#ObservationsAtPune *** Trip Report!!! 8 Years Ago at Pune-Miraj-Belgaum Section ! ***
Part I of Pune-Miraj, Miraj-Hubli, Hubli-Belgaum journeys by train (and last leg Belgaum-Pune was bus journey)!
I had some work at Hubli and Belgaum on Saturday/Sunday 09/10-Feb-2008. I checked reservation availability and I was surprised to see tickets available for 1029 Koyana Exp and 1047 Hubli Exp.
Immediately, I made second...
more...

seating (2S) booking for Pune-Miraj journey by 1029 Mumbai-Kolhapur Koyana Exp on 9-Feb-2008 and
sleeper class (SL) ticket by 1047 Miraj-Hubli Exp on 10-Feb-2008. Both the combined tickets cost was Rs. 230. I am not sure if I got telescopic benefit or not. Pune-Hubli SL journey cost of 2780 Goa Exp (as shown in website) is Rs. 260. And my ticket is anyway cheaper by Rs. 30 (at the expense of additional 5-6 hours, however, boon for a railfan)!
Goa Exp is always full and is impossible to get ticket at short period of 4-5 days before travel date! Hence, I had chosen Pune-Miraj and Miraj-Hubli journeys! And this gave me opportunity to travel on Shindavane-Ambale Ghat Section during day time!
The plan was to reach Hubli on Sunday morning where I had 2-3 hours of work. And then, the plan was to catch 1620 Hubli-Miraj Passenger and reach Belgaum by around 16:30 hrs. At Belgaum, I had 4 hrs work. And return journey was planned by bus from Belgaum to Pune (no bus reservations were made for the same)!
This part 1 of the trip report consists of observations at Pune Railway Station on Saturday 9-Feb-2008 from 12:45 to 13:15 hrs.
I reached Pune station at 12:45 hrs. I entered the station from Hotel La Meridian side (PF6 end) and walked down on PF6 to see
the locos in pit line near PF6. This pit line had orange KZJ WDM3A # 18980R (ready to move out position) and red/yellow/blue
ED WDM2A # 18534 (at dead end). I am seeing such Erode livery for the first time at Pune!
I then walked back on PF6 towards Mumbai end of Pune station and climbed the new foot over bridge (FOB), which is quite clean and very less crowded. I was waiting there for 1029 CSTM-KOP Koyana Exp!
A Kurla Shunter CLA WDS4D # 19718 was seen shunting goods wagons near cement loading area (Maldhaka area). Pune-Lonavala local departed from PF6 at sharp 13:00 hrs. This EMU had huge crowd, as after this 13:00 hrs local, next local towards Talegaon is
only at 15:00 hrs and next local towards Lonavala is at 15:40 hrs. So, with no connection to Lonavala for 2 hrs 40 min, travelers
take pains not to miss this 13:00 hrs EMU!
Soon, behind this EMU, a goods train hauled by twin Kalyan WCG2 locos moved from Ghorpadi side towards Lonavala side. The leading loco (towards Mumbai) was KYN WCG2 # 20134 and trailing loco was KYN WCG2 # 20135. Nice to see consecutive loco road numbers 20134/20135 coupled together. Light running green PUNE WDM2 # 17516 was seen moving towards loco shed. This must have come with Daund-Pune Passenger rake which was stabled on PF3. Later, at 13:25 hrs, the same rake departed as 1321 Pune-Nanded Nizamabad Passenger behind freshly painted blue PUNE WDM2 # 16042.
Derated green PUNE WDM2S # 18255 (loco marked as fit for shunting work only, not suitable for mainline work) was seen roaming around. Skyblue/yellow GTL WDM3A # 18885R was getting ready. I was sure that this loco will haul my train, 1029 Koyna Exp! Another derated green PUNE WDM2S # 18346 was seen shunting the rake of Indrayani Exp as Deccan Exp on PF4 (as the same rake of incoming Indrayani Exp goes out in the afternoon at Deccan Exp).
Announcements were being made about timely expected arrivals of 1078 Jammutawi-Pune Jhelum Exp and 1610 Miraj-Pune Passenger and timely expected departure of 9311 Pune-Indore Exp (which now runs on Saturday in addition to earlier Tuesday/Friday runs)! Announcement was made that my train 1029 Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai - Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus Kolhapur Koyana Exp is expected on it's scheduled time 13:05 hrs on PF1. I went to PF1 from FOB at around 13:15 hrs (as Koyana still had not yet come)!
Finally, my train 1029 Koyana Exp arrived on PF1 with KJM WDP4 # 20034. WDP4 was in long hood forward (LHF) mode towards Miraj direction. WDP4 was detached and soon GTL WDM3A 18885R was attached to haul Koyna Exp towards Kolhapur.
I boarded my coach D3 and occupied my window seat! Koyana Exp finally left Pune Station at around 13:40 hrs (now late by 25 minutes from Pune itself)! In the Ghorpuri Yard (GIT area), I saw KJM WDG3A # 13256 and orange GY WDG3A # 13246 Shakti locos. Koyana Exp halted for almost 7-8 minutes at Ghorpuri (GPR) station. This station has 1 island kind of platform to accommodate 2 trains. And on left hand side of GPR Station (while moving towards Miraj), there is PUNE DLS (Diesel Loco Shed)! I could see 7-8 locos inside DLS. However, due to high rising wall separating loco shed and station, I could not see/note any loco numbers.
Journey from Pune-Miraj to follow soon in Part 2!