Visakhapatnam - Chennai by Howrah Mail (25.12.2008)

The mighty AJJ WAP-4 22602 which did the honors for my train on my way back home!

After a wonderful 3 days stay at VSKP with my family and cousins, we decided to leave MAS by the 2839 HWH-MAS Superfast Mail in which we had earlier booked tickets for 25/12/2008 being Christmas. We were a group of 12 returning back home. Earlier that day my brother called the Enquiry to know whether 2839 was running on time. The answer was that "The train is running 34 mins late." My surprised brother was asking me what was that 34 with a giggle ??? Are they running trains with such accurate timings or what?! he asked. We are indeed in India! Our train was supposed to arrive VSKP at 13:45 hrs as per the scheduled time. We decided to leave at 13:00 hrs from home. We reached VSKP at 13:20 hrs and the display board showed us that 2839 would be arriving on PF 1 at 13:55 hrs, late by 10 mins. SRC WAP-4 22586 pulled in the HWH-MAS Superfast Mail bang on time into the station while LGD WAP-4 22343 with the 8464 SBC-BBS Prashanti Exp had earlier arrived on PF 2 was ready to depart in few minutes towards BBS. Our coach was S9 and we boarded it after settling the confusion with the TTE regarding the SMBs. Our seats/berths were from 1-3 and from 74-81. The SER coaches were neat and good. Quite new ones manufactured in 2008 only. There were bottle-holders, pouches to keep your books, mobile phone chargers etc., Me and my cousins decided to take 1-3 to enjoy the journey staying far from the elders! This is when few people got really on our nerves. A big Muslim family was sitting in our seats and refused to move. Even their seats were scattered badly it seems. They had huge, i mean really huge boxes kept under and between the gaps of berths where we keep our legs. What the heck?! Where are we to keep our legs then? My dad and my sister-in-law came and yelled at them. Especially my sister-in law bashed them in telugu. Then they moved away taking all their boxes and settled in the 3rd bay which had seat numbers between 20-30. An LGD WAP-4 22238 moved in the track between PF 1 and PF 2. I expected it to be my power, though I knew that my train would be hauled by an ED or AJJ Wappie. I went to check out where that loco was heading to. Without slowing down, it moved into the pit lines and then into the Loco Trip Shed. Prashanti Exp too was moving out in parallel towards BBS.


AJJ WAP-4 22602 was the power for my 2839. This was to be my 32nd journey behind a WAP-4 and my 7th journey in the MAS-HWH-MAS Mail. We moved out at 14:20 hrs, late by 15 mins. As we trundled through the Trip Shed i noticed the following locos...

LGD WAP-4 22238
LGD WAP-4 22201
AJJ WAP-1 22016
SRC WAP-4 22365
AJJ WAM-4 20619
BZA WAM-4 21227 (Barbie)

We cruised through the Trip Shed and we accelerated with ease. We were very well doing around 80 kmph before we came out of the city limits. SRC-WAP4 22501 whizzed past us with 2660 HWH-NCJ Gurudev Exp towards VSKP, which was soon followed by another BZA WAM-4 20506 hauled express train. I was unable to read the name at such a high speed. The harbor lines and the HWH lines joined us soon. ED WAG-7 27458 was waiting to join the main line from HWH side with a BOXN coal rake. We blasted through Duvvada thereafter. The SCR LP was at his aggressive best. We were doing mad speeds across small stations now. Thundering typhoons for those who were waiting near the level-crossings! An AJJ WAM-4 crossed us with the 3352 Alleppey-Dhanbad Exp. We touched 110 kmph now and we continued to do so. No caution orders i guess. We ripped through furiously all the way till Anakapalle (AKP) our first halt at 14:57 hrs (scheduled arrival 15:02 hrs) Gosh! We left late by 15 mins and we reached before by 5 mins. 22602 was all set to show its potential this time i guess! While we had an extended halt at AKP, 2864 YPR-HWH Superfast Exp went with an LGD WAP-4 22596 well above 100 kmph. We were once again doing good speeds now. We overtook a BOXN rake hauled by twin WAG-5s with 23772 from ANGUL in the lead. We were constantly doing above 90 kmph. I wondered how come there weren't caution orders for a long time. Just outside Tuni, LGD WAP-4 22643 crossed us with NZM-VSKP Swarna Jayanti Superfast Exp. We reached Tuni at 15:56 hrs where BZA WAM-4 21218 was waiting for starter with BZA-Machilipatnam- VSKP-BZA Passenger. We were back in action soon and i felt the speed to be monotonous since we never slowed down anywhere!!! ED WAP-4 22666 went with 7239 GNT-VSKP Simhadri Exp just outside Annavaram (ANV) and we reached there at 16:15 hrs, late by 10 mins.

Me and my cousins decided to munch something and so did we. We stormed through all wayside stations and 22602 was at its elemental best. 110 kmph seemed peanuts for us. SCR LPs rock big time! We overtook a BCNA rake hauled by twin NKJ WAG-5 23873 and 23655. We crossed Pithapuram at MPS where we again overtook a CONCOR rake hauled by LGD WAG-9 31161. We were hurrying in a haste towards Samalkot Jn and we entered it at around 50-60 kmph and braked hard, almost the EMU effect for a 24 coach monster rake. Excellent! It was 16:43 hrs and twin BZA WAG-5s 23778 and 23305 crossed us with BOBRN rake at very slow speed and halted in the station. We moved out of SLO, still late by 10 mins and 2509 SBC-GHY Superfast Exp ripped through with an AJJ WAM-4 since it did not have a halt at SLO. I was to witness more freight action till BZA. AJNI WAG-7 27138 crossed us with a mixed Flatbed/BOXN rake which was soon followed by an LGD WAG-9 31190 with another BOXN rake. We overtook another freight BCNA rake led by twin BZA WAG-5s 23907 and 24409 At Anaparti we overtook an unknown express train which had stickerings in many coaches. It was led by an LGD WAP-4 22516. We went round the huge Kadiyam curve at around 80 kmph where KZJ WAG-7 27591 crossed us with a BCNA rake. As we were apporaching Rajahmundry (RJY) we crossed the 2806 SC-VSKP Janmabhoomi Superfast Exp led by LGD WAP-4 22264. Just outside RJY we halted for 5 mins where LGD WAP-4 22590 crossed us with 1019 CSTM-BBS Konark Exp. We reached RJY at 17:39 hrs and a BZA WDP-1 15049 with a VSKP bound Passenger pulled in on PF 2. We crossed Godavari at a good 50-60 kmph and we again starting tearing the tracks apart! 2842 Coromondal Superfast Exp crossed us at great speed with a WAP-4 after Kovvur. We neached Nidadavolu Jn (NDD) at 18:13 hrs for a brief halt. Then the East Coast Exp crossed us with a WAP-4 probably from LGD at 18:29 hrs at great speed! There was surprisingly a huge noise when both our trains crossed each other.

We reached Tadepalligudem (TDD) at 18:35 hrs and Eluru (EE) was done at 19:12 hrs, late by 20 mins. We weren't gonna give up, the LP cranked it crazy once again and we blasted through Powerpet, Nuzvid and Gannavaram all well above 100 kmph. 24 coach load almost looked like a petty EMU rake for 22602. Watch out MAS GANG, there's a Monster in the making! We reached BZA outer at 20:05 hrs while the scheduled arrival was 20:30 hrs. Buffer time well used! We waited for some 10 mins and we slowly pulled into BZA at 20:20 hrs in PF 7 ahead by 10 mins. Announcements were made that 2660 HWH-NCJ Gurudev Superfast Exp would be arriving soon on PF 6 and 7644 Kakinada-Chennai Egmore Circar Exp would be on PF 2. I was able to hear the Diesel loco noise, must be the WDP-1 coming in with the Circar Exp. Soon to follow was Gurudev Exp with the AJJ WAP-1 22016 which i spotted at VSKP Trip Shed. After an extended halt for 25 mins we moved out bang on time at 20:45 hrs. But before we moved out of the PF we stopped again. Chain pulling??? We started again and moved out slowly at snail's pace through the BZA trip shed. Spotted the following locos there...

BZA WAM-4 21265
BZA WAM-4 21270
BZA WAM-4 21262
BZA WAM-4 20623
BZA WAG-5 23267
LGD WAP-4 22685

Still at snail's pace we entered the Krishna river bridge, and as we crossed i was able to see a WDG-4 with a Flatbed rake going towards BZA. We crossed the bridge and weren't accelerating much. SR zone drivers for you. Feel the difference! We cruised through Krishna Canal Jn and we overtook a SWR rake passenger led by a WDM-2 18691 in Orange-Cream livery. KZJ diesel? Just as we were beginning to do good speeds 2712 MAS-BZA Pinakini Superfast Exp teared across us with a WAP-4 at Peddavelapudi. We reached TEL at 21:24 hrs and we were feeling sleepy. Berths away, me and my cousins stretched ourselves. Almost everyone in our coach were in the sleepy mood! I was listening to the sounds of the train and was hoping that we were doing a good speed. I slept thereafter. I suddenly felt a great jolt (since ours was a CBC rake, jolts were common) I wished i wasn't thrown off from my berth. It was 01:10 hrs and we were at NLR, late by 1 hour. What could be the reason, when we were doing an on-time run all the way? I dozed off once again when we moved out of NLR, hoping that the delay wasn't getting bigger. I was woken up by my uncle at 03:40 hrs and guess what? We were at BBQ!!! Now what on the world was that? I just couldn't believe my eyes. We didn't halt anywhere and we moved all the way to MAS since ours was the first arrival that day for MAS. We pulled into PF 9 at 03:45 hrs, 5 mins ahead of scheduled arrival! 3351 Dhanbad-Allepey Exp was on PF 8 having arrived with an AJJ WAM-4 20586 and was ready to leave towards ALLP. I thought i had missed some real action when I had slept. No regrets!!! As i walk towards the car-park, AJJ WAP-4 22602 stood erect, having done an excellent job all the way from VSKP. This is probably my best ever WAP-4 journey among my 32 trips!