Chennai - Visakhapatnam by Guwahati Express (22.12.2008)

Destination Vizag! For a change my journey began from Chennai Egmore instead of Central!

CAUTION: Strictly Indian Railway stuff! A post dedicated to all Railfans. The following two posts contain extreme Indian Railway terminologies which a normal reader may find it very difficult to comprehend. Step in at your own risk!

The ticket was for 22/12/2008 by the 5629 MS-GHY Express in the S6 coach. My Dad was to accompany me during the trip. I was to join my cousins who have gathered at VSKP for a winter holiday. Me and my Dad decided to leave after 20:00 hrs from our home since we had to make it to MAS by an EMU from Korattur (KOTR) and go to MS to board the train. We reached KOTR at 20:15 hrs, purchased tickets and waited in the platform. A 'Sapthagiri' liveried AJJ WAM-4 powered a Special train towards AJJ side at 20:25 hrs. It was quite difficult to spot the loco number in the dark. Because of this, the 2623 MAS-TVC Superfast Mail got delayed by 15 mins and it thundered past KOTR at 110 Kmph with an ED WAP-4 22298 at 20:38 hrs. Our EMU was yet to come since two EMUs one for MSB and other being a MAS Fast EMU went in-between. Our train was expected at 20:55 hrs. Within 4 mins after the TVC Mail crossed us, the 2601 MAS-MAQ Superfast Mail led by an AJJ WAP-1 22016 and a WAG-7 28026 with a BOXN rake had a face-off at KOTR at 20:42 hrs. Maq Mail was doing somewhere around 90 Kmph. My EMU came at 20:55 hrs. Till BBQ there wasn't much to spot. Spotted Nilgiri Superfast Express with a WAP-4 near the Vyasarpadi curve. Time was 21:20 hrs and we moved slowly out of BBQ and again we halted. This is where AJJ WAP-4 22626 with the 6041 Alleppey Express and BZA WAM-4 20518 with the 2852 Bilaspur Superfast Express moved in parallel tracks out of MAS. There was something even more unusual which i spotted at BBQ Trip shed that day. ED WAP-4s 22244 and 22572 were moving out towards MAS in the same track with less than 50 metres distance. 22572 then had a small halt and switched over its tracks. Both moved into their respective platforms for their duties. We reached MAS at 21:25 hrs. From MAS we took the 15B bus to MS.

MS was reached at 21:45 hrs. We used the North gate to enter the station. Our train was already on PF5 and the power was an AJJ WAM-4 20515. We boarded our coach S6 and luckily there weren't any SMBs in our entire rake. Then I jumped onto the platform to do some more railfanning. But there weren't much trains around except the 1063 MS-SA Express on PF8 which was to be powered by GOC WDM-2 16866. 6177 MS-TPJ/KMU Rockfort Express was being shunted into PF4 at the speed of an EMU !!! I went walking around my platform to check out the entire rake composition. It turned out to be like this....

Loco-3A-SLR- GS-S1-S2- S3-S4-S5- S6-S7-B1- A1-S8-S9- PC-S10-S11- S12-GS-SLR- HCPV-HCPV

The 3A next to the loco was booked by a group. I had no idea who were they and what they were upto. Our train was given the starter bang at 22:30 hrs and we moved out. I doubted the performance of the WAM-4 with a 22 coach load. We moved out slowly from MS. We went through MPK, MSB, Royapuram and Washermanpet and veered towards our right towards Korukkupet to join the MAS-BZA main line. The entire stretch we didn't do more than 30 Kmph. We joined the Main line exactly at 23:00 hrs and 3352 Alleppey-Dhanbad Express was waiting outside Korukkupet with a WAP-1 (probably from AJJ) It was supposed to trail my train i guess. Tiruvottiyur and TNP were done at around 60 Kmph. The LP was accelerating well. We blasted through Wimco Nagar and slowed down near Ennore creek ad crossed it around 30 Kmph. After that it was all clear and we ripped through the outskirts almost at 90 Kmph. We crossed GPD at 23:44 hrs and the LP cranked it crazy and we touched 110 Kmph for the first time. Elavur, Arambakkam and Tada were blasted at MPS. Impressive! We slowed down near SPE and cruised through at 00:10 hrs and once again we were ready to set the track on fire. We passed through GDR at 00:58 hrs since we didn't have a halt there. We were once again doing good speed and i felt we were running well ahead of time. We overtook a flat bed rake hauled by LGD WAG-9 31153. We reached NLR outer at 01:30 hrs and we halted for some 10 mins and pulled into NLR at 01:41 hrs bang on time. I decided to sleep closing the window for a while. After NLR we weren't doing the best of us. Though we did good speeds we halted a couple of times and reached OGL at 03:20 hrs, 10 mins behind schedule. I dozed off completely then. My Dad woke me up at 05:25 hrs since i requested him to do so. And to my astonishment we were only at TEL. What would be the reason for such a delay?! Gosh! I decided to door-plate and it was full of fog and mist. The LP decided to show up his talent now by accelerating had once again. We were doin 80 Kmph and we crossed Krishna Canal Jn in the same speed. The Wammie slowed down to around 50 Kmph as it entered the Krishna Bridge. We then crossed the BZA trip shed where i spotted the following locos...

AJNI WAG-7 27408
LGD WAP-4 22717
BZA WAG-5 23826
BZA WAG-5 23636
BZA WAG-5 24438
BZA WAM-4 21237
BZA WAM-4 21149
BZA WAM-4 21243

We pulled into BZA at 05:58 hrs in PF7 and in the adjacent PF6, 2713 BZA-SC Satavahana Superfast Express was to leave with an LGD WAP-4 22589. 2711 BZA-MAS Pinakini Superfast Express was on PF1 and 2718 BZA-VSKP Ratnachal Superfast Express was on PF2. But our train was given the go ahead of the Satavahana and Ratnachal and we moved out slowly at 06:15 hrs. On the north end of BZA, i found GTL WDM-2 17508 and KZJ WDM-2 17351 standing lonely. From then the acceleration wasn't that good. We did not cross more than 30 kmph for the next few kms. We were running late by 35 mins now. I had heard that the SCR LPs are real aggressive guys but still the LP was in no mood to accelerate. We never touched 90 kmph till Eluru where we reached at 07:12 hrs, 44 mins late. My expectations on the Wammie came down miserably! This is when the LP started to accelerate realizing the delay and we darted through all the wayside towns and villages. Stations like Pulla, Chebrol and Ungutru were ripped of at 105 kmph. Tadepalligudem was crossed at 07:49 hrs and Nidadavolu Jn at 08:10 hrs and we overtook a Passenger train led by BZA WAM-4 20506. We were once again doing great speeds to make up time. LGD WAG-9 31142 passed us with huge coils in a BOXN rake soon followed by a BZA WDP-1 hauled Passenger at high speed.

We reached Kovvur and had an unscheduled halt where a BSL WAG-5 23885 crossed us with a Flatbed rake with coils. We crossed the Godavari at around 50 kmph and we pulled into RJY at 08:45 hrs for a 5 min halt. I spotted an ED WAG-7 27494 with a BCNA rake just outside RJY. We were now late by solid 1 hour and moved out of RJY at 08:52 hrs. BIA WAG-5 23085 crossed us with a BCNA rake then and at Anaparti we were again made to halt at 09:25 hrs for some track inspection work. We were then given the proceed and from then it was absolute rampage.... We accelerated extremely hard, hard and even more hard. We cruised Samalkot Jn at 40 kmph at 09:49 hrs where we overtook an ASN WAG-5 23599 led BCNA rake which had no Caboose. We were once again doing good speed around 80 kmph where an LGD WAG-9 31152 crossed us with BOXN rake. Annavaram was blasted at 105 kmph and Tuni at 80kmph. The LP did everything possible with the WAM-4 which looked aggression personified! I felt like traveling in a WAP-4 hauled train now. I decided to do door-plating and AJJ WAM-4 20573 crossed us at great speed with the 3351 Dhanbad-Alleppey express at Kasimkota. We crossed Anakapalle and the LP decided to do the rampage to the fullest 110 kmph! Horns blaring all the way, we kicked dust very badly that the entire area looked like it was under a fog. Paper plates, plastic covers being tossed everywhere along with dust and what a sight for a railfan! We never slowed down from 95-110 kmph till Duvvada which we crossed at 11:50 hrs. ED WAG-7 27458 with a BOXN rake moved above us from the harbor lines towards the HWH line. From then we proceeded at 40 kmph to move into VSKP AT 12:05 hrs, just 20 mins late. Overall, it was a good journey showcasing the abilities of the Wammie, which though found it difficult to accelerate, did well after once reaching a good speed!