Shabdbhedi Express: गति इसकी शब्दों को भेदती है, पूरब को पूर्वांचल से जोड़ती है - Dr. Abhishek Rai

Trip report
Date of journey : 9th april 2012.
Train : 12618 Mangala Lakshadweep Express.
Origin : Kalyan Jn ( KYN) .
Destination : Pattambi (PTB).
Coach...
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: S5 seat no 45 15th coach from the loco. As expected in very bad condition, the train needs new coaches immediately icf make coach
Starting time : 09:15 (9th)
Arrival time : 07:45 (10th)
Loco : WDM3a (14137) ERS running LHF , very poor condition , looked old and rusty but a true veteran because it stole my heart by its superb show.
Platform nos
KYN PF NO. 6
PNVL PF NO. 7
KHED PF NO. 2
CHIPLUN PF NO. 1
RATNAGIRI PF NO 1
MADGAON PF NO 1
VADAKARA PF NO. 1
PATTAMBI PF NO 2
Crossings:
1) PNVL - BSR memu @ taloja
2) KCVL -LTT garib rath exp @ PNVL outer signal with the usual WDM3a baldie link
3) RN –DR passenger @ pen WDG3a 13588(KYN shed)
4) Up RO-RO rake WDG4 12144@ vinhere
5) ERS-LTT duronto exp WDM3D 11356 (KYN)@ khed
6) SWV-DIVA passenger WDM3a 16864 (GOC) @ khed
7) Empty ro ro rake @ chiplun twin WDG3a 14940 leading (GTL)
8) MAO-CSTM mandovi exp@ chiplun WDP4B 40016(KJM)
9) 2 BCNA coaches @ kamathe WDM2 16764 (GOC) blue liveried loco
10) ERS-AJMER marusagar exp @ savarde WDP4 20101 (BGKT)
11) BCNA rake @ aravali road WDG4 12424
12) MAO-CSTM jan shatabdi exp @ nivasar WDM3D 11183 (ERODE)
13) MAO-CSTM konkan kanya exp @ SWV(sawantwadi road) WDP4B 40010
14) BTPN rake(LPG) @ MAO
15) BCNA rake WDG4 @ cancona
16) TEN-LTT summer special @ payyanur WDMxx 14550
17) Maveli exp@ vadakara WDM3d 11295(ERODE )
18) CLT- TVC jan shatabdi exp@ tanur WDM3a ERS 18767
19) BOBYN rake @ pattambi WDM2 ERODE shed 17355.0 in ERS livery
Ratings
Cleanliness 3.5/10
Coach condition 2.5/10
Speed 9/10
Ride quality 5/10
Punctuality 6/10
Food(only tea) 7.5/10
Co-passengers boring
loco 5/10
Loco pilot 9/10
Smoking (loco) 8.5/10
Acceleration 7/10
Top speed 1 km in 34 seconds near savarde station
Trip description

I was planning to write a trip report ever since i joined IRI. This dream of mine was fulfilled quite accidently. My mom and sister had already planned a journey to my native place. I was to stay at Mumbai with father. my mom suggested that i was the only person left out of the VISHU (new year ) festival and was constantly telling me to join her. Further my daddy also thought that the idea of 2 ladies travelling alone was not that safe and hence i also decided to join them . Accordingly i booked a ticket from Kalyan Jn (KYN) to pattambi my native place. My ticket was wait listed at that time with WL 17. Which was sure to confirm.
Finally the D day arrived. I got up early at around 04.30 to help with the packing. Soon we were all ready to leave. We left our home at around 07.45 and took an auto to Dombivali station. We boarded a kalyan bound local . KYN greeted me with a BOXN rake hauled by a ERODE WAG7. As i approached KYN i saw GONDIA –CSTM Vidarbha exp leaving pf no. 6 with WCAM 3 21887. I reached KYN around 08.00 and proceeded to pf no 6 where 12618 was expected. Soon pune bound Deccan exp (not the deccan Queen) arrived with WCAM2/2p on pf 4 . this was my first sighting of a WCAM2/2p in action on the CR line. Then a late running firozpur Mumbai Punjab mail arrived at around 08.10 on pf 6 with a usual WCAM 3. WCAM locos are dual current locos that can function in both AC as well as DC currents. Currently the stretch from CSTM to vithalwadi is the only functioning DC route in the country. The changeover point occurs at vithalwadi on the south line and near shahad on the north lline. The Punjab mail changes its loco at Igatpuri where a WAP4 from either LDH or GZB takes over from there. South bound trains that go beyond pune are usually hauled by diesel as the line ahead is non electrified. A little later the arrival of MMR PUNE exp was announced. At 08.20 the train came. This train goes upto panvel and then goes to pune via the PNVL KJT line. Soon an announcement came” 12618 mangala exp aaj 25 te 30 minite usheeraane apekshit aahe”.
( 12618 mangala exp is expected 25 to 30 minutes late today).
The wait continued. There was not much activity on the station apart from the usual arrivals of the local trains and a small brawl to get into them. Horns of various diesel and electric locos echoed from the goods yards. I had a jolly time guessing the loco by their horns. At last i heaved a sigh of relief as i saw a diesel loco entering the station. At 09.15 our train mangala exp chugged into pf no 6 of KYN. The loco was as usual an ERS WDM3a 14137 with the ACD fitted and LHF. Once i saw mangala exp with a WDM3D of TKD shed and once with WDM3a rebuilt from RTM shed. The loco looked pathetic. Looking at the loco, one could not believe that it could haul trains above 90 kmph but i was to be proved wrong as you will find as you progress on reading. i helped my mother and sister find their places secured the luggage and proceeded to my coach S5 as my mother and sister were in S2. While leaving I got strict warnings from my mom not to get down from the train at any cost. I nodded my head and went to my coach. It was an old battered and bruised coach. The train belongs to and is maintained at ERS coaching yard of SR. One thing i could say for ever was that this train tops the list for receiving new coaches. I could easily make out that the last time the rake had a wash was during the rainy season. It seems SR has very little consideration for india`s second longest running daily train. Well then back to rail fanning, i could not make out when the coach was built as there was a huge cluster of spittings . the only info which i could find was that this compartment was POHed in February 2008 apart from the coach number which i unfortunately forgot to note down.
At 09.25 the horn blared. The horn had the characteristic vroom of the ALCOs. The train crawled and slowly made its way to 6th line . this line is electrified by AC current. As we neared Thakurli station, a WCAM 3 chased us with the Deccan Queen in tow. Our LP then started notching up. Whoa! Time for some action i guessed. But our WDM3a was no match for the speeding DQ and soon it over took us. We slowly approached the line that goes to PNVL from DIVA taking an almost 180degree curve and then proceeded towards PNVL. Here the loco showed some of its brute power. We halted at Nilje an unscheduled halt and crossed the
PNVL-BSR MEMU at taloja. The speed never exceeded 75kmph. After Taloja we had a good run and blasted through Navade Road at 10.17. We reached PNVL outer at 10.22 and saw the LTT bound KCVL-LTT Garib rath exp with its WDM3a baldie at its helm. Last time i was aboard the GR it had a WDG3a of ED at its helm which was replaced with a GOC WDM2 at Mangalore Jn as the WDM3a developed a technical snag.
We reached PNVL at 10.27 on pf 7. There was only a small crowd on the pf. I saw a WDG3a 13284 GOC idling at the DIVA end of the station. The DIVA-BSR line is visible from my home at Dombivali and I have seen it on several occasions hauling BCNA rakes towards Bhivandi. At PNVL a CONCOR A/C rake was standing ready to depart towards JNPT whereas BCLB rake was standing without a loco. We left PNVL at around 10.33 and proceeded towards ROHA. The KR line starts from ROHA until Thokur station covering around 750kms. One can expect crossings as the line is single till the Netravati bridge just after MAJN.
The run till JITE was quite uneventful without any crossings. At JITE a train passed by us which was most probably our pairing train. We left JITE at 11.40. We again made a halt at PEN 11.50 to allow Ratngiri-Dadar passenger headed by KYN WDG3a 13588. An BCNAHS rake was occupying the goods loop line. We then departed at 12.00. we again halted at some station possibly KASU and an ED loco passed by us with a train in its tow. I could not spot this train as I was busy conversing with a co passenger who was enquiring about the engineering entrance exams. It in all possibility was the LTT bound TVC-LTT netravati exp.
Then we crossed ROHA station but did not halt there. Of the innumerable times i have travelled on this train, all the time they made a halt at ROHA. We then entered the KR line. The KR tracks are designed for high speeds upto 160+ kmph but as the route is diesel, the MPS here is 120kmph. Only the TVC rajdhani exp travels at 120 whereas its close competitor and the KING OF KONKAN RAILWAY the jan shatabdi exp travels at 115 kmph. We were soon notching up there was a visible difference in the speeds and the LPs were clearly enjoying the increased MPS as the train cruised in the 90kmph range. We made a small halt at Kolad in order to fit the ACD and proceeded towards MAO. Then i went to S2 have lunch. Nothing tastes better than mothers hand cooked food. But actually my dad is a superb cook as well. I too have a flair for cooking. At 14.17 we halted at Vinhere to allow ROHA bound RO-RO rake headed by WDG4 12144. The RO-RO is a unique mode of transportation where trucks are transported on open coaches. We kept speeding until KHED where we halted on the main line pf no 2 in order to allow LTT bound ERS-LTT duronto exp headed by WDM3D 11356 of KYN shed at 14.48. The loco as well as the rake were new. The rakes are of the high tech LHB coaches. The opposite platform was crowded which meant that we were to wait for yet another crossing. Soon a green WDM3a of GOC 16864 bro