JPQ/Jhapandanga (3)

Crazily overspeeding WDP-4B notches 116 km/hr with 24 coach load and butchers EMU!!!
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For all speed critics and speed lovers alike, here is the proof of the speed:
Length of WDP- 4B: 21.22 m
Length of ICF coaches: 22 m
No. of coaches: 24
Time taken by the entire train to cross my cam: (30 - 13) = 17
Thus, speed of the train: [{21.22 + (22 * 24) / 17} * 3.6] = 116.3 km/hr
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++ Still the speed is estimated, and not exact.
Hauled by a madly honking SHF 40035 WDP- 4B of SGUJ shed, the 30 minutes late running 12345 Howrah (HWH)- Guwahati (GHY) SARAIGHAT Superfast Express crazily overspeeds at 116- 117 km/hr through Jhapandanga station on HB Chord enroute, and butchers a Burdwan bound EMU accordingly. This was by far the craziest action by any ICF rake that I ever saw.

Humming beauty hauling shining Shatabdi honks and gallops at high speed through Jhapandanga
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Hauled by a smiling Piglet SHF 40028 WDP- 4 (though marked as WDP- 4) of SGUJ shed, the somewhat late running 12042 New Jalpaiguri (NJP)- Howrah (HWH) SHATABDI Express cruises through the Down main line while taking a curve with some exciting honking and trademark buzzing of an EMD. ER authorities give more priority to Patna JAN SHATABDI over this SHATABDI. So while the former was allowed to use the Reverse line, it was being made to trail through the main line.
As a piece of information from the local media, this Shatabdi will be transferred from NFR to...
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ER in the near future at most probable. Because NFR is failing to maintain and run this prestigious train properly. Though NFR's SGUJ has the cleanest and most well maintained EMD shed in India, but the rake maintenance at NFR bases are always questioned. Plus it would have a reverse of timing as well to increase patronage.
A few facts regarding this train are:
The first Shatabdi Express in India to be hauled by an EMD for the entire journey.
The first LHB train to use coaches manufactured by Rae Bareli Coach Factory.
The first LHB Shatabdi of ER and Eastern India.
This train is the fastest connecting train between North Bengal and South Bengal, and covers the 566 kms journey in 8 hours flat. The closest competitors for this train are the Darjeeling Mail, and Padatik Express, but those two trains take more than 10 hours. The train has been given an extremely aggressive schedule, where it have to maintain an average speed of 70 km/hr even after covering most of the journey through stretches where MPS varies between 90- 110 km/hr with numerous PSRs and TSRs.
The train departs NJP at 05:35, and reaches HWH at 13:35, and would again depart at 14:15, and reach NJP at 22:20. The train gives halts at Bolpur Shantiniketan, Malda Town and Kishanganj stations enroute.

Stunning looking NGC WDM-2 smokes profusely with Guwahati bound Riot Special at high speed!!!
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Hauled by an extremely beautiful and unique liveried 18689 WDM- 2 of NGC (New Guwahati) shed (ex.VSKP), a Bangalore (SBC)- Guwahati (GHY) RIOT Special (via Howrah) cruises through the Up main line of Jhapandanga (JPQ) station on HB Chord enroute at a good speed.
Due to riots and unstable conditions prevailing in the North- Eastern India during that time, more than a dozen of Bangalore- Guwahati/ Kamakhya (via Howrah) Special trains were made to run in both Up and Down directions throughout the week. And for the numerous Special trains running on this route, the sheds HWH and...
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BWN had shortage of alcos. Henceforth, locos from sheds like UDL (Andal), VTV (Vatva), PTRU (Patratu), MLDT (Malda Town), JMP (Jamalpur), NGC (New Guwahati) etc were pressed into service. And to gather coaches for the rakes, quite a few Passengers trains in the South were cancelled. Along with it, numerous spare coaches for other trains were also hired from North India as well.
On the same day, we spotted another two such trains, one with JMP WDM- 3A, and the other with UDL WDG- 3A "Shakti".

MGS WAP-4 cuts through the fog with Punjab Mail at 110 km/hr.. December 2011 Treat!!
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On a freezing December early morning, 2h 20m late running 13006 Amritsar (ASR)- Howrah (HWH) PUNJAB Mail blasts through Jhapandanga station on HB Chord enroute, and simultaneously cuts through the thick blanket of fog while taking a curve. Loco in charge is 22803 MGS shed WAP- 4 (ex. HWH shed).
This train, which even after having 53 halts, still maintains an average speed of 52 km/hr, and is not considered as a Superfast one. It is running from pre- Independence time, and is the oldest of the five trains that connects Kolkata and Amritsar. It uses the...
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Amritsar- Jalandhar- Ludhiana- Ambala Cantt.- Saharanpur- Moradabad- Bareilly- Lucknow Charbagh- Rae Bareli- Pratapgarh- Varanasi- Mughal Sarai- Patna- Asansol- Burdwan- Howrah route of NR/ ECR/ ER to cover 1911 kms in 36h 35m.
Giving me company on the trip was railfan Arindam Ganguli.

Front panto Up GZB WAP-7 blasts at over 100 km/hr through Jhapandanga curve with Coalfield Express
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Hauled by a front panto up GZB shed WAP- 7, 30 minutes late running 12340 Dhanbad (DHN)- Howrah (HWH) COALFIELD Superfast Express cruises through the Jhapandanga curve at over 100 km/hr. The train was being put into the down main line, as the down reverse line was kept booked for the couple of Rajdhani Expresses.
The train uses ECR/ ER's Dhanbad- Asansol- Durgapur- Burdwan- Howrah route to cover 259 kms in 4h 30m with 11 halts enroute. The train gets all kinds of links, including GMO/ HWH/ GZB WAP- 7, or HWH/ MGS/ GZB WAP- 4.
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Railfan Arindam Ganguli is also seen in the video.

Jamalpur alco hauled Riot Special (Guwahati- Bangalore) cruises at a good speed through Jhapandanga
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Hauled by a chugging 16108R WDM- 3A, a Guwahati (GHY)- Bangalore (SBC) RIOT Special (via Howrah) cruises through the Down main line of Jhapandanga (JPQ) station on HB Chord enroute at a good speed.
Due to riots and unstable conditions prevailing in the North- Eastern India during that time, more than a dozen of Bangalore- Guwahati/ Kamakhya (via Howrah) Special trains were made to run in both Up and Down directions throughout the week. And for the numerous Special trains running on this route, the sheds HWH and BWN had shortage of alcos. Henceforth, locos from sheds...
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like UDL (Andal), VTV (Vatva), PTRU (Patratu), MLDT (Malda Town), JMP (Jamalpur), NGC (New Guwahati) etc were pressed into service. And to gather coaches for the rakes, quite a few Passengers trains in the South were cancelled. Along with it, numerous spare coaches for other trains were also hired from North India as well.
On the same day, we spotted another two such trains, one with NGC WDM- 2, and the other with UDL WDG- 3A "Shakti".
Railfan Souvik Sarkar is also seen in the video.

Stunning crossing!!! JMP alco BPL Express meets JMP alco BHP Express at high speed!!!
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As the bang on time running 13025 Howrah (HWH)- Bhopal (BPL) Weekly Express came cruising through the up main line of Jhapandanga station on HB Chord enroute at a fairly good speed with an offlink 16056 WDM- 3A of JMP (Jamalpur) shed (ex.NGC shed), it meets its brother 16542 WDM- 3A of JMP shed (ex. WDM- 2 of JMP, TKD shed), which comes blasting through the down main line with the 30 minutes behind schedule 12338 Bolpur Shantiniketan (BHP)- Howrah (HWH) Superfast Express. It was a really awesomw ambiance to be at, where I kept standing in the platform, and two alcos with their beautiful honking comes...
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blasting past.
The regular link of Bhopal Weekly Express is HWH WDM- 3A, but has sometimes got offlinks like UDL WDG- 3A "Shakti". But due to the numerous Special trains, which were running on this route during the riots in North- East territories, the sheds HWH and BWN had shortage of alcos. And locos from sheds like UDL (Andal), VTV (Vatva), PTRU (Patratu), MLDT (Malda Town), JMP (Jamalpur), NGC (New Guwahati) etc were pressed into service. The train uses the Bhopal- Bina- Katni Murwara- Chopan- Daltonganj- Barkakana- Dhanbad- Asansol- Howrah route of WCR/ ECR/ ER.
12338 follows the Bolpur Shantiniketan- Guskara- Burdwan- Howrah route of ER, and covers a journey of only 146 kms in 2 hours 30 minutes with 2 halts enroute.
The shortest running Superfast train of India is 12613/ 12614 Mysore (MYS)- Bangalore City (SBC) TIPPU Superfast Express, which covers a journey of 137 kms in 2 hours 30 minutes with 1 halt enroute.