The Legendary Ride to Heavenly NFR!!
Here is the Report of the trip in which I visited my mom in Siliguri.
As Decided I was going to visit my mom living in siliguri, as my dad got some urgent work and needed to go to my hometown Jalpaiguri, I grabbed the golden opportunity to revisit my favourite (you can call passioniate) zone of NFR!! also added attraction is that my mom’s apartment is just beside Railtracks between Siliguri Town and Siliguri Junction Stations on New Jalpaiguri-SGUJ-Mal-APDJ route and DHR Route!! Also One can...
more... get a Clear View of “Heaven of Diesel Lovers”, The Electromotive Diesel Locomotives Shed at Siliguri Junction and the DEMU (Electric Multiple Unit)Shed!!
It was decided that I will meet my Father at his office in the evening, I did not took heavy luggages as it was a less 40 hours trip only, at about 2.30pm, I boarded S-11 Bus to its last stop Esplanade, Got into the Metro Station Booked a Ticket (better to say Token with INDIAN RAILWAYS written proudly on it), for Maidan at only 4 Rupees!! As I got down into platform the KAVI SUBHASH bound Metro was about to arrive!! And to my joy It was the 6th AC Rake!! (11/12)!! I was in Maidan in 5.5 Minutes only!! In Kolkata you can get a AC Transit ride at minimum of 4 Rupees if you are lucky!! Then I came out, Spend Some time at the American Library, and reached Dad’s Office at Ho Chi Minh Sarani at 4.11pm only!! One point to mention that the Brand New Futuristic looking Signage is just awesome!!
We took a Bus from there and reached sealdah at 9pm! and ate fish fries from benfish stall! We had pack Dinner from a posh restaurant consisiting Fried rice, aludam and chilli fish!!
Here are things I managed to identify at Sealdah
1. Dilapidated Condition of New Platform 9C
2. Bardhaman WDM3A 16505 Rests after pulling Matara Express from RPH at its tow!! (IO think I have special association with this locobot, beacuse whenever I got to SDAH, I found this one)
Walked a distance of 22 coaches on 9A/9B
3. Suprisingly a WAP4 from Kanpur Shed 22283 was waiting for Calling on at the BNXR End of 9A
4. SDAH-BSB express was about to depart from 9
Beliaghata DeepBlueBerry WDS6R 36087 Slowly took our train the Legendary Darjeeling mail to Platform 9B, Because of the train’s length, there were announcements “Darjeeling Mail er Diesel Shunter Pilot, Train tike STOP obdhi niye jan” (Pilot of Darjeeling Mail’s Diesel Shunter, Bring your train all upto STOP Sign) The Train Came to a halt and the doors were still not opened, the Coach Config was like this from behind
BGA WDS6R <> SLR-GEN-GEN-GEN-GEN-S9-S8-S7-S7-S6-S5-S4-S3-S2-H1- A1-B7-B6-B5-B4-B3-B2-B1-S1-SLR. The PRIME MOVER FOR US WAS BAAZ LIVERIED WDP4 FROM SILIGURI 20015 in CAB FORWARD MODE!! this is among my fav locos!!
Basically I am a EMD Freak!! And I was so happy that I forgot to take the coach number of our S1!! and suprisingly we met my first school teacher in kindergarten!! Let me tell you all a thing, According to both my parents and my first school teacher, When I was asked about how people move from place to place in my school interview when I was 3 or 4 years old!! According to them my answer was something like “DIESEL ENGINE,TRAIN, DARJEELING MAIL,TEESTA TORSA” (spellings and accent corrected:P)
Meanwhile, BGA WDS6 36089 Arrived into 9A with empty rake of Gour Express bound for Malda Town, Recently Rebuilt WDM3A in Blue Livery 14020R Was in its lead!!
Our train Departed 2 Minutes late at 22 07hrs, after clearing speed restrictions at SDAH, We accelerated to 70-80 and Blasted thorugh Bidhannagar! and sloly passed through Dumdum junction through PF3, after that we were put into the UP Dankuni Line!! and Started to accelerate through the gradient. within minutes we were Cruising at 70+kph Racing with Cars and Buses on belghoria Expressway! We thundered through Baranagar road, Dakkhineswar, Vivekananada Bridge towards Dankuni at 80-90kph!! We stopped at the Dankuni to Let a Sealdah bound EMU (Electric Multiple Unit)to cross us, We were eating our delecious dinner then, Then a Small train crossed us towards howrah, it was the DOWN DOUBLE DECKER EXPRESS with WAP7!!
After getting Green, the Dippy Decided to Show its strength, soon we thundered through dankuni and within minutes we thundered through GOBRA at 110kph!!
The Dippy was showing its power on High Speed HB Chord, Station such as Janai road, Baruipara,Kamarkundu,Chandanpur, Hazigarh were vanished in seconds!! I saw a a LHB Sleeper Rake was stating at Janai Road Loop line, the Coaches had E.Co and ER markings!! WAG9 31157 was at DKAE!!
We Must have overspeeded through Gangpur!! and arrived at Bardhama Junction Platform 1 at 22.35, One Minute early!! then I went to sleep as I was too tired!!
Oh I forgot to mention that our tickets were RAC! and we shared a SL birth with and emergency window and it was in left side to my great luck!!
I suddenly woke up later that night and found out that the train was passing Rampurhat Station at about 40kph! the time was 01.36 hours, 10 minutes before time! thats great!! (Thanx IRI for this info)
At RPH saw two ANDAL WDG3As and a SIliguri WDG4 were stating idle with thiere respective BCNA rakes!!
And Overtook a BOXN Rake at Swadinpur! a station ahead of Rampurhat!!
We Rocketed through Pakur at 80-90kph! 15 minutes Early!!
Then I went to sleep again and Woke up as my train just Departed Malda Town Bang on Time and crossing its DLS!! saw WDM2B 18662.
Then to the joy We crossed the Mahananda River! and entered the Heavenly territory NFR! I woke up at Barsoi after my final Leg of sleep!
The train Crossed Barsoi at 60kph! and negotiated to the Iconic Curve, Sad to say that the electrification progress has destroyed its devine beauty!!
Here are the Spotting list of the remaining part! Not Much Because we are on the left side!!
1. WDM3A TKD in Traditioan Maroon Livery with BCNA rakes at Sudhani
2. NJP Shatabdi Blasted with SGUJ WDP4B/D (did not able to figure out) at Tauheed Halt!
3. KIR ICE at KNE with 20066 WDP4
4. Brand New DMU at AUB!
5. UDL WDG3A Duro with BCNA rake at Rangapani
We were running 10 Mins Before time, So we were Halted at NJP Home Signal!! and To my Suprise a ERNAKULAM WDM3A 1669X or 1696X something like that Crossed with a HPCV Rake! we were still waiting for green even it was 5 minutes late at 8.05am! then a NGC WDM3A crossed with a South India Bound train!!
We finally got Green at 08.27hrs and Pulled into Platform 1A of NJP at 08.35hrs, a clear 35 Minutes late!!
Spotted WDP4 20002 Lying Idle at the siding.
AND THEN ON THE YARD MLDT WDM3C 16544 WAS GOING TO SGUJ WITH the BRAND NEW MEMBER OF SILIGURI DLS!! THE WDP4D 40096!!!
Mom was waiting form me in the Outside in her scooty!! I got in to it and went to her flat!! Marking the end of a Legendary Ride to a Heavenly Zone!!
LONG LIVE NFR and ITS CHARM and ITS DIESEL MONSTERS!! LONG LIVE THE LEGEND OF BENGAL,DARJEELING MAIL!!!
LONG LIVE INDIAN RAILWAYS!!
Anubhab Dey,(ARKA)
Class 10 Student, Kolkata India!
Please pardon any mistakes!!
