Ballari Jn - Look around and enjoy the station. A sacred place where Mahatma Gandhi once spent 8 hours. - Vishwanath Joshi

Satpura Railways.
After 2 years of planning finally I got the chance to travel on satpura railways. I needed one partner with me and I got my 11 year old son Aman ready for this magnificent narrow gauge journey.
After 2/3 plans I shortlisted to travel via Nagpur chhindwara Nainpur jabalpur and to Ahmednagar via Itarsi, but Itarsi fire forced me to change the plan as Jabalpur Nainpur Balaghat Gondia Nagpur Ahmednagar.
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All the booking was done and set for the much awaited journey. At last moment my 9 year old daughter also joined us, initially she was reluctant for the journey.
3 rd july
my father also wanted to go Varanasi his hometown but was not getting direct ticket so he decided to go via Durg. He joined us on same train with lower berth quota confirm ticket.
on journey day we all were ready to board 12850 Pune bilaspur express and left home at 2035 hours since station is 3 minutes drive from my home at Ahmednagar.
At station Jhelum arrived with delay, by the time I brought a General class ticket for my daughter who was last minute inclusion to my dream journey. 12850 arrived with delay of 20 minutes, we all boarded our coach S8 which was newly made with charging point in each bay.
I slept around 2200 hours, so night was good and uneventful. I woke up in the morning when train arrived at Bandera, here I got fresh. Here 12101 was overtaken by 12850. Again I decided to sleep. when I woke my train was entering Ajni. Here we had 2 minutes halt. Train reached Nagpur platform 2 10 minutes ahead of schedule. we three got down, my dad continued his journey to Durg and onward to Varanasi by Sarnath express.
Again I had confirm ticket in 58839 for me and my son, I went to uts window for my daughter ticket and ask clerk for a ticket to Nainpur but she gave me ticket to Raipur, which I cancel loosing 15 rs as charges and told her I want ticket to Nainpur on NG train. This time she got it right. The child ticket for 290 kilometres cost me just 30 rs, cheapest ever.
to be continued.....