Amazing Late Night Action with the MAJN Superfast Express (Rocket) & Tutari Express at Ratnagiri:


This is my experience from an action packed night on 1st April 2022 from the land of Mangoes. Here you go.
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The Tutari Express bound to Dadar entered Ratnagiri at 10.22 lead by a Kalyan Hunk WDP-4D 40361 on Platform no 2 while a goods bound in Madgaon direction was already waiting at track no 2. The routine crew change began for Tutari and the loco pilots handed over the duty to a new crew.



I checked NTES and found that the Rocket (12134 MAJN CSMT SF Express) had left Nivasar and hence calculated that the great overtake was going to take place at Ratnagiri itself. I saw a couple of Konkan Railway employees walking past me on the platform and immediately asked them about the MAJN Superfast overtake. They were shocked to see so much enthusiasm on a railway station at 10pm. They nodded their heads giggling with each other. The employees on Konkan railway are amazing to speak to and are very friendly. You may identify them in a crowd looking at their uniforms.



I wasconfident that the Rocket would arrive at platform no 3 as Mumbai bound trains get PF 2 and 3 at Ratnagiri but you can never be sure on Konkan Railway. The Public Announcement system confirmed this for me in the next 5 mins and announced the coach composition for the Rocket which I recorded in my phone recorder. A passenger came to me and asked whether D1 coach would be at the loco side or the far end (we were at the front side near the loco). He mentioned that he heard DL1 was at the start but not sure about his coach D1. That is when I played the recording on my phone and informed him that his coach would be the 17th coach thereby asking him to move to the fag end of the platform. It feels amazing when your railfanning information helps the fellow passengers.



Tutari express had already waited for 15 mins at Ratnagiri for the rocket to arrive. I enquired with the Loco pilot of Tutari on why the overtake was not being done at Bhoke or even Ukshi eliminating the long wait at Ratnagiri. The LP told me that there might be another train there already. At that very moment, I checked the Current Train Positions on KRCL website and found that 12619 Matsyagandha Express had departed from Ukshi and 12201 LTT Kochuveli Garib Rath was trailing it at Sangameshwar Road. As Ukshi and Bhoke have only 2 tracks, a simultaneous overtake and crossing is not possible and hence the Tutari had to be regulated at Ratnagiri for the overtake.



At 10.41 pm, I heard the ALCO chugging and the superstar from Mangaluru made a grand entry at Ratnagiri Platform no 3 with the customary Alco Kalyan WDM-3D 11356. The new LP crew was already waiting and the duty exchange was completed very quickly. The Ratnagiri starter gave a double yellow to the rocket at 10.43 while the new crew were still performing their last minute checks and the rocket departed at 10.45 thereby overtaking the Tutari at Ratnagiri.



At 10.57 pm, Tutari was still waiting at Ratnagiri and it was now time to check if the crossing with 12619 Matsyagandha was also bound to happen at Ratnagiri making the long wait even more exciting. I was just opening NTES and heard an EMD chugging into Ratnagiri platform no 1 with Matsyagandha. The goods waiting at track 2 blocked my view of Matsyagandha but the EMD sound was enough for me. As soon as the last coach of Matsyagandha crossed the loco of Tutari, it was given a go ahead and the LP gave a long horn immediately departing Ratnagiri at 10.59 to start covering the long halt of 37 mins. The Loco Pilot of Tutari would be aware that any delay in the Konkan section could still be covered with the enough slack provided in the Panvel - Dadar section.



It is amazing to be Railfanning in the Konkan section as the action is doubled due to the single line with amazing overtakes and crossings. Although trains get delayed due to the single line section, it is just a heaven for us railfans.



Thanks for going through my journey and being a part of it.



Cheers,

Vivek

Ernakulam Mangala lakshdweep SF Express arrival at Kalyan.
2)Skipping Taloja Panchnand.
3)Skipping Roha.
4)06345 Thiruvanathpuram-LTT Netravati Express at Savarda.
5)Route Diverted 06352/06340 Nagercoil-Mumbai CSMT Express at Bhoke.
6)Arrival...
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at Ratnagiri
7)02431 Thiruvanathpuram-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express at Rajapur Road.
8)RO-RO Freight with Pune WDG4D at Rajapur Road.
9)Late running 01114 Magaon-Mumbai Mandovi Express at Nandgaon Road.
10)02907 Madgaon-Hapa SF Express.
11)Unscheduled Halt Sawantwadi Road - KYN WDP4D with Dadar -Sawantwadi Tutari or Passenger.
12)02120 Karmali-Mumbai CSMT Tejas Express.
Video link click here

My 4500th Blog Post on IRI
Presenting My November-December Railfanning Pics in Mumbai CR and WR
November Railfanning Pics which was Clicked in Mumbai CR
#RailfanninginMumbaiCR
#WAPPIESatCSTM
1.My...
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CST Bound Slow Local Overtaking 12290 Nagpur CST Duronto Before Masjid It was Hauled by its Regular Link AJNI WAP#7 30270
2.A lonely BSL WAP#4 #22514 Parked Near Masjid
3.A lonely UBL WDP#4B in SHF Mode #40016 Parked Near Masjid
4.KJM WDP#4 #30036 in SHF Mode with 11006 Puducherry Dadar Express at Dadar CR Terminus
5.Shaan e NER 12534 Pushpak SF Express with its Regular Link BSL WAP#4 #22848 Near Masjid
6.#TB of More Than 4 Hours Late Running 11058 Amritsar CST Express #TB was Clicked when the Train was Crossing Masjid
7. GZB WAP#1 #22049 with 11058 Amritsar CST Express Near Masjid
8.Another Click GZB WAP#1 #22049 When the Train was Entering CST
9.KYN WDG#3A 14567R with 11004 Sawantwadi Dadar Rajya Rani Express at Dadar CR Terminus
10.#TB of 11004 Sawantwadi Dadar Rajya Rani Express
11.11301 Udyan Express with its Regular Link UBL WDP#4B #40008 in LHF Mode Going to Cross Sandhurst Road
December Railfanning Pics Which was Clicked in Mumbai CR and WR
#RailfanninginMumbaiCR
12.11301 Udyan Express with its Regular Link UBL WDP#4B #40054 in LHF Mode Near Sandhurst Road on 1st December
13.A lonely KJM WDP#4 #20025 Parked Near Masjid
14.Shaan e NER 12534 Pushpak SF Express with its Regular Link BSL WAP#4 Ready to Depart CST
15.KYN WCAM#3 and JHS WAG#7 Parked at CST ELS
16.22108 Latur CST SF Express with its Regular Link Shakti KYN WDG#3A #13588 Going to Overtake My CST Bound Slow Local at Masjid
17. 11301 Udyan Express with #offlink KJM WDP#4B 40065 Near Sandhurst Road on 8th December
18.11301 Udyan Express wth #offlinK PUNE WDG#4 #12598 Near Sandhrust Road on 9th December
19.A lonely BSL WAP#4 Parked Near Masjid
20.A lonely BSL WAP#4 #22834 Parked Near Masjid
21.#TB of Shaan e NER 12534 Pushpak SF Express Clicked when the Train was Crossing Sandhurst Road
#RailfanninginMumbaiWR
22.Vile Parle #SB
23.4 Hours Delayed WR Legend 12904 Golden Temple Mail With #offlink BSL WAP#4 #22203 Arriving at Dadar WR
24.59024 Valsad Mumbai Central Fast Passenger with its Regular Link Barbie BL WAG#5 #23297 Arriving at Dadar WR