were on the lookout to see the diamond crossing between BG and MG and were fruitfully rewarded to see that happen after a small station, Laxmi-bai Nagar. We were moving very fast and reached Dewas Jn by 23:25, delayed by only 3 minutes. Shantanu was already asleep by then. After a brief nap, I woke up to the announcement of Indore-Jaipur departing from Ujjain. We too had a loco change here and assumed that we must have left with an AC loco which we were to discover at BRC, to be a BRC WAP4. At 5:40am, I woke up to see our train entering the curved platforms of Godhra Jn. We were delayed by 20 minutes. At BRC outer we spotted a train with coaches in mixed livery of Duranto and Karnavati. It went past us in a relatively high speed and we couldn’t trace its whereabouts, but it was a very short rake. We saw the BRC avoiding bypass lines to Ahmedabad(ADI) and the lines from ADI to BRC forming a triangle. We managed to reach BRC at 6:45 and were berthed on pf 6 which resembled to be a relatively new platform, for being isolated from the rest of the station. It seems to have been built at the northern end of the platform no 1 with a dead end. Fortunately, they have designed a loco escape line for the loco to move ahead, reverse into the escape line and recouple at the other end of the same rake.


We walked all the way to Pf 1 and found that our train 9116 Bhuj-Bandra Sayajinagari Express was delayed by half an hour and was expected only by 8:00 am. Pf 1 was full of passengers awaiting various trains heading down south to Mumbai. We approached the refreshment stall and had some ‘Dhokla’ and ‘Puri-Sabzi’ each costing a mere Rs. 10. We went out to see the exteriors of the station complex and it was larger in scale as compared to Indore. We returned back to pf 1 in a few minutes and waited patiently for the arrival of Sayajinagari Express. We noticed a huge fish tank installed in the station premises. It was a welcoming sight. There were a few parents keeping their kids busy by explaining them the different species of fishes on display.

In the meanwhile, we saw a WAG9 slowing coming to a halt on pf 6 with 2948 Patna-ADI Azimabad Express. It was my first time of spotting the monster WAG9. It was in a traditional green livery and belonged to AJNI, numbered 31221. By the time we reached the end of pf 1, a delayed 2934 Karnavati Express arrived behind a WCAM2 at 7:45. The WAG9 on pf 6 detached itself from the rake, moved forward and reversed back into the loco escape line to again re-couple at the other end of the rake for its forward journey to ADI. After 2934 left, PAS announced a 2 hr delay in the arrival of our train 9116 Sayajinagari Express. 9109 Valsad-ADI, Gujarat Queen arrived on pf 2 at 8:05. Another BDTS bound Ajmer/Udaipur Express hauled by BGKT diesel arrived on pf 1. This train had a loco change to WCAM1 at BRC. We were in 2 minds to whether wait for 9116 or board 2996. In the end,it left without us. By now, we understood that trains were reaching ADI late due to heavy rains on the previous night. Finally, we decided to catch the next train out of BRC. At 8:20 Ernakulam-Okha Express hauled by ERS WDM-3A arrived on Pf 4. At 8:40, 9066 Jodhpur-Bandra arrived on pf 2 with a diesel loco. The last few SL coaches, S11-S14 were literally empty. We didn’t want to miss it, so we boarded the train and made ourselves comfortable in side berths having emergency windows facing the trackside. Since, we didn’t possess tickets for 9066, we decided to approach the TTE waiting on the platform to appraise him of our situation. He advised us to board the train and said that he will attend us after the train departs BRC. We were jubilant and returned back to our earmarked seats. There was no loco change for our trains and it was going to be a diesel affair through a Double electrified section.



At 08:55, we left BRC and we had the entire coach at our disposal. There was a petrified stray dog in our coach. It must have boarded the coach to take shelter from the rains. It was trying to look outside from the door, but the train was moving too fast for it to disembark. Not that I am a great animal lover, but felt pity for the creature, which was shivering perhaps in the fear of being relocated. The TTE arrived and he said that tickets of 9116 cannot be considered for travelling in 9066 and we will have to pay the fine and travel or get down at the next stop and wait for 9116. We decided to pay the fine and it worked out to be Rs. 870 for 2 of us. We also relocated to S9 seats 23/24, again side berths with emergency windows facing the track side. Since the travel by 9066 was not on our agenda, we were clueless of its stoppages. But we were in for a pleasant surprise. It had only Surat, Valsad and Borivali as its commercial stops. I must say, it was a complete paisa vasool. Rajdhani styled stoppage pattern for a non-superfast train. Wow….!!!


We were commuting on the BRC-BVI section for the first time, and noticed that it had 4 aspect signaling and tracks ran dead straight for most part of the journey. There were 2 chain pulling instances, one each at Bharuch outer and Udhna outer. We crossed Narmada River once again near Bharuch Jn. This time though it looked far muddier than yesterday. Our co-passengers asked us if we intended to buy some food items at Surat as he was phoning up the ‘Food Express’ based on Pf 1 at Surat. He said that they hand delivery the ordered items right in your coach and the food is delicious. We declined his invitation as both of us were feeling full after our breakfast at BRC. We reached Surat at 10:45 and left within 5 minutes. We crossed the mighty Tapi river, which was also brownish in color. At Surat, the caterer did approach our co-passenger with his order. He provided us with the menu card and the gourmet of food available on the menu did look good. They also have a website: http://www.foodexpresssurat.com/ . You can book order food online too. Interesting isn’t it? The pandrol clips on the washable apron of Surat platforms looked slightly different from the ones used across the IR network.




On the adjacent track we could see a continuous stream of WAG7/9, WAM4, WCAM1 with freights and passenger trains. We were clocking good speeds as were whizzing past most of the stations at MPS. We had some tea, biscuits and bhel enroute. There was no respite from rains and our decision to board 9066 looked extremely satisfying. We slowed down after a long time near Auranga bridge, where a TSR of 20 kmph was seen. Finally, reached Valsad at 12:00 noon and didn’t bother the section controllers for long, as we departed within 2 minutes. A new-looking ICF-LHB hybrid AC coach shell only; without glass panes, seats at BL side lines were spotted by Shantanu. We crossed the Daman Ganga Bridge near Vapi at 12:20. I was waiting to see the first station across the state border and was fruitfully rewarded to see Bordi (Maharashtra) fly fast us at 12:42.We ran nonstop through Dahanu Road. The areas around Dahanu River, Golvad and Dante were all resembling to be flooded. The next big attraction was the full speed blast across the twin Vaitarna bridges. Shantanu showed me the hillock from where our Mumbai members capture the videos of speeding Mail/Express trains. After entering the EMU section at Virar, where we slowed down, I freshened up to get down at Virar and missed on the opportunity to capture the Vasai creek bridges. Shantanu spotted BDTS-DEE Garib rath with TKD WDM at Bhayander. We slowed down after Dahisar and entered the new platform 6A at 14:05. The entry to Platform 6A was so slow and noisy that at some point we felt that our train might derail, because of sharp turnouts.

Approaching vaitarna north bridge from nikhil on Vimeo.

Vaitarna South Bridge from nikhil on Vimeo.

As we live in the far north eastern suburbs of Mumbai, we decided to catch the Vasai Road (BSR)-Diva Jn DMU departing BSR at 15:35 as the journey could have been much more comforting than the crowded EMUs from BVI to Dadar(DDR) and again Dadar(CR) to Kalyan(KYN). As I was carrying the Mumbai Suburban Smart Card, purchasing tickets for BVI to BSR was a mere ritual. We were about to depart for BSR by slow local at 14:15. At the refreshment stall on the platform, we bought 2 glasses of fresh lime soda to quench our taste. By the time we could finish it, a Virar sllow local was ready to depart. We boarded it and got seated by the time we crossed the DC-AC neutral zone. By 14:35, we reached BSR after crossing the twin Vasai Creek bridges. We waited on the C shaped FOB over the tracks at BSR for sometime as we could see a MEMU, TKD WAG-9#31207 with concor rake waiting in the yard. Aamod Nerurkar and Aadil Sheikh joined us on our journey back home till Kaman Road for railfanning. At 15:10, WAG7 with the freight load moved towards JNPT via Kopar and PNVL. Our DMU arrived at 15:25 and there were equal number of people waiting to alight and board at BSR. But, by the time we were about to leave, there was enough space for everybody. We decided to door plate. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, and Ulhas Creek Bridge are the famous attractions on this route.At Kaman Road, we bid goodbye to both, Aadil and Aamod and continued our journey to Kopar. The DC substations at all the stations enroute had been abandoned and IR is still to demolish them. It seems they will continue to exist for future generations to take note of them. Our KYN WDM2 17492 was smoking very well. At Bhiwandi a hordes of commuters got in, only to get down at Kopar. In the far south, one can see the tall skyline of the emerging New Thane. We alighted at Kopar at 16:30 and Abhishek Tamhankar was waiting to meet us. After a few minutes of chit-chat, he departed and we boarded a Titwala bound MRVC local. I got down at the next stop, Dombivli and Shantanu continued up till Kalyan, thus bringing to end a wonderful round trip. This journey will be etched in our memories for years to come.

Thank you all for being super patient to read the longest trip report I have ever written.

2 days, 2 unusual controlling of EMUs

I am a regular commuter of the last fast of the day 23:18 Ambarnath from CSTM. Since the past 2 weeks, the DC rake has been replaced by an MRVC rake. The 0111 Konkankanya Express which departs CSTM at 23:05 halts at Platform No 5 at Dadar and Platform No 7 at Thane. The fast EMU normally overtakes 0111 at Thane or Dadar. On few days, when 0111 is already ready to depart from Platform no 7 at Thane, the fast EMU is diverted on the slow track from Thane, taking the longer route and running on the slow lines right uptil Kalyan as there is no traffic on slow lines at that point of time. Most of these runs are interesting as even though our EMU is put on the longer slow track, we are still the first ones to reach Diva outer as 0111 takes time to negotiate the turnouts out of Thane with its customary 24 coaches.

On 10th August, starter was given for 0111 and simulatenously we were put on the slow track, so I was expecting to catch parallel action at Diva outer, but we were in for a surprise. As we approached Diva outer we were switched back onto the fast track and 0111 was still untraceable. I am sure that 0111 had not gone ahead as we were very fast between Kalva and Mumbra with the MRVC rake. I am sure there was no block on the slow track as I waited at Dombivli to see if slow tracks indeed have trains coming from CSTM side. Indeed there were slow down locals arriving on Down Slow platforms.


On 12th August, the 11:58 Fast from DI to CSTM was delayed by more than 35 minutes.Even I was running late and missed the DI starting 11:59 slow local to CST. Hence I decided to take chance and boarded 12:13 Slow local to Thane. After travelling comfortably for 22 minutes I got down at Thane and decided to catch the next fast train coming on Platform no 6. While we were reaching Thane, I had seen Chennai- Mumbai departing from Thane. Luckily, by the time I changed platforms, the same fast local arrived, relatively empty as the regular commuters might have ditched it for the day after listening to the delay announced by PAS. As it was raining, the window seat was empty and I made it my own after wiping the seat clean. As we were trailing Chennai-Mumbai, I was expecting a slow down after Matunga or possibly a wait at Dadar Outer. Surprisingly, we were put on Platform no 5(loop) as Chennai-Mumbai was berthed on through Platform no 6. We also overtook it.

7 trains moving at the same time on 7 tracks at 7 am at CSTM today

It’s been a few months since the 7th line to Mazgaon yard from CSTM had been laid and used for shunting empty rakes from CSTM and back. I commute daily to CSTM from DI and always wanted to see action happening on all 7 tracks simultaneously. At the most I had seen 6 tracks being used by running trains but never 7 at the same time. But today my prayers were answered.


I had caught the 5:57 am Fast local to CSTM from DI. After KJT-Vangani section went AC, a MRVC rake is used for this service. The local was before time today and we left at 5:56 am and All Green was the signal right until Thane outer we sped past Kopar, Diva, and the Parsik Tunnel and finally slowed down and entered Platform No 6 at Thane. We reached at 6:06 am against the scheduled time of 6:10 am. I got down and rushed to Platform no 4 to catch a Thane starting slow local at 6:10. I normally do that to travel with comfort as well as gaze at the M/E trains that whiz past me on the UP and Down fast tracks. As we stopped at Sandhurst Road lower, I could see a harbour UP local approaching Sandhurst Road Upper level station. On the 7 line from the yard, I could see a KYN WDM2 pulling an empty rake of Pushpak Express to CSTM. It was slowly negotiating the turnout of the yard to get into the 7 line. As we started moving towards, Masjid , the UP harbour line local was descending the ramp. Soon we were joined by a WCAM3 21949 hauled 2116 Solapur-Mumbai Siddheshwar Express on the UP fast track. Now we had 4 trains moving in the UP direction. From the corner of the eye, I could spot a DC EMU rake bound to Panvel on the Down harbour line approaching the ramp along with a Down slow train to Thane on the Down slow track. Now we had 6 trains running side by side and I just wanted the Down fast track also to see some action to see my long cherished dream succeed.


To exceed my expectations, a WDP4 20059 with LHF was pulling out Mandovi Express out of CSTM with its 24 coach load. Yes, that completed the much awaited dream. By the time we stopped at Masjid. I was sure that both WCAM3 hauled Siddheshwar Express and WDM2 hauled empty rake of Pushpak express must have got a RED at Masjid as point were not yet cleared by the outgoing Mandovi Express. As soon as Mandovi Express cleared the points, another sight was awaiting me. Both the trains were given an Amber. Pushpak was slowly moving towards the new platforms 16/17 or 18 as I don’t know where it was finally parked. Siddheshwar was running parallel to it on the adjacent line to terminate finally on Platform no 9 and my slow local made its way to platform no 3 at CSTM. It was indeed a good start to the day and I expected a good day at office too. The controllers at CSTM had done a commendable job.

It happens only in Mumbai locals

It is that time of the year when rains batter the Mumbai locals with full thrust. We have a local folklore which goes as follows;” The only thing that can stop Mumbai locals is heavy rains”. As we are already into the monsoon season, the hawkers of mobile phones plastic covers are doing brisk business in the trains. As usual, I was commuting to my office by a Slow local to CSTM for an afternoon shift. I was surrounded by a group of Gujarati traders who get in mostly at Mulund and Ghatkopar and get down at Masjid. They are a real menace, for the amount of noise that they make in the compartment.


A small boy, all of 9-10 years entered our coach at Byculla and started selling plastic covers for cell phones. This group of 7 traders bought one each and after paying off Rs 35 for 7 covers @ Rs. 5 per cover, they were happy that they have managed to buy the covers at dirt cheap rate. As each of them were trying to put their mobile phones into the newly purchased plastic covers, it dawned upon them that out of the 7 , 2 were already torn and by the time they could catch hold of the boy, he had got down at Sandhurst Road Lower. The train had also started moving by then. Many of us within the compartment couldn’t control our emotions and burst into laughter. The 2 unlucky traders however rued the fact for being the butt of everybody’s jokes.

Why is it so difficult to speak the truth?

Since time immemorial, elders have preached the young to speak only the truth, at any cost. Even though they themselves aren’t following the path, they want their off springs to be truth worthy. So why is it so difficult to speak the truth? I will never find answers to these questions…..·

What is the temptation that allows one to follow the wrong path?
Is it the excitement of getting away easily?
Is it the way of telling people around you how clever or street smart you are?
Is it that you are a coward?
Is it the agony of being reprieved for something which you are responsible?
Is it so important to save your face?
Is it necessary to blacken someone else’s face to protect your identity?
Is it the fear of being caught in the act so less that you are ready to brave it, if and when caught? Are you doing it for the sake of fun or is it serious business?
Are you born with it or learnt it while you grew up?
Is it your upbringing or the circumstances that made you commit the crime?

TTE helps in recovering the bag of a WT traveler

It was a sultry Saturday afternoon and as usual I was commuting by a 9 car DC EMU from Dombivali to CSTM to do an afternoon shift in office. I was travelling in the Kalyan End First Class. The journey was monotonous as usual, until a TTE made his presence felt in the compartment. I think he boarded at Mulund and soon managed to catch a second class ticket holder in the corridor itself. As soon as we reached Bhandup, the offender was made to get down from the train along with the TTE and he was asked to shell out money for the offence. All of us inside the compartment were interested in seeing the action outside. As the EMU made its way out of Bhandup station, Someone noticed that a bag was lying in the corridor and after a few curious glances at each other, we arrived at a conclusion that the offender had actually forgot to take his Bag while alighting at Bhandup.

As we reached Vikhroli, someone from our compartment screamed out to the RPF on the platform No 1 to bring this to his notice, but as we had halted only for a few seconds, nothing could be done and the RPF reciprocated saying that he will inform RPF at Sion to collect it. As we reached Ghatkopar, all eyes were looking out for men in Khaki, but no one was visible, same thing followed at Vidyavihar. A few restless commuters tried calling up Railways Protection Force’s Emergency line 022-22620800, but in vain. I could see a few even trying the CR SMS facility. As we reached Kurla, another TTE walked straight into the compartment and took the bag which was still lying in the corridor after a confirmation with the fellow commuters that this was the bag which was left by the offender. He informed us that he was a TTE himself and was instructed by his colleague to collect the lost bag.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and our journey continued………(though no RPF turned up at Sion for the bag)

My Beloved Window Seat Journey to Office

I stay at Dombivli (DI) and commute daily to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai (CSTM) to reach my office at Cuffe Parade. A total of more than 100 kms per day in travelling by all modes of transport including autos, EMUs and BEST buses. The longest part of the journey is covered in the EMUs. Catching a train from Dombivli and securing a seat is next to impossible for a dombivlikar during the rush hour. The only way to secure a seat during rush hour is to travel back to Kalyan Jn. and traverse the same journey back from Kalyan to Dombivli to CSTM, which eats up more than ½ an hour from your daily schedule. There are thousands of commuters who do this day-in and day-out. I am very lucky in this regards as we have 2 shifts, ‘morning’ and ‘afternoon’. The crowd is manageable at 6:00 o’clock and at 1:00 o’clock and there is no need to travel back to Kalyan to secure a seat.

Sundays are different, we have a 9:00-21:00 hrs shift and that means I have the luxury of catching the peak hours’ fast trains and still manage to position myself by the window to catch a glimpse of trains and everything related to railways. Most often, I position my elbow on the window to support my head and go to sleep due to sheer fatigue. Today, I was feeling very fresh even though I had reached home at 01:45 in the late night after taking the last Kasara local which departs CSTM at 00:15. Hence, I decided to spot the trains on my way to the office. I know there would be many railfans who would love to do this daily, but mind you the commute really takes a toll on your life.

I left home at 7:20 and took a share auto to Dombivli and reached the station by 7:35. On all weekdays I talk the Kalyan End FOB and walk straight to platform no 3 to catch the local, but Sundays are different, I alight on platform no 5 and take the fast train. The next scheduled train was a 7:43 fast local to CSTM, I walked up to the Middle First Class and the train arrived sharp at 7:43. It was an MRVC rake. A quick glance into the coach meant there were no window seats available. I decided against boarding it and try my luck with the next fast local. As the EMU left the station, Mumbai –Pune intercity blasted past us from the adjoining down fast line with a WCAM3 at its helm. Unfortunately, the next fast local scheduled was 7:58 and that meant I would reach office late, so I quickly checked the status of Platform No 3 indicator which had a fast train scheduled at 7:50.

With no second thoughts I took the middle FOB and by the time I could alight on platform no 3, the MRVC 2169 series had arrived a full 5 minutes before time. The CSTM End First Class was relatively empty and I managed to secure my beloved window seat facing the 5th-6th lines. We waited for the clock to tick 7:47 and left 3 minutes early against the scheduled departure of 7:50. I don’t recollect where I read this, but it specifically mentioned that all EMUs can leave the stations en-route 3 minutes prior to actual scheduled time except the starting station. So it seems the motorman and guard was adhering to it. In the meanwhile, a WCAM3, 21944 with the Shalimar-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express sped past us on the UP fast tracks. We too joined the race, put couldn’t match it and soon the express won the race. We ran without stopping at Kopar (a paradise for high speed action seekers and freight lovers). You can spot almost everything here with the added attraction of trains criss-crossing at different levels and a triangle in the vicinity. In the far end, I could spot a container rake with caboose on one of the arms of the triangle which goes to Vasai Road, the loco was not visible, most probably it would have been a WAG 5/7.

As we were fast approaching Diva Junction, we managed to meet our competitor WCAM3, 21944 with the LTT bound Shalimar being hauled into the loop platform no 3 at Diva. Was it for an overtake, by an EMU or an Express, I would never know. Soon we were coasting through the platform no 2 at Diva and brakes were being applied by the motorman to reduce the speed of our EMU to crossover to the UP Fast Tracks just after Diva Jn. I could spot at least 300 people waiting on Platform No 5 & 6 awaiting the various non-suburban shuttles that operate from here. The minuscule siding line at the Parsik Tunnel end of Diva had an idling Kalyan(KYN) WDM3A. After we managed to successfully negotiate the crossover points at less than 20 kmph, motorman started accelerating and Mumbra Creek Bridge and Parsik tunnel were traversed at a very good speed. I don’t carry a GPS but rely on the OHE poles to calculate speed, so there is bound to be some deviation in my calculation of speed. Soon the double track line from Vashi was approaching us from the east. It stays by our side right until Thane. There does exist a crossover point, but not used by locals trains as of now. A Vashi bound DC rake crossed us on one side and on the Down fast tracks, Deccan Express sped past us. All in all, the relative speeds experienced were amazing on both sides.

We came to a halt on Platform No 6 at 8:00 against the schedule time of 8:03. On Platform No 7 was the monstrous WDP4 with 0103 Mumbai-Madgaon Mandovi Express. The scenes inside the train were pretty similar to what fellow IRFCAn Abhishek Tamhankar had described on the IRFCA email forum. The train was choc-a bloc with passengers bound for Konkan and Goa. Reserved as well as GS compartments looked alike. We left at 8:02 and slowed down drastically near Kopri Overbridge as the sleepers and the ballast are being replaced in this section. All along the track, we can spot jute bags filled with the debris of the track work. The substation work for AC changeover is progressing well at Kopri. We departed Mulund at 8:06 against the scheduled departure of 8:07. A WDS6 shunter 36239 was spotted at the line which terminates at Mulund Goods Terminal, which is being developed in a big way. Numerous sidings have been built over the period of 2 years for the same. We came to a standstill somewhere between Mulund and Nahur for a minute. On the varied sidings, a KYN 13619 Shakti with empty flatbed rake, a Kurla (CLA) WDS4 19699 with Harsco Track Technology machines and concrete sleepers loaded on Flatbed with another WDS4 could be spotted.

Now we were literally crawling past points one after another due to Temporary Speed Restrictions (TSRs). In the meanwhile a WCAM3 with an unknown express crossed us on the Down fast line. We managed to cross Nahur only by 8:15. Delays had crept up into our schedule and now we were actually running late. The famous TATA Truck on Rails was idle on the 5th Line at Bhandup. The motorman was trying to catch up with the schedule and we were running close to MPS by the time fellow IRFCAn Vijay Aravamudhan’s office at Kanjur Marg was traversed. As we went past the LC gate at Vikhroli, the new LC gate was ready but was not commissioned and the vehicles were allowed to stay put near the old LC gate on the east side near the UP fast tracks.

We again lost speed and started crawling after the Road over bridge (ROB). Re-plastering of the old DC Traction Sub-station (TSS) at Ghatkopar seems to be completed. The 5th-6th lines work is pending at the northern end of Ghatkopar. Tracks need to be laid. There is also a loop line here, which was first brought to my notice by Shantanu Kulkarni. We departed at 8:25 against the scheduled time of 8:19. Again at Vidyavihar the track work of installing the crossovers to fast track lines seems to be in a limbo. CR authorities had admitted their inability in completing the work by June 2010 due to lack of slots for megablocks at Vidyavihar till the Holiday season is over as most of the summer specials run by CR start and terminate at LTT. So don’t expect the services till October 2010. Inside the Vidyavihar trip shed were twin WCG2s, a WCAG1 and a few WCAM3. WCAG1s have been a common sighting this season with a host of summer specials. The Vidyavihar yard had a coal laden goods rake and numerous coaches waiting to be scrapped. It’s a junkyard for Central Railway (CR). We were soon approaching Kurla and a few things that keep bothering me about this station is the gross neglect of the Platform no 9. Why is CR adamant on not using it for EMU shuttle services between Kurla-Panvel or maybe Kurla-Vashi-Thane. I am sure there will be demand for it. The crowd on Platform no 7 and 8 at rush hours is maddening. It is not that Platform no 9 was never used. I remember traveling with my mom to Mankhurd and then by BEST bus 501 Ltd to Vashi in the late 80’s.The rail bridge was under construction and the only way to reach Vashi was the old road bridge or take a State Transport bus detour from Thane. The BEST 501 Ltd is now running on a different route. With Bandra-Kurla Complexes’ proximity to Kurla, the commuters of harbor line deserve this shuttle services as the train from CSTM via Wadala are already filled to the brim. Also there has been no news on the Grade separator design for the freight line which leads to the oil companies at Kurla East. Will it remain a promise unfulfilled? Only time will tell.

We had reached Kurla by 8:30 against the scheduled time of 8:25. On the siding lines were 2 small OHE vans, ‘Godavari’ in Yellow face and Green sides livery and ‘Kaveri’ in the traditional Green/Blue livery. After we left Kurla, a WDP4 hauled Udyan Express to Bangalore sped past us. The EMU was running very close to MPS as I could see Sion go past us. We slowed down after Matunga. A freshly painted 12 car DC rake was visible in the bushes of the Matunga yard, and so were the 3 SWR Shatabdi livery coaches. They have been resting there for some time now. Platform no 7 had a visitor coach today, an Inspection Car was coupled to the rear of the incoming Yeshwantpur-Dadar Chalukya Express which was hauled in by WDMx. A WCAM3 was stuck between the rake and the end buffers of the Platform No 7. Poor guy!

We reached Dadar at 8:36 against the scheduled time of 8:32. There was a 12 car DC rake waiting for a north bound journey on Platform No 5. The Platform No. 6 has undergone a few silent changes, like granite walls near the Station Manager’s Office and the tiles on the flooring have changed. The fluorescent signages have been put up. After we left Dadar and went past Parel workshop, we were zooming at good speed. Parel Workshop has turned into a haven for industrial locos, we have spotted locos from Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant, Bhilai, Rourkela and a host of Kalyan Shakti WDG3A. It augers well for the future of Parel Workshop. Chinchpokli sidings had the CSTM-Karwar Triweekly Superfast express. This train has the best timings for an overnight journey to Madgoan, CSTM dep at 22:15 and reaching Madgaon by 07:30 with very few stoppages. What more could you ask for? I hope the Mumbai-Ernakulam Duranto AC biweekly announced in the rail budget adheres to this timing for CSTM dep, which will make it possible to reach Ernakulam by next evening at Duranto speed. All trains departing from Mumbai to Kerala are in the day time. It would be interesting to see a late evening departure, whereby people can go to office and then come back to board the train You see I can work one more day.. (I am ready for brickbats guys. Please start throwing…hehehehehe..)

We reached Byculla at 8:40 against the scheduled time of 8:38.As we left Byculla, there was a temporary loss of power to the fans in the coach just as we went past the Byculla Bridge. Did the pantograph go down too low resulting in loss of power? God knows. Nagpur Duranto was stabled in the Reconditioning Depot at Mazgaon. That is where it rests all Sunday morning. I have often seen it there. At the Wadibunder coaching depot, I could spot 4 WDS6 shunters and one CLA WDM2. Soon we went under the Rail Bridge at Sandhurst Road. The 7th line to the yard from CSTM has come up in a very good way. CR is utilizing it for empty rakes movement with shunters. After yet another WDP4 with Kolhapur bound Koyan express cleared the way for us, we negotiating the 25 kmph turnout at Masjid. Had to stay put at CSTM outer for 3 minutes and finally managed to reach CSTM by 8:51. The CSTM yard was full of coaches of all configurations, right from the Inspection cars, Janshatabdi coaches, plain SLRs, to rakes of the already arrived Siddheshwar Express from Solapur. A total of 9 WCAM3 could be spotted as far as my eyes could see along with a few diesel locos from various sheds in India, mostly from Kalyan, Erode and Kazipet to name a few.

I did not waste time in roaming around the station. Ventured out and caught hold of the BEST 138 to my office located at Cuffe Parade, reaching there by 9:10 thus bringing to an end to a fruitful railfanning journey by my beloved window seat.

Nikhil Padinjaroot Karunakaran