I travelled by this train from Howrah to Chennai on the 20th of October, 1979. Well nothing great about that as it was just one among perhaps as many as 25 journeys I have undertaken by this train in its various avatars as 3 UP, 6003 UP, 2603 UP , 2839 UP and now 12839 UP.
However, the intriguing part of this particular journey is that after it departed from Howrah at 20.35 hours, the first 4 halts for this train were like an entry from RIPLEY’S believe it or not. The stoppages at BURDWAN, DURGAPUR, RANIGANJ and ASANSOL may in fact make you think I was going to Delhi and not Madras. From Asansol we changed course and veered away...
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to Tatanagar before following the Howrah-Mumbai line up to Jharsuguda. Then followed yet another deviation towards Sambalpur, Titlagarh, Rayagada, Vizianagaram and finally Waltair. Thereafter it was familiar territory to Madras via Vijayawada.
This merry-go-round route was because of breaches in the tracks between Howrah & Kharagpur as well as in several places in Orissa, due to heavy rains and floods. As a result the Coromandel remained cancelled for more than a month while the Mail was diverted on a circuitous route through the Eastern Railway network. The South Eastern Railway authorities had published in the media the revised schedule of the train which was as follows :
Howrah 20.15
Asansol 00.15
Tatanagar 4.15
Rourkela 6.50
Jharsuguda 8.20
Sambalpur 9.20
Titlagarh 12.20
Rayagada 14.20
Vizianagaram 16.20
Waltair 18.10
Rajahmundry 21.45
Vijayawada 1.00
Madras 10.00
In accordance with the revised schedule, the train departed from Howrah with a delay of 20 mns at 20.35 hrs and reached Madras only 15 mns late at 10.15 on the 3rd day morning. Incidentally I returned by the 4 DN Mail leaving Chennai on 30th October and it traversed the same route. Only this time it took 3 hours more leaving Chennai at 18.15 and arriving at Howrah on 1st November at 10.50 am. In the 115 year-old history of this train, this was probably the longest distance it had covered.