Good evening to all members and friends- Presenting to you the 1st trip report by the longest distance running train that uses the rake of another zone- 17235 NCJ Express
After a last minute desicion to travel to Tiruchendur, it was a easy cake-walk for tatkal at 8PM with still 40 tickets remaining and getting allotted in S2 for 9.04.2014. Reached SBC by 4:05PM to find horrors of horrors the python rake of 12627 Karnataka stabled on Pf-1 leaving no scope but to use the staircase to PF-2 where our rake was stationed
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was far away in corner at the end of the station. KJM WDG-3A was the lead for our day being coupled to us at 4:25PM just as another KJM WDG-3A pulled into PF-4 with the rake of 12785 bound to Kacheguda. Our coach was a 1990 made coach, not dirty but looking old with secondary maintainence somewhat upto mark with non-stinking toilets. Surprising to find no cockroaches or rodents not bad SCR!!! Charts threw up a surprise with good amount of tatkal bookings from SA to TEN (10 in our coach) and 6 RAC allottments from Namakkal to Tirunelveli. All SL coaches had 10 RAC each while B1 and B2 showed 9 and 12 empty berths. A1 didnt have any vacancies. One Tatkal booking was SA to KRR (Some Railfan??)
Sharp at 5PM we got the starter to proceed. Crossed the rake of Swarna passenger being shunted by a KJM WDM-2 and KJM WDP-4 awaiting few metres away waiting to attach to the 12785 Superfast. Crossed Bangalore Cantt in 10 mins where my uncle joined us. The Kolar-Bangalore Cantt DMU made its way in and we proceeded past Bangalore East with good clearance to the BYPl ramp as we moved away to the Hosur track
Run was smooth till we reached Heelalige at 5:50PM where we stopped on mainline. KJM WDG-3A arrived 15 mins later with close to time running 56513 KIK-SBC pass taking 20% of crowd waiting on platform. 10 mins later, KJM WDM-2 came with the puny rake of 06594 Hosur-Yeshvantapur passenger, the DMU seemed to have gone for maintainence. We soon got clearance and blasted past Anekal road where Erode WDG-3A twins waited with the 12678 Ernakulam-Bangalore Superfast. At 6:45PM we entered Hosur.
Ride after hosur was sans crossings was what i expected. But was in for a surprise when we stopped for unscheduled halt at Marandahalli at 7:25PM. 10 mins later, MLY WDG-blasted past with a BCNA rake and soon got the starter. the ride through Dharmapuri and thoppur ghats was smooth and after all the hurdles we came to a halt at non-existent Magnesite junction outer to join the MAS line towards Salem at 9:25PM
The signal showed bright red. Over the curve, the signal on the main line to JTJ was green and a train blasted past. Next blast was towards SA junction which i presume should have been the Mangalore bound Express from Chennai. Again the JTJ line showed green for another blast followed by another towards SA. Few minutes later, the JTJ starter turned green again for another train to blast and our signal too turned green at 10:00PM as we proceeded towards Salem. As we cleared the turnouts, Erode WAP4 went past us with the chennai bound Yercaud Express as we came to a halt at PF-1 of SA at 10:15PM.
No sings of proceeding as announcement blared that 16002 from Palani to Chennai will arrive shortly on PF-3. At 10:50Pm, we got the starter to proceed.
To be Contd....