TRIP REPORT
.
Dear All,
I am presenting a Trip report of my journey from New Delhi to Katra on-board 12445 Uttar Sampark Kranti. The report is second of my four-report series from Pune-Katra and back, the first one being here: [ /blog/post/1624862 ]. I am continuing this further from my arrival at New Delhi by 22685.
....
more...

The clock struck 13.45 and here I was, in our National Capital. The sun god was shining at his brightest and made sure people felt his heat. NDLS, is a paradise for railfans like us with a variety of trains from every nook and corner of the country passing through, bringing with them a colourful plethora of locomotives, from diesels to electrics. On the adjoining platform was Kerala SK, waiting for departure. On PF-4/5 were UP and DOWN Sachkhand having a casual talk with each other, which is a daily ritual. This was just a tip of the iceberg and the station as usual seemed busy with numerous arrivals and departures. The heat was excruciating and had me exhausted and I was certainly not in the mood for any more RF. Badly wanting to freshen up, I made a dash towards PF-16 from PF-2, going through the monstrous FOB. On PF-16 was 12424 DBRT Rajdhani waiting for its 14.00 departure. I checked into IRCTC Lounge, had a bath, lunch and relaxed in the comfy and cool interiors, reading newspapers, surfing the net (free Wi-Fi) and observing people. In the meanwhile, had a brief chat with our FM Ashu*^ Ji that I had arrived and was relaxing in the lounge. He had arrived by Sachkhand from ASR and we met for the first time at the lounge. We greeted each other and he took my leave soon. The clock struck 16.20 and I decided to check out of the lounge and move towards PF-1, where the rest of the group would be assembling.
.
ASR Shatabdi was waiting for starter and it rolled out at sharp 16.30, behind GZB P-5. On PF-2 was the rake of LKO AC Express, the heavyweight Rajdhanis too were all lined up for their respective departures. BCT and SDAH departed parallelly as well and the rest of the gang followed suit after a while. Our admin AJ called me and we met outside the station and other members and admins followed soon. Met our admins Harsh, Arif Ji, Archie, etc. outside the station. We came inside, had a brief photo session on PF-4 and then checked into waiting room at PF-1, situated at UMB end, which was more spacious than the rest. Our senior member Mr. SK Mangla Sir arrived soon and injected a fresh enthusiasm into all the participants. Admins Sparsh Sharma, Amit Jha, Rahul Singh too arrived and now the entire group was buzzing with activity. Mangla Sir offered us some light snacks and tea which was refreshing. He had brought a new copy of TAAG which many group members studied carefully and had exhaustive discussions on the subject. The clock was ticking fast, we bade goodbye to a gleaming Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani at 19.50. At around 20.00 hrs, we made our way to PF-4, from where Uttar SK was scheduled to depart, as always.
.
The rake was already placed on the platform, which appeared reasonably clean from outside. We made our way onto our coaches, which were S4, S6 and S7. Six of us were in S7, seat nos. 1 to 6. The coach was NR 08237/C. The habitual WL travellers had already occupied the seat and asked us to “adjust”. This disease of “adjusting” has unfortunately spread all over the country. Though a couple of them vacated the seats promptly, one guy requested to allow him to seat till TTE comes. He too then vacated and occupied the SU berth. On the nearby platform was 12556 Gorakhdham too with its humming EMD. We had a darshan of our chariot, a TKD WDP-4B 40070, which was moving ahead to get itself attached. The train was now full and the catering guys (Doon Caterers) made their rounds offering tea/coffee, soup and dinner to passengers. At 20.50, we got the starter and it was clubbed with a familiar charismatic forward jerk, omnipresent in CBC coaches. The six of us shouted “Jai Mata Di” and here began our journey to the lap of Mata Vaishnodevi.
.
We moved out and were crawling and no sooner had we gained some momentum, we made a brief unscheduled halt at Sadar Bazar. Here, we had a crossing with Sarvodaya Express and then we departed and our chariot gradually accelerated, after we had passed Asia’s largest fruit and vegetable market at Azadpur (Azadpur Mandi). The EMD unleashed itself now and hit MPS crushing smaller stations in the way. We overtook Jammu Mail at Ganaur which was a pleasing sight. We all gelled together soon and had conversations on a variety of topics, from personal to rails. Soon we were joined by our bubbly admin Satish Singh Ji, who is an excellent comedian!! His stand-up comedy acts and personal real life rail anecdotes were a laugh riot which all of us enjoyed. Accompanying Satish Ji was a Samaritan from Delhi our admin Kush Kalra. He had brought poori and aloo subzi from his home for all of us!! We relished on the delicious food which he had brought for dinner!! Post dinner, as the train was rampaging at MPS, Satish Ji too got charged up for yet another episode on his rail anecdotes and we were literally “lot-pot” with our laughter. Our co-passengers too found his acts amusing and were smiling at his jokes. Though a bit late at Panipat, we covered up the delay and arrived BT at UMB outer, but alas, to be detained for a while. We were given PF-7 at UMB, at 23.50 and departed at 00.05. Post UMB, we had tea and discussions continued for a while, after which we decided to call it a day. We ensconced ourselves onto our respective berths. I chose an LB for myself, for night RF and morning photography, keeping the glass shutter of the window slightly ajar for air circulation. The catering guys and the few WL passengers too made their berths on the floor wherever possible on what PKV Sir calls the “Mezzanine Berth”.
.
The sumptuous dinner and the cold wind blowing in had its effect on me and I dozed off soon, only to find myself awake later on. The GT Road running parallelly beside the tracks, the approaching structures and lights could mean only one thing – we were at the outer of LDH, the industrial hub of Punjab. The train crawled and made its way onto the PF-2, at 01.55 where many people got down and an equal number boarded. Giving us company here was our twin sister, the NDLS bound Uttar SK. After 10 minute halt, we were underway again and as we gained momentum, I went into a deep slumber. I woke when we had reached JRC at 03.00 and the station wore a very deserted look. The line to ASR went up straight and we took the one that branches onto the right towards JAT. The next stoppage was in the wee hours of the morning, at PTKC at 04.55 where a sizeable number of people got down. Hardly a few must have boarded here. We then crossed the Ravi River and entered the crown state J & K and to make our first scheduled halt in the state at Kathua at 05.35. After a while barring the exception of AJ and his brother who were perched right on top of the UB, the guys on the MB too woke up and we all sat chatting, having treated ourselves to morning tea. It was still dark outside and the chill could be felt, despite the fact that we had wrapped ourselves in blankets. As we were on cruise mode, the colours of the sky changed quite fast and could see orange tinge, with sun god signifying his rise for the day. We had unscheduled halts at Ghagwal and Samba. There was a sizeable presence of military on every station and JK Police too guarded the tracks from untoward incidents. Post Samba, the run upto Jammu was smooth and without any slowdowns, as a result we covered the delay to a great extent. At 07.15, we made it to PF-1 of JAT, welcomed by BRC WAP-4, GZB WAP-7, a tigerface WAG-7 and another WAP-4 who was hiding himself in the ETS. Many people got down here and the occupancy level reduced.
.
After a halt of 15 mins, we were underway again, for what was the most enchanting leg of the journey. Jammu was still in deep sleep and the streets were deserted, even in the central Bahu Fort area. The adventure had begun and all the shutterbugs were now awake, ready to capture the magnificent beauty this route has to offer. Nestled amongst the Shivalik ranges, the JAT-UHP-SVDK section is a sight to behold, passing through numerous ridges, viaducts, tunnels, rivers and valleys. The speed had reduced slightly but it was still galloping. We tried our best to click whatever was offered to us by Mother Nature, in the early morning fog. The sights and sounds were alluring and could not be described in words. RFs and non RFs seized every opportunity to capture the remarkable moments in their cameras. In the meanwhile, we had clear proceed signal at Bajalta and a brief stopover at Manwal. Post Manwal came one of the highlights of the journey, the 1.5 km Manwal viaduct over Tawi river with a sharp curve towards the right, leaving behind the huge Kishanpur-Manwal power grid on the left which supplies power to the region. We made our way through the hills and valleys and were detained again at Sangar, where many got down and clicked group pics and selfies, inviting ire of the GRP on patrol who whisked us away, whistling. The train now seemed in relaxed mood and made no attempt to cover the delay. We were looped again, for a genuine scheduled halt at Ramnagar J & K at 8.15 and further up at the military town of Udhampur at around 08.50.
.
The station was deserted as usual and many people deboarded here, further reducing the occupancy levels. We were given the starter at 08.55 for the final leg of the journey, an engineering marvel. We could only wonder about the efforts of the labourers, engineers and all those involved in the efforts to bring SVDK onto the Railway Map. The journey from UHP to SVDK is more enchanting than the JAT-UHP leg, with longer and larger tunnels and more hilly terrain. The villages enroute had woken up and the villagers had begun their day with morning chores. The journey was slightly better with not much slowdown until the lone station Chak Rakhwal that lies between UHP and SVDK. At Chak Rakhwal, we were detained and the period of detention seemed like ages, over 30 minutes, for crossing with 12472 Swaraj Express. No marks for guessing, the passengers utilized the time here for RF and clicking group pics and selfies, however GRP did not bother us much here and seemed to be amused seeing all this. After Swaraj had crossed, the green flags waved, EMD roared and we started our ascent swiftly. Crossed some 2-3 really long tunnels and finally!! The moment we came out of the last tunnel, had a spectacular view of the Trikuta mountain, the abode of Mata Vaishnodevi. The hands which were into photography folded automatically and the eyes shut, offering prayers. For me, it was a somewhat touching moment, a moment which I had longed for. We made it to the swanky PF-1 at SVDK at 10.10, late by 1.30 hours. With prayers in my heart, expressing my gratitude for the “Bulaawa” and a yearning for the “darshan”, I made my way towards the exit...
.
May the blessings of Mata Vaishno Devi be always with you!! Thanks for reading, JAI MATA DI!! :)