Kal aur Aaj.. the declining glory of 2442

"Chai le lo"... A terse and shrill voice fell into my ears that raised me from my deep slumber. In half sleep I ignored it.. and perhaps so did other passengers in my bay. Few bays ahead, a commotion grabbed some of my attention, but in search of some more sleep I again chose to ignore it. Few minutes later, another round of "Chai le lo... time ho gaya" (Take tea, its time)... This made the other half of the sleep go away as well. Few seconds later I realised what was the shouting and commotion was all about. It was the shout from the waiter of the 2442 waking up passengers, well rather forcibly, at 0530 in the morning to have morning tea!! And when I finally came to senses, I realised how non sense the things had become onboard 2442!!

The next few paras are full of Rajdhani bashing so if you want some peaceful time ahead, avoid reading further.

It was summer of 2002 (if I recall correctly) when I had my first ride onboard the Rajdhani express. I still remember my excitement of booking the tickets on the newly introduced New Delhi Bilaspur The Rajdhani Express. I had gone to Sarojini Nagar booking counter pillion riding on the scooter with dad. And I had to generously contribute my pocket money of 25 Rs which I had preciously kept in my newly acquired wallet. Being in school wallet wasnt a thing that I had to take to school. But I was feeling a bit grown up to take it with me for booking a Rajdhani ticket. And the perseverance did pay, or atleast I did pay those 25 Rs, out of how much I wont know. The booking clerk's face who booked my first Rajdhani ticket suggested him to be of North East origin. My limited height meant there wasnt much I could peep in the counter. But a sum from dad and my 25 Rs yielded us back a Rajdhani ticket. And then the sleepless nights started. The day of journey was still away but the ticket started giving goosebumps. On the time table, to see a two stop run from New Delhi to NGP was excitement unlimited. And when we had finally boarded The train, I was awestruck by the chilled airconditioner, neatly dressed waiters, fragrance all around, a maroon carpet that welcomed us into the most prestigious class on IR. 

We had a SL/SU and SL/SU on adjacent bays. The announcements started informing us about the travel and so did the rich servings. It was 2040 dep from NDLS on those days, and as soon as the train started we were handed a welcome sweet bun. Everything was plain impressive. The food, the ambience, the personal lights of 2A (it was an airline style white colored light rather than the steel one). The dinner was rich in items and cutlery. It used to take good fine minutes to get the tray in eat-ready condition. So many things to open.. the neatly packed spoon and forks, salad and the curd in the earthen pot. Morning had a chocolate pair, biscuit pair and a thermos-cup combo for the morning tea. Sipping it with the train rolling in the ghats between ET and NGP is an experience beyond my literary capability.

In those days, such was the aura and service of The Rajdhani Express that could make one take the name with respect.

Well, that was good 12 years back. Had a plenty of trips on 2442 and then came its change of schedule and in came the sampark Kranti. All this ensured that trips in 2442 reduced and almost stopped. Last Saturday, the stars aligned to bestow upon me another trip on the 2442. The excitement wasnt as in the 2002 but some of it was still there. Being a railfan always keeps one excited for the special journeys.

The 2442 still sports my favourite ICF livery and this time it had no Duronto mismatch. Pure Rajdhani livery through all (7Bs+5As+1H). EOGs as usual had Shatabdi band as a "jugaad". The livery standing proudly in Pf 15 looked so much more handsome than the dumb LHB livery of Poorva on Pf 16 and DBRT Raj on Pf 14. DBRT Raj had arrived and was empty. Looking at the livery, I was swarmed by the excitement yet again, and felt to be treated like 2002 yet again. But as soon as  stepped inside, I was reminded that it wasnt 2002. And as the journey progressed, I was convinced that we haven't come 12 yrs ahead, we had gone 120 yrs back as far as 2442 is concerned. 

We began from NDLS dot on time, but before NZM itself we had made more stops than what we were scheduled for all the way to NGP! We crawled through NZM a brief sprint near Okhla and again a crawl. When this start stop happened too many times, I surrendered myself to the fate and that crushed my hope of a superfast ride on the fastest section of IR. The run looked on time, but it was nowhere close to what a Rajdhani was supposed to run. We were to allow all greens till two three blocks ahead but the acceleration and deceleration pattern suggested all we were getting were double yellows at best. Bored by these interruptions in the run, I looked for that elusive Rajdhani treatment elsewhere. Soon enough came the first serving from the pantry. 

The tray looked pathetic to say the least. The oiled kachori was a particular eyesore and the tray looked a far ask from photographs one will find on internet onboard other Rajdhanis. Had I taken a picture and posted, it would be censored as "A" from CBFC. The flasks were all gone and so were the chocolates. Tea was served from a big container (the way it is served in other trains) and you had to bring your cups to the container to have your boiled water. Now was that a Rajdhani or a Central Jail? The miserable evening snacks done and I feared the worst for dinner. Meanwhile a fellow Bengali passenger was quick to comment how excellent is Rajdhani food in Eastern twins. I could only nod in affirmation seeing my dear 2442 reduced to trash. 

The non Rajdhani run would continue as we overtook Gondwana and others enroute to MTJ and further to AGC. We had taken a good 30 min more than what we should have taken as per my calculations. The soup meanwhile came even when it wasnt dark outside! And no points in guessing that it was not even warm. Thankfully the pantry guys let the sun go down before serving the dinner. And the dinner was a pure disaster. We were served a plastic spoon! The salad was gone and so was the pickle. The lesser said about prepared food the better. Seeing all this, I could only think that its high time food is made optional in 2442. CGSK food was much better served than this rubbish in 2442. Before JHS, Barista's vanilla cup came and thankfully vanilla never disappoints. Only, second thing that looked unchanged since 2002. JHS arrival was  a good 20 min delayed. By then every penny of excitement had evaporated and I dint bother the quantum of delay since then. 

Morning was supposed to be pleasant but for the episode in the opening paragraph. The pantry guy woke up everybody like a prisoner of Tihar Jail to serve the tea!! Needless to say, he was shouted away from every bay. This is not what you are supposed to do at 5:30 in the morning. Newspapers were missing and the pantry guy kept saying one thing or the other when people asked for the tea at 07:15 or so. I woke up finally at around 0730 and 10 min later we stopped into Gondia. An irritant of a stop for me. If I had my way, I would have let 2442 fly through the station at 10 kmph more than the MPS. The platform and the train looked alien to each other. Noone boarded neither anyone alighted. Looked like an unscheduled halt. And finally came the turn of the breakfast. If dinner was a spoiler, I have no adjectives left to describe breakfast. Again the tea in the jail manner and again the chocolate pair was missing. 

After this ordeal, the classic part was yet to follow. Even after ensuring an inmate like treatment to everyone, the pantry guy came asking for a "tip"!! And some passengers were generous enough to give him some! A sardarji in side lower put a 100 Rs note and stretched his hand out to take back 50Rs note from the tray. At this the pantry guy protested. Sardarji finally took it when he threatened withdrawal of 100Rs! Dad was angry enough and the tip ritual further agitated him. We plainly refused and the PC guy persisted.. "Sahab itna khilaaya pilaaya aapko" (we served you so much).. At this in a controlled anger, Dad shot him back.. "this is your duty". He still persisted and it all looked like begging!! (I am sorry but this is what it all looked like). I only looked out of the window as the train entered Durg maintaining its 20 min delay.

After Raipur, entire B3 was empty save 6-7 passengers. The train though rumbled on and deposited us on BSP Pf 6 at 12:05. The most forgettable timely run I ever had. When I deboarded, the train looked like alien. It was faar from what my 2442 used to be.. the 2442 which I personally enjoyed. 

On a side note, complaint book was thoroughly refused. With everything in shambles, I was left wondering what complaint will do. To complain about one or two things is another issue, but here, everything needed an overhaul. The existence of Rajdhani the class was under threat!

A dream come true...

Romance with trains is something very close to the railfans. It is the ethos which made us what we are. In the world of railways where everything is mechanical it is the emotions of railfan coming into picture that makes us exist. And this phenomena, this attachment, this bonding begins somewhere, somehow. For me, as far as I can recall, and realise, the Shreeganesh of this emotional attachment was on a dark rainy night almost two decades back. We were having dinner in my maternal grandfather's place. The power was out as one would expect in those days. Normally in smaller places post dusk things used to become quite. Lack of power added to the silence. It was dinner time and we were all having our dinner. Just then a sound was heard. This I later learnt is called a Whistle of a train or a horn. That sound amid the light rains increased and then went into oblivion and was accompanied by another sound which today I would call the clitter clatter of rails. It was clear that a kilometer away a train has gone by from our Naila (now Janjgir Naila) station. As it receded and with nothing much to discuss suddenly someone said.. "Mail hogi". I heard it and then listened it. Question arised what is mail? For a child early in his school days, it was easy and fun for others to answer. I was told in an emphasising manner that it is the train that runs between Bombay and Howrah and is running non stop since Bilaspur (45 kms from Naila). Proper emphasis was also laid on the fact that it runs on time. Always at around dinner time we can hear it pass. The sermons were bestowed as an order, and I took them as a 'farmaan' to accept the supermacy of the Bombay Howrah mail and probably it was expected that next time this topic came up for discussion I should always have a mental note of the punctuality ready.

This particular incident made my mind fly. The mere thoughts like Non stop, fast, on time etc etc led to various pictures in my mind. I was a traveller on Nagpur Tata passenger at that time for my journeys from Kamptee (near NGP) to Naila. And  that led to the first railway comparison for me. The comparison between the pathetic NGP-Tata passenger and the holy Bombay Howrah mail. And thats when the romance started. The awe for the unknown unseen but yet realised. I was yet to see the mail. I had painted countless pictures of the same.

And as they say you always get to hear what you always want to hear. Soon the folk stories about mail started coming to me. I was always delighted rather looking forward to a mere mention. So much grew the attachment that when we were told to write my first telegram in school (not particularly that year but sometime later) I proudly mentioned 8001 Bombay Howrah mail in the subject! And boy how delightful I felt on that day!

Our bread and butter Tata NGP passenger used to depart from NIA at night. And later as I came to know the holy mail used to dash through our station only some time before. How I always ished it to be running late so that I could atleast look at it ones. But as the folkfore had told, you can always bet on the punctuality of mail.

Later on as the days passed and I saw a thing called the railway time table. With my interest growing in railways it looked like a goldmine! And what did I searched for first of all... the Bombay Howrah mail! And as the days progressed I was made aware of a phenomenon called Geetanjali. At first it was hard to believe that something ever was faster than the holy mail! And Geetanjali express was the second addition to that worship list of mine. Somewhere, somehow I always wished to see either of the two. First encounter with Gitanjali was not that far. It was again courtesy NGP-Tata passenger. We were waiting for it in Kamptee pf 1. When that exciting green signal was there. Dad said it could be for the Gitanjali and I then ordered my eyes do all the hard work. I was looking into the horizon as far as I could make out for that headlight of Gitanjali. Soon it appeared grew bigger and bigger with a shrill horn and went going and going. I was already its disciple so it felt as if it was going at a pace of not in a mood to stop. I had seen in that in the TT that it would stop next at Gondia and after two more stops it would be into Bilaspur! So quick I thought and here we were ready to spend more than 12 hours in our Tata NGP!

But still that rubaru with the coveted Bombay Howrah mail was pending. And it happened unexpectedly. I was voca about my love for the mail at home. And my cousins teased me a lot over this which they all considered strange. And then one day the mail silenced all their doubts. We were part of a marriage procession towards Raigarh and came stop at a level crossing. Incidentally some of my cousins (still our school days) who for me dared to dent the supermacy of mail were with me. The wait grew and grew and then the moment arrived. The loco with its beaming headlight passed at a sedate pace. And then just after the loco came the board that I always wanted to see... the board that read crisp and clear "Bombay Howrah Mail"! I literally screamed and looked in awe as the looong consist went by. It might have been a simply a routine pass but for me it was The mail. I looked with awe as coach after coach glided past smartly, The pace was like it was an exhibition. And as it felt to charm its disciple, to rest the doubts of fellow cousins, it went on increasing its pace. By the time its tiny flickering light went out the mail had made its mark. It had made me believe even more so that the love, romance was not misplaced.

And since then it had been many many times I have spotted this magical train. And on most occassions it had made me surrender to its supermacy. The aura of mail is certainly hard in me to diminish! The actual ride on mail came to me after a looong loong time as a person who had crossed his silver jubilee.   

Shatibdiised from New Delhi to Bhopal!

When you succeed to plan you feel good, when what you planned succeeds you feel great and when you succeed as you planned the feeling is stellar
Something similar happened to me at the fall of 2010. December was traditionally never the brightest in terms of my rail travels. But things changed for good as the year ended and I got my two trips. One was NDLS-JAT and one was NDLS-BSP. The best part was I had to travel alone to BSP and I had a reasonably good number of days at my disposal as vacations. In short, I could think of a Railfan’s connection from NDLS to BSP.
And to make the most of the occasion, I decided to fulfil a long pending wish.. and that was to take the magical 2002 till Bhopal and then anything to BSP. And as it finalised, this “anything” later as booked was Amarkantak Superfast Exp from BPL to BSP.
When every bit fell into place, what emerged was NDLS – BPL by 2002 on 18th Dec. Irctc was kind enough to grant me a Window Seat. And my heart was bumping with joy. Almost daily I stared at the ticket for a min or two and every time my spirit went for a joyride. I just couldn’t wait for the thrill of the fastest run possible on IR.
The only worry was F.O.G.!! 18th Dec is the time of the year for which even the Mausam Bhawan at Lodhi Road cant tell whether there will be fog or not! I just prayed as I dint wish to miss the 150kmph bazooka!
The build up to the d-day were sedate. No threatening spell of fog made up the headlines and I tried hard to stay optimistic. The other trouble with fog was if it delays 2002, in all probability I was to miss the Amarkantak .
The morning, I woke up before alarm at 3.45! Before going to the mirror, I jumped up, wore my spects and looked at the heavens. Relieved I was to see a clear sky! I prayed again for a clear day ahead. Morning chores done, I locked home by 04.50 and was on my society gate 5 min later. The taxi wala duly came as appointed and we sped towards NDLS Paharganj side.
The expanse of the roads in Delhi comes to the fore at such an unearthy hour and I could only admire as we zipped through to destination. On the way my taxi-walla asked me...
“Kaun si gaadi loge Sahab?” (Which train will you take Sir?).. I was startled, not by the fact that he said me Saheb as I am still 20 something but it was like getting woken up from sleep when I was dreaming about the day as it was to unfold.
“Shatabdi” I responded not interested to reveal the further details. Again I immersed into 2002 dream.
“Kahaan ke liye?”
“Bhopal”. Again I said reluctantly.
“Arre sahib wo to bahut tez chalti hai”. “150 pe jayegi Agra tak”. He said as a matter-of-factly. Instantly as a nuclear chain reaction all my senses came to life. I felt sooo good to hear the praise of the mighty shatabdi from my cab driver. He revealed how he has seen Shatabdi rip through Ballabhgarh (from where he hails) Level Crossing. His each word of appreciation for the king fuelled my excitement and anticipation.
In the open Delhi roads it took just 15-20 min to reach outside pf1 of NDLS from my home. It was about 1 hr for the king to depart. C7 was to come just as one enters from the main gate of NDLS. No FOB, no walking. It was becoming as simple as it can get. I had Samit Da’s Atlas (for the first time) and TT for company. But I had missed something....... A Pen!!!!!  Immediately bought one from the book shop in pf1.
0549 I was blessed with the first looks of THE train. The moment for which I had waited all my life was here. It was renewed love at first sight when I saw 30222 snaking in with brightly lit swanky coaches of the Linke Hoffman Bosche make in an equally brightly lit pf1 of NDLS. The loco had its markers on and that added to the setting.
The train had LED boards and the station had digital charts for W/L status. Looked impressive. Pantry Car staff had taken their positions to load in their ifs and buts for the journey ahead. And so was a not-so-heavy crowd with a fair presence of people from across the borders. “Taj bound folks” came the first thought. And I focussed back on the Shatabdi. Entered into the train with a feeling of dream coming true. And thankfully weather was clear still. I duly got my window seat. Once sit I opened the tray, took out my new Pen, atlas, TT and settled down.
Sitting there I wished the LPs luck . “C’mon boys, give me the full blast!!” This was my chance to see what Priority means on IR! Meanwhile my co-passengers were somewhere from Eastern neighbourhood. And they clicked everything from the Morning tea plate to Breakfast to what not. In front of me was a lady with her very naughty boy and an extremely cute little girl. The little girl when sat on the chair, the chair looked BIIIG.. So small she was.. .. And from NDLS her first of many questions to her mom was “Mumma Chambal kab aayegi..?”. This made me smile while people along side me chit chattied each other. I was now eagerly waiting for 0615. As soon as the watch struck the numbers, we started moving ahead with a nice jerk. 11 coaches with EOG was nothing for the mighty beast incharge ahead. As soon as we started we slowed and came to a halt. And so did all my expectations of mighty speed. It felt like all set for the movie and power off. I tried my best to remain positive and seconds in halt passed like decades. Meanwhile LKO Shat moved out from wat looked like pf9 and our halt ensured that I was to miss the parallel action. Anyways, it was something else I was looking forward to.
Nevertheless, we moved again and this time it was the real Shreeganesh of yet another magical performance by 2002. Just that this time I was on board too. The white ahead swiftly took us out of Shivaji Brdge, Tilak bridge. Saw empty rake of Samata Exp and Taj Exp in NZM COD which were to start a few hrs later. It was 06.30 and we moved swiftly through NZM. It had already witnessed some morning arrivals and looked busy as usual. The large windows made the sighting even more wonderful. By now I could safely declare to myself that there was not going to be any severe fog. As the sun emerged, the horizon went on going farther and clearer. 06.37 we were moving through Okhla and 06.46 we we were flying through Ballabhgarh. (29 kms ex NZM in 16 min, 109 kmph). (*please note that the distances are taken from erail and I dint have a GPS to substantiate it) We slowed down again at 06.55 to negotiate a SR of 20 kmph. As a result it took us 10 min from BVH to cross Asaoti at 06.57. Palwal was dispatched at 07.02 (11 kms in 5 min, 132 kmph!!!). And thus we kept rising. The ride was turning out to b what I had desired. Inspite of the SR, it was great how the train resumed its high speed run. Rundhi, Sholaka, Hodal Banchari etc all were crossed in a jiffy as we rocketed our way through to Kosi. Just after Hodal, we slowed down again till Kosi and crossed it at 07.28. We crossed Punjab Mail here which was the culprit for slow run. Once we had cleared Punjab Mail, we again went on a rampage. 41 kms till Mathura was covered in 18 min which converts to Avg speed in this section at 137 kmph!! The large windows of the Shatabdi was making the journey even more enjoyable. By 07.44 we had halted at the MTJ Pf 1 after making a grand entry. And even after such a helluva run we were delayed by 11 min!! I guess Punjab Mail and SR of 20 kmph is chiefly responsible for this.
07.46 we were out of MTJ and moved swiftly through approaching wayside stations. By 08.18 we were already in AGC city limits but again we moved pretty slowly. Picked up again at Raja ki Mandi and went through at MPS of 80 kmph at 08.25 and at 08.30 we marched into AGC pf 1. As expected the train almost got empty here. But surprisingly (for me atleast) people started filling up again.
MAS Duronto bound for NZM was there at pf 2 or 3. We had crossed BCT Raj somewhere near Kosi I guess. We were served breakfast duly before AGC and passengers boarding at AGC were served breakfast again! Nice I thought.
We started again and I said goodbye to 150 capable stretch. Although we reached AGC late but we did peaked summits in terms of speed and had a longish stretch of full throttle inbetween as well. Overall I would say I was very happy the way we negotiated the fastest stretch on IR.
0855 we crossed Jajau, 26 kms from AGC in abt 25 min and looked a marked slower than what was before AGC. 0902 we sped passed Mania at full throttle. 14 kms in 7 min means we were back in business. 0908 we had rumbled through Dhaulpur which meant we were continuing our 120 kmph blast. At 0912 we were crossing Chambal which looked absolutely serene through the large LHB windows. Less than 3 hrs after departing NDLS, we were into Chambal where the little girl in front of my seat wanted to be for so long. In these three hours she had taken a nap or two as well. And stared through the large wide windows with her eyes extra-widely opened. She looks impressed to say the least. 0922 we were into Morena. 28 kms from Dholpur in 14 min!! Which meant we were keeping pace. However globally we were 20 min delayed. We exited 2 min later and crossed Rairu at excellent speed after a slow run for couple of min. We were peaking again as we zipped through Rairu at 09.44. 09.50 we had reached near GWL washing lines and 0955 we were into GWL.
Quite a few passengers boarded the train here. Meanwhile we had slashed few min of our delay between Morena and GWL. We again sped through the majestic rock cuttings, criss crossed with our fellow track, negotiated a horse shoe and passed Dabra at 10.25. Less than 30 min for a journey of 42 kms. It was 1030 when we moved slowly through Kotra.
1105 we were into pf 1 of JHS. We were on time since GWL here and it was time to bid good bye to a terrific pair of LPs who had made my day. On pf 3 was LHB rake of GKP-LTT Exp marked NE. Exactly after an 8 min halt we bade good bye to pf 1 of JHS. Kudos to the JHS station staff for a timely despatch.
Finally at 11.45 we had the first unscheduled halt!! After more than 430 kms of run since morning had we halted somewhere. And till we had made a halt, I dint realise this!! We halted for a good 7 min however. We strated again and crossed Lalitpur at 12.20. 90 kms ex JHS in a little over 1 hr. Considering a halt of almost 7 min inbetween this was mighty impressive. By 1250 we had skipped Bina. That means another 63 kms or so in half an hour flat. (120 kmph +). We had a literal signal free fly pass in this stretch and we were probably to cover the accumulated delay. Certainly for the last 550 kms or so we were enjoying top priority.
After lunch, all my attention and early rising started taking a toll on my eyes and unwantedly I went into a sleep. I woke up sensing the train had halted. I went to the door and we had halted just after Ganj Basoda I guess. We had moved fairly ahead of the station and that was my guess looking towards the station. Something had happened as some of the train crew were busy on something. We had halted for a good 15 min and this would affect our punctuality. I couldn’t know what was the trouble but was relieved when we were up and running again. We skipped Vidisha next at 13.58 ie 40 kms in about 25 min or so meant we were back in business again.
Final leg of 53 kms we covered in 27 min (115 kmph+). To me it was the most relentless speedy run I had ever done or imagined. We entered BPL at 1425 with a delay of 20 min which was due to SR of 20 kmph, trailing Punjab Mail, 3 instances of slow runs, Halt at Matatila for 7 min and 15 min unscheduled halt at Ganj Basoda. Unitary method suggests that sometimes we did brilliantly than what we were scheduled to do and thats what made this train special.
I finally got out at BPL Pf1 and moved to pf2 for Amarkantak. From pf2 I admired the king as long as it was there and as long as I could see it after its departure.
Finally there was no fog, no major interruptions and Shatabdi had indeed lived upto its reputation. It had indeed delivered with aplomb what all I had expected and infact a bit more. I took this trip for pure railfanning spirits and hats of to the king for such a royal treatment.
It may be a routine for all the folks in making this run of 2002/1 possible and it may be nothing to other set of passengers but for a railfan it is the ultimate at present in IR. A real pride of IR and a real jewel. What does HIGH SPEED means one has to sit in and feel.
At the end of it all I was nothing but feeling stellar!!!
Thanks for patient reading. I have tried my best to report accurately but this report is coming about 2 and a half months after I had taken the trip. Kindly excuse the errors.

Riding the GM special!!

PS: Dont worry, I was not in the GMs saloon!

But yes, GMs saloon was attached to CGSK on that fine evening. GM, WCR holding Additional charge of SECR then was on an inspection trip to SECR. On the day, he was inspecting Pendra Road (Between BSP and KTE). His inspection got over, his saloon was attached to the rear of our Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti Express till Katni Murwara. So, I am encouraged to call our CGSK as GM special from Pendra Road to KTE! (I am not aware if this practice is prevalent in IR or not but I take the cue from the movie Airforce one.. wherein the US Prez in the movie makes a dramatic escape out of his actual Air force one and the plane in which he was received, Hercules C130 it was I guess, transmitted a message of changing its flight code from current to Air force one!)

Coming back, to make the run special and to add to the might of the GM special we had the white beauty of GZB with single dark red ribbon at the helm which superbly supplemented the all greens it got, effortlessly negotiating gradients, curves and snaking with the 23 coach load on the moonlit night. Needless to say with the GM riding the train, any interruptions, delays in the run were out of question..

As far as I remember correctly we had a timely departure from BSP. Me along with my brother and mom were at A1 near the rear end of the train. I had no idea that a ride with the GMs saloon was in store ahead. Everything was as usual with the negotiating of Khongsara Khodri ghats. Pendra Road is the first stoppage for CGSK after BSP. When Pendra Road arrived, I was surprised when we were admitted in pf2. Since passenger traffic is not that heavy in this single line stretch, normally up and down express trains are usually admitted in pf1. In all my runs through Pendra I have noticed my Utkal/CGSK being admitted in pf1 in both directions. The halt in pf2 of pendra went on and on. Curious I went to the door to find almost every head on the pf looking towards the rear of the train. Some shunting activity was going on. On enquiry, the attendant of our coach revealed that GMs saloon is being attached. Since the platform was not long for CGSK to accomodate completely, it ended just after our coach. All the UR passengers had to run beyond the pf to get in. This was one of the drawbacks of having a saloon attached. Had we got pf1, entire rake would have got in. Perhaps GM was more important for authorities than passengers!

As shunting was involved, the halt at Pendra Road was pretty long. Being winter days, it started getting dark by the time we were leaving Pendra. Meanwhile, some 3-4 railway personnel got into our bay. As i shared the bay I could hear some railway gossiping. I tell you, as a railfan I enjoyed it a lot! :-) Just as we were about to start, one of them chatted on his cellphone. As he was talking I could make out one of their colleagues was in the loco and he was chatting. With GMs saloon attached, are some senior officials also deployed in the loco? He asked jokingly "kitni der mein pahunchaoge katni GM sahab ko?" (How much time it will take for GM sir to reach Katni?) I was framing the thoughts of live coverage from that cab but alas that was not to be. Shunting completed, it was time for the Ghazi warrior to gallop ahead. We moved ahead. I am sure the entire Pendra staff would have sighed a breath of relief having sent off the GM!

One of them started reading TOI on his phone and shared the news item of WR removing PSRs that had appeared in the paper. All of them expressed surprise with the print media keeping track of PSR removal! I asked one of them sitting next to me about the MPS of the stretch. He answered "90". Then I asked if P4/P7 really made any improvement over the M4s in this stretch? He said "yes". He said WAM4 struggles with the CGSK load and a P4/P7 is much better. (I thought with all of IRFCA around, he would have made equal number of frnz and enemies with this fact!) Their gossiping continued with the peculiar observations made during the inspection. While I could feel that outside the CGSK was piercing the heartland at MPS. Whenever we had an SR, P7 would conjure up a magic in picking up. In the single line stretch till Anuppur, no loop line crossings, no slowdowns, no silly business. It was plane MPS riding!

We halted punctually at APR. From the door I could notice some activity near the saloon. From Anuppur, it was double line and P7 started rocking again. Amlai, Burhar were rocketed past in a flash and we sped towards our next halt Shahdol. At SDL the railway folks got down. Again the halt was precise and we moved ahead.

After SDL, the route is everything but straight. I headed to the door. The cool blast of wind was a touch discomforting but I didnt want to miss the stupendous night action. And boy I wasnt disappointed either. One of my best doorplating experiences! We flied past the landscape, obliging the greens. The panto spark and station tubelights which we were crossing in a flurry made the setting even more thrilling. Nowrozabad, Umaria (the station from which the tropic of cancer passes) too were dispatched in a flurry.

It seemed that we would reach KTE well before time inspite of the elaborate proceedings we had witnessed at Pendra Road. The moments of the entire trip was the superbly, terrific non stop MPS run from Umaria to Katni. The Rupaund skip being the most fascinating. This station is on the curve. The train literally swayed as it negotiated the curve. Suddenly the tublights appeared out of the curve and went flashing by in a jiffy. In the process posing a brilliant display of lighting on the rake of the train. Peeping out of the door, I could say the experience was seriously fantastic!

Now came the critical moment. I was doing head and tail in my mind wether we would get a smooth entry into KMZ (Katni Murwara), without an irritating red in the NKJ yard courtsey us being the GM special or will the customary halt-before-you-go reception prevail. I had thought only if we get a perfect non stop entry into KMZ, I will believe the repute of GM! (A railfan's mind please.. ) My heartbeats started increasing as we were nearing NKJ. Soon the lights started appearing. I could not see the signals ahead, but we had slowed down a touch. We were not galloping now. My heart started sinking as I could sense the speed decreasing even further through the NKJ yard. I was almost cursing KMZ for not respecting their GM when I almost yelled in jubilation as I could see the ramp of KMZ! Which meant we had indeed crossed the KMZ yard without stopping although slowpaced but indeed a miracle nonetheless! But still I wanted completely unhindered entry into KMZ for the perfect reception and so we were granted! In royal style we were at 0 kmph at SDL pf and then we were 0 kmph again only at KMZ! No stopping in between. Now that was a truly GM special class run! Fast, non stop, all greens and mighty! The P7 ahead indeed made the experience even more enriching!

We shelled our GM special tag at KMZ with the shunter taking away the saloon to KTE. Now we were again just another train on the vast IR expanse! All the might of the dusk was squared up in the morning when we were held up before NZM countless times for overtakes! AP, KK, BCT Raj almost everyone overtook us at will!

NZM-NGP-BSP, KSK, Shivnath

I have been wishing to travel by this connection from NZM to BSP. Many reasons, first being I had never been to any other SK besides CGSK, second being I had never seen the JHS-BPL section in broad daylight, third I wanted to enjoy day time non stop run of SK. NZM-NGP with two commercial halts amply justified this wish.

As this was a hurriedly planned trip no time for any booking or anything. It was decided on Fri night that I have to leave for BSP on Sat. I first thought of Samta till R and then the first availabe train. But I settled for KSK-Shivnath link confident that even if I miss Shivnath, I can atleast catch Samta from NGP till R and proceed thereafter.

0530 on Sat reached NZM. Before this please allow me to describe Delhi so early in the morning. It had rained fully for the last two days and hence it mean a fresh surroundings. I strated from m place at Delhi Cantt to NZM. Barely managed to get an auto and he made full use of this opportnity for himself and charged 140 Rs! Left with no other auto in sight I obliged and w went through the green turned greener cantonment area.. through to Daula Kuan and it was jammed!! 5 in the morning is no time for a traffic jam but still Dhaula Kuan was jammed!! Lots of trucks n the closed left cloverleaf for Ring Road towards Motibagh was the reason. Finally the auto moved out and into the NDMC area. What a scene and what a run. Terrefic, the Delhi roads looked and felt awesome. The roundabouts the sodium lights all were really captivating.

Well finally touched into NZM at 0540 or so. Went to the "Current Reservation Counter" at pf 1 (old entrance, non-comesum one) and asked for accomodation in KSK. He happily gave me a berth without charging anything extra not even the Tatkal fare!! My name was listed in a saperate chart. The train was quite empty but I was not aware that such a facility exists, I just went for askance.

Then I went to UTS counter (near Comesum) to ask for a NGP-BSP ticket but I was denied!! I thought its possible to get a ticke from anwhere to anywhere under UTS. Anyways went in to catch the arivals. Prominently SBC Raj came in at Pf3 with LGD-P4 and few min later GT with a LGD P4!! (ED??) Thirukkural Exp to CAPE left with AJJ WAP1 and my KSK was to be hauled by AJJ WAM4..

I settled in a near empty train expecting a decent non stop run. We started on time and halted right on top of THE NALLAH!! Pillars are coming over it any idea what are they for? We moved after a good 10 min and stopped again at Ballabhgarh. Till then it was a decent run. After that we moved swiftly out of Palwal and other wayside stations. We crossed MTJ at a good speed (more than 20kmph), good speed coz CGSK crosses painfully slow and doesnt gives the impression of SKIPPING the station..:-) AK Raj was on pf2, i missed its loco but SAIL ads were prominently seen!!

Again a decent non stop run till AGC where we crawled. Met Kerela bound for NDLS with LGD P4! Where are all EDs gone?? Again I was wondering where it got this? ERS?

Chambal was crossed at a good speed and we went through GWL uninterrupted. Menawhile PC guys served Egg Cury Paratha for 50 Rs!! Saw beautiful curves which I had earlier seen only in moonlight. Crossed Punjab Mail somewhere led by a GZB P1 (guesing from the livery). Datia came and went. And so did other stations. We reached JHS on time at pf2. Chhattigarh Exp bound for ASR was leaving from Pf5 and APSK bound for NZM was entering Pf3. Chhattisgarh with a GZB P4 and APSK with a LGD P4. Crew change means I cud enjoy ever delicious Shreekhand. AJJ Wammie was doing well with (half empty) 23 coach load. Heap of HCPVs.

The station that interested me most was Babina. We halted there for a good 10 min and by the people standing around in the pf I could guess it has got a big cantonement area. An almost exclusive military siding confirmed this. Green liveried military train was standing there. Punjab mail (trailing us) and Jhelum (to NZM)
were announced. We crossed Lalitpur non stop which came later than I expected.

We proceded on our way to BINA and I could see the under construction Bina refinery at a distance on Right side. Crossed Bina with a halt and through the small ghats to BPL. I was expecting BPL Shat for NDLS in full speed when I saw a few greens on the other trck. But I was disappointed to see it standing midway!! The loco staff were down probably inspecting something.

We were 20 min late into BPL's pf 1. After BPL the run which I always enjoy the most. Ghats, green and curvy. Narmada, Hoshangabad all really make a mesmerising evening. Budhni Ghats are a treat always and so is Maramjhiri-Dharakho h. Before the latter we halted into ET. And as we were moving in Amarkantak to Durg (via KTE) was moving towards KTE. ET ELS was crowded with many locos. But distinct was one shining GZB beauty. I forgot its road number but it was shining and GZB for sure.

Encountered GT just before entering Hoshangabad thankfully with a ED P4 this time. Dusk and night settled in as I plugged in my MP3 player. We looked on course for a timely NGP arrival and I was confident of catching Shivnath. We pulled into NGP within 5-10 min of scheduled Arrival time. Aha good old NGP. A nice place to be always. The cute little NG train was ready for departure. Passengers were all set. First time I saw an NG train at night and it was a pretty sight indeed.

I moved to the UT counters for a ticket upto BSP. I asked a TTE at gate if I could find the staff for Shivnath (I hoped that a lot of berths d be empty). But it was not to be! The guy directed me to the Duty room of TTEs and the TTE there told me the train is packed! I asked him if any chance for a berth enroute. He asked me to check after Kamptee. As soon as I said OK he asked to give a fine amount 313 Rs. (SL price is 187 Rs around I guess). I asked what for and he replied I will be travelling SL with a UR ticket. I said I have not even stepped in the train!! He got busy with another passenger and I managed to sneak out. I didnt wish to get involved with him coz if UR is crowded I will have to ask for an SL once again.

So I thought let the train arrive and see the UR condition. If its manageable I will go in it otherwise go to TTE once again. The train arrived late. (It comes in as 2855 BSP-NGP i/c and leaves as Shivnath). The transition of crowd was noteworthy. like DMRC's Rajeev Chowk!! But strangely once the 2855 folks cleared the place the UR looked relatively empty!! I managed to get a window side seat although I entered the coach last! We moved out well after our scheduled departure time. Halted at Itwari.. (pf6??) I slept after that only to be awake at G and later Durg. But the passengers only alighted and noone boarded the train.

I doubt if even SL was this much empty!! Reached BSP around 45 min late. Loco was BIA Wam 4.

This was one of the trips taken at a shortest notice

NZM-NGP-BSP, KSK, Shivnath

I have been wishing to travel by this connection from NZM to BSP. Many reasons, first being I had never been to any other SK besides CGSK, second being I had never seen the JHS-BPL section in broad daylight, third I wanted to enjoy day time non stop run of SK. NZM-NGP with two commercial halts amply justified this wish.

As this was a hurriedly planned trip no time for any booking or anything. It was decided on Fri night that I have to leave for BSP on Sat. I first thought of Samta till R and then the first availabe train. But I settled for KSK-Shivnath link confident that even if I miss Shivnath, I can atleast catch Samta from NGP till R and proceed thereafter.

0530 on Sat reached NZM. Before this please allow me to describe Delhi so early in the morning. It had rained fully for the last two days and hence it mean a fresh surroundings. I strated from m place at Delhi Cantt to NZM. Barely managed to get an auto and he made full use of this opportnity for himself and charged 140 Rs! Left with no other auto in sight I obliged and w went through the green turned greener cantonment area.. through to Daula Kuan and it was jammed!! 5 in the morning is no time for a traffic jam but still Dhaula Kuan was jammed!! Lots of trucks n the closed left cloverleaf for Ring Road towards Motibagh was the reason. Finally the auto moved out and into the NDMC area. What a scene and what a run. Terrefic, the Delhi roads looked and felt awesome. The roundabouts the sodium lights all were really captivating.

Well finally touched into NZM at 0540 or so. Went to the "Current Reservation Counter" at pf 1 (old entrance, non-comesum one) and asked for accomodation in KSK. He happily gave me a berth without charging anything extra not even the Tatkal fare!! My name was listed in a saperate chart. The train was quite empty but I was not aware that such a facility exists, I just went for askance.

Then I went to UTS counter (near Comesum) to ask for a NGP-BSP ticket but I was denied!! I thought its possible to get a ticke from anwhere to anywhere under UTS. Anyways went in to catch the arivals. Prominently SBC Raj came in at Pf3 with LGD-P4 and few min later GT with a LGD P4!! (ED??) Thirukkural Exp to CAPE left with AJJ WAP1 and my KSK was to be hauled by AJJ WAM4..

I settled in a near empty train expecting a decent non stop run. We started on time and halted right on top of THE NALLAH!! Pillars are coming over it any idea what are they for? We moved after a good 10 min and stopped again at Ballabhgarh. Till then it was a decent run. After that we moved swiftly out of Palwal and other wayside stations. We crossed MTJ at a good speed (more than 20kmph), good speed coz CGSK crosses painfully slow and doesnt gives the impression of SKIPPING the station..:-) AK Raj was on pf2, i missed its loco but SAIL ads were prominently seen!!

Again a decent non stop run till AGC where we crawled. Met Kerela bound for NDLS with LGD P4! Where are all EDs gone?? Again I was wondering where it got this? ERS?

Chambal was crossed at a good speed and we went through GWL uninterrupted. Menawhile PC guys served Egg Cury Paratha for 50 Rs!! Saw beautiful curves which I had earlier seen only in moonlight. Crossed Punjab Mail somewhere led by a GZB P1 (guesing from the livery). Datia came and went. And so did other stations. We reached JHS on time at pf2. Chhattigarh Exp bound for ASR was leaving from Pf5 and APSK bound for NZM was entering Pf3. Chhattisgarh with a GZB P4 and APSK with a LGD P4. Crew change means I cud enjoy ever delicious Shreekhand. AJJ Wammie was doing well with (half empty) 23 coach load. Heap of HCPVs.

The station that interested me most was Babina. We halted there for a good 10 min and by the people standing around in the pf I could guess it has got a big cantonement area. An almost exclusive military siding confirmed this. Green liveried military train was standing there. Punjab mail (trailing us) and Jhelum (to NZM)
were announced. We crossed Lalitpur non stop which came later than I expected.

We proceded on our way to BINA and I could see the under construction Bina refinery at a distance on Right side. Crossed Bina with a halt and through the small ghats to BPL. I was expecting BPL Shat for NDLS in full speed when I saw a few greens on the other trck. But I was disappointed to see it standing midway!! The loco staff were down probably inspecting something.

We were 20 min late into BPL's pf 1. After BPL the run which I always enjoy the most. Ghats, green and curvy. Narmada, Hoshangabad all really make a mesmerising evening. Budhni Ghats are a treat always and so is Maramjhiri-Dharakho h. Before the latter we halted into ET. And as we were moving in Amarkantak to Durg (via KTE) was moving towards KTE. ET ELS was crowded with many locos. But distinct was one shining GZB beauty. I forgot its road number but it was shining and GZB for sure.

Encountered GT just before entering Hoshangabad thankfully with a ED P4 this time. Dusk and night settled in as I plugged in my MP3 player. We looked on course for a timely NGP arrival and I was confident of catching Shivnath. We pulled into NGP within 5-10 min of scheduled Arrival time. Aha good old NGP. A nice place to be always. The cute little NG train was ready for departure. Passengers were all set. First time I saw an NG train at night and it was a pretty sight indeed.

I moved to the UT counters for a ticket upto BSP. I asked a TTE at gate if I could find the staff for Shivnath (I hoped that a lot of berths d be empty). But it was not to be! The guy directed me to the Duty room of TTEs and the TTE there told me the train is packed! I asked him if any chance for a berth enroute. He asked me to check after Kamptee. As soon as I said OK he asked to give a fine amount 313 Rs. (SL price is 187 Rs around I guess). I asked what for and he replied I will be travelling SL with a UR ticket. I said I have not even stepped in the train!! He got busy with another passenger and I managed to sneak out. I didnt wish to get involved with him coz if UR is crowded I will have to ask for an SL once again.

So I thought let the train arrive and see the UR condition. If its manageable I will go in it otherwise go to TTE once again. The train arrived late. (It comes in as 2855 BSP-NGP i/c and leaves as Shivnath). The transition of crowd was noteworthy. like DMRC's Rajeev Chowk!! But strangely once the 2855 folks cleared the place the UR looked relatively empty!! I managed to get a window side seat although I entered the coach last! We moved out well after our scheduled departure time. Halted at Itwari.. (pf6??) I slept after that only to be awake at G and later Durg. But the passengers only alighted and noone boarded the train.

I doubt if even SL was this much empty!! Reached BSP around 45 min late. Loco was BIA Wam 4.

This was one of the trips taken at a shortest notice

NZM-BSP in Gondwana Exp, june 09

It has been a long time I have posted something in irfca. Last post was perhaps in the Lalu era. Somehow the railfanning took a loop line and couldnt get a proceed from there. Now finally it seems that the "clear" has been given and the notches are on the way up.

I had to do a NZM-BSP-NDLS round trip sometime in the second week of june. As the student life is over and so is the training, the professional life is demanding tight schedules. So much so that I was tempted to take a flight, something which I have not done till now. But somewhere deep down the railfan prevails... which tempted me to take the Great Indian Railway once again.So as it turned out to be, I had work in office till 1230 in Delhi on Thursday and had to reach Raipur rather 100 kms away from Raipur as soon as possible on Friday for a family function. Options avalable Rajdhani at 2040 from NDLS or Gondwana at 1530 hrs from NZM. I decided for the latter.

Due to last minute programme I managed a sleeper class tatkal confirmed ticket in an otherwise packed train. The ticket indicated Side Lower.I was excited. But the June heat was really threatening. It was literally boiling hot inside the comprtment as the rake moved in pf 4 of NZM. The honours went to a BSL wammie. We started on time and picked up decent speeds till outskirts of FBD. But the run was not smooth. It was marred by some slowing down and even halt. Meanwhile the sun baked the rake relentlessly and was in no mood of mercy. Just as we were about to enter Palwal we came to a grinding halt. But surprsingly the clouds made their presence felt and first relief from the heat. But sooner I realised that its almost 20 min now and my sole purpose o taking this train was to reach Raipur on time! ! The halt stretched to 40 min still no sign of any chance of moving ahead. Meanwhile TVC Rajdhani went towards NZM. This brought a sense of relief that at least section ahead is clear. But why on earth were we not moving?? I thought of a loco failure. By now all my thoughts of the train reaching Raipur in time had evaporated. Since I was traveling alone I decided against leaving my luggage unattended and walking to the loco.

Evening was setting in and I had a mixed feeling of excitement and frustration. Excitement coz it was now almost certain that we will be overtaken by both the Mumbai bound Rajdhanis and frustration coz it meant more delay!! Anyways I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the train to move ahead!! Like a blessing came the now familiar horns of BSL wammie!! Familiar coz if the coach is in the front half of the rake we usually recognize the honking wether this is our train or not. And this time it was unmistakably our Wammie which was whisteling loud of its departure. But I admit my mind was now focussed on the crossing of the Rajdhanis. Just as we entered in loop line of Hodal I jumped out of my seat armed with my N73 for my first video ever of the mighty couples.

By the time we halted the main line signals were already showing "clear" for the mighty BCT Raj. I was amazed by the proximity to which the Rajdhani was following us. Barely a couple of minutes and came the horn of the king. The crowd of our train which was by now in the platform looked in anticipation. And in she came in the full glory with WAP7 with horns blaring,obliging the clear ahead with the elegant red LHB coaches. It was not a thundering speed but sufficient enough to make arailfan's day!!
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=hvjMjcWMFp8
The advance starter at Hodal turned Red then immediately to amber and again proceed in quick succession and this time it was for the deputy. And again within a couple of minutes came August Kranti Rajdhani Express with a BRC WAP4 matching neck to neck in elegance with its predecessor.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=31lDK6ctTTI
It really feels satisfying to see these kind of scenes up close. By now after this much action I was totally absorbed in the railfanning fever and was hoping for Paschim to make its presence felt as well.. :-).. But soon I returned to practical world when I again heard the familiar loud honk. We were more than an hour late now.

After Hodal till MTJ and beyond the run was steady. We met AK Raj again at MTJ. Raj was in pf 2 and we were in pf1. It started as soon as we came 2 a halt. The pleasant evening had now turned to a warm night and again there were no signs of temperatures decreasing. Such was the condition that as soon as the train stopped I was awake. I coul literally feel the summer in the night!! Anyways I tried to sleep just thinking that the train will cover something at night (the most general perception I'd say..:-))..

The morning was pleasant however but I was waiting desperately for NGP!! But I soon realised there is some time left in reaching there when we entered Betul at around 0620.. still 40 min delayed. We made a decent morning run amid Multai Pandhurna Narkher etc. The temperatures again started becoming uncomfortable as the day progressed. But I was now worried because it was another 100 kms after Raipur that I had to travel. But the train really ran well against my predictions and we managed to stroll into NGP by 0930 or so still delayed. Although 30 min delay is not a big deal partticularly after the hour long halt before palwal but I was worried about the things to come. 0900 hours means NGP is choked with superfast trains bound for BSP. What priority we will get remained to be seen.

We were taken in Pf 5. The BSL wammie reversed and prepared itself for the final portion of its journey. Porbandar Howrah Exp was adjacent to us ready with a P4 and I had all the reasons in the world to believe that it will move ahead of us. But something good again happened not for the first time in the trip that we got a go ahead and the BSL Wammie now proceeded comfortably with tiny 13 coach load towards Raigarh.What followed after this was something that I am yet to experience even in the Rajdhani!! I have always lamented the stretch for delays and all. But this was probably the day when SECR guys decided to show me their might!!

We rolled off NGP at 1015 or may be a bit later. I was by now interested in minute by minute records of the train. The train really did awesome speeds through Kamptee/Kanhan/ Chacher/Salwa etc till Bhandara. The LPs were realy charged up folks and the section controllers really complemented them with au literally free of uscheduled halts!! By Bhandara the attitude of LPs were pretty clear. As soon as we got the proceed signal we again notched up aggressively. The wayside stations really flashed by and we did some continuous runs of pretty good speeds and more importantly without any obstruction. We reached Gondia and thanks to the fantastic run we had not aggravated our delay. Rather we were on the course for better.

What followed after Gondia left me spellbound. The setting was like high day tmperatures, I was near the gate charging the phone and simultaeously listening some numbers. The combination of heat and speed of the train forced me not to open the door. The mini ghat section before Dongargarh/Amgaon all were crossed in a flash. I really didnt realise and we had left Dongargarh/Rajnandg aon and were on our way to Durg. I was expecting Durg at around 1400 hrs. But the train made good use of slack available between Rajnandgaon and Durg and we swiftly crossed Rasmara/Murhipaar Sivnath and marched into Durg beforetime 1315 hrs!!Full 5 min beforetime. Nothing strange but after halting at Palwal for a hour and letting the Rajdhanis pass, I guess this deserved some accolade!!

We waited till 1330 and again started for Raipur. I was praying for this kind of run to continue till Raipur as well and so it happened!! Again at Raipur we were almost 5 min ahead of time. I thanked the LPs the section controllers and sprinted towards the bus stand for a bus to Ghari Chowk and further to my destination! !It was indeed a satisfying run that changed my notion that a SF can indeed make up lost time between NGP and Durg!! Beware Rajdhani, my expectations from you next time will be much higher.. :-))

The return journey was a more steady yet unusual affair. Unusual because for the first time I took the Howrah-BSP-NDLS Rajdhani Exp which means for the first time I took it from pf2. So accustomed I was to see it depart from pf 6.. Changing times.. I'd say.. Well, by the time I reached the station the train was already in the pf so cant comment on the occupancy prior to BSP but there were a few gentlemen in my coach who looked like coming all the way from Howrah.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=KENex52UeIY
In this link you can enjoy the Rajdhani crossing Betul at a pretty good speed. Thanks for patient reading... Comments/Suggestions awaited.