Pictures: Nameboard, loco & rake, Kapaleeshwara Temple, Chennai, and Lotus Temple, New Delhi.
#KnowYourTrain: The Grand Trunk Express (aka GT, The Legend). #TrainNo: 12615/16
#Purpose: Connecting North and South India, first one to do so, specifically New Delhi and Chennai.
#Etymology: Runs on the North-South Grand Trunk corridor, which is doubled and fully electrified,...
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again the first one to do so, hence named GT.
#NativeZone: SR (MAS)
#InauguralRun: January 1, 1929
#DaysofRun: Daily
#RakeMaker: ICF
#RakeSharing: Dedicated Rake.
#Coaches: 24-coacher
#Loco: ED WAP4
#States: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh. Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
#Zones: Travels between SR and NR via SCR, CR, WCR, and NCR.
#MajorRivers/Lakes:
TN: Buckingham Canal outside of Chennai Central, Kortralaiyar, and Ennore Creek/Pulicat Lake.
AP/Telangana: Pennar at Nellore, Palar near Bitragunta, Krishna at Vijayawada, Wyra before Khammam, Waddepally Lake at Warangal/Hanamkonda, Manair, and Godavari at Mancherial.
MH: Wardha at Balharshah and Jaipur Arm of the giant Lower Wunna Dam
MP: Narmada outside Hoshangabad, Betwa near Vidisha, Bina near Bina, Sindh, the tributary of Chambal, and Asan before Morena.
UP: Pahuj post Jhansi. Runs parallel to Yamuna from Agra to New Delhi, but never crosses it.
RJ: Chambal before Dholpur.
#MajorLanguages: Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, and Urdu.
#Distance: 2181 km, #IntermediateStations: 308, #Halts: 37
#Speed: Though GT’s most-pampered cousin, The Mighty TN, is often as the speed king, GT is no inferior considering the number of halts it has. While TN has just 10 halts (excluding Source and Destination), GT has 37. TN covers the distance of 2181 km in 33 hours @ an average speed of 66 kmph, GT does it in 35 hours @ an impressive speed of 62 kmph.
#BriefHistory: Grand Trunk (GT) is one of the oldest and most famous trains in India. When introduced in 1929, the train ran between Peshawar (today in Pakistan) and Mangalore, almost the length of the country and beyond. In fact, the GT was probably one of the longest running trains in the country at that time. The Peshawar to Mangalore run took about 104 hrs in all, later Mangalore was changed to Mettupalayam and then finally found its home at #Madras (the Portuguese/old name of Chennai). It was the fastest on the route during its heydays, but a lot younger and richer cousins have pushed the veteran to the background, but it has still not lost its SF tag and rightly so at an envious 62 kmph.
#Conclusion: Takes much load off TN Express. When it is comes to neatness, don’t blame the train, blame its managers, as well as pantry. Overall, worth traveling at least once on the Legend because it’s a special feeling to ride a Legend.