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Blog Entry# 1850237
Posted: May 16 2016 (21:43)

29 Responses
Last Response: May 25 2016 (10:12)
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Travelogue
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★★★
May 16 2016 (21:43)   12221/Pune - Howrah AC Duronto Express | PUNE/Pune Junction (6 PFs) | SRC/WAP-4/22385
 
soumitra.chawathe^~
soumitra.chawathe^~   34403 blog posts
Entry# 1850237            Tags   Past Edits
TRIP REPORT
.
TO THE CITY OF JOY IN AMAAR SHONAR DURONTO
.
Dear Friends, I am putting forth the first report of a four report series from PUNE-NJP-PUNE, via Kolkata. The reason to undertake
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more...
the journey was a honeymoon trip to Kolkata, Darjeeling & Sikkim. With the destination finalized, I assessed various options and zeroed in on the combination of 12221 + 12343 for onward journey and 12344 + 12222 for the return journey. The next task was to book tickets, fortunately it was all green in the availability column in Feb and sensing the peak summer rush, I wasted no time any further. Barring the exception of RAC 1 / RAC 2 in 12221, I got confirmed SLB and SUB tickets for my three journeys of 12343, 12344 and 12222. The long pending dream of visiting that part of our country had materialized finally.
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The day of journey, i.e. 02.05.2016 had dawned. I checked the PNR status and it had confirmed in coach A1, seat nos. 21 and 22. We arrived at station at around 14.30 hrs. 12221 was scheduled to depart from PF-2 instead of its usual PF-1. PUNE-INDB was placed on PF-1 that day. 11030 Deccan Exp was on PF-4. At around 14.45, the rake of 12221 was shunted onto the PF from DD end in a reverse direction. My coach was SE 148060/C, a Rajdhani liveried coach. The interiors were soothing to the eyes and the mind, the AC cooling was powerful and the cleanliness was spick and span. We settled on our seats and our co-passengers arrived, a Maharashtrian lady and her daughter bound to Bilaspur while the Side berths were vacant for a Bengali family to board at Nagpur. The loco link was a PUNE EMD for PUNE-MMR leg. There was a commotion in a bay some 2-3 bays away from ours over placing of luggage. One man had occupied his more than half of his entire own and some part of side bay with very little space for other passengers. While adjusting luggage, the bag of one of the two ladies who were occupying SLB got torn due to his rough handling as a result she fired him left and right. The brawl which was worse than a fish market continued for another 10 minutes after which some other co-passengers intervened and calmed the lady down. What a start to the journey!!
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My parents and aunt who had come to see us off alighted at 15.05 after giving us blessings and wishes for a wonderful trip ahead. We departed bang on time at 15.15. Soon after our departure, the catering guys asked for veg / non veg preferences and started their service. The AC attendant confirmed the allotment of bedroll packets to each passenger. A bottle of Rail Neer was given first followed by distribution of welcome drink in the form of Mango Frooti, both were of room temperature. Soon after, an elderly TTE Mr. Halder closely resembling our very own PKV Sir came and checked our tickets and pronounced by name in chaste Bengali as “Shoumitro” after checking my ID proof. Evening snacks were served, which consisted of a Samosa, Sandwich, Soan Papdi, Masala Peanuts and Tea / Coffee. The quality was OK while the quantity was just about right. The train had gathered decent speed now and we made it to DD at 16.30. No one boarded at DD and after a longish halt of nearly 30 minutes for reversal, we departed at 16.55. The leg of journey to MMR was exciting with numerous curves amidst rock cuttings and over bridges, sadly with all dry rivers and streams beneath them falling prey to drought. Tomato Soup was served at around 19.15 hrs, the taste was really good, which was followed by dinner at 20.15, consisting of Rotis, Chicken Curry (Paneer for veggies), Dal, Rice (slightly hard, not cooked properly), Mother Dairy Dahi and pickle. This was followed by a Mother Dairy vanilla ice-cream as a dessert. In the meanwhile, the train arrived at MMR at 20.25 and underwent a loco reversal. The diesel link was detached and 22385 SRC WAP-4 was attached. All this took just 7-8 minutes and we departed in a jiffy at 20.35. The P4 immediately got down to business and unleashed its power, hitting MPS quickly. The run from MMR-BSL is always fun, be it any train, even a crawler enjoys a blast here. At around 22.00, we decided to make the bed for a good night’s sleep, tired due to the entire day’s proceedings.
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I found myself awake at and the train had already crossed AJNI, with NGP next on the halting agenda. The train crawled past AJNI and was allotted PF-3 at NGP at 04.00. A few passengers got down while an equal number boarded here. The vacant side berths in our bay were now occupied by a family with 2 small kids. After settling down, they soon made their bed and slept. The halt was about 15 minutes and we departed at 04.15. It was the beginning of a new and a long day, I freshened up and geared up for all the action to follow in the day. It was my first time in the NGP-BSP-HWH Section and I certainly did not want to miss this. I was soon joined by wife who also got awake from the upper berth and joined me downstairs on my lower berth. Most of the admins are aware, but let me again inform all our members that my wife too is a rail-enthusiast, she loves rail journeys and photography. Though her technical knowledge at this point of the time is zero, she enjoys watching different kinds of locos, track sounds and other related stuff. While passing by, I made it a point to explain her many facets of railfanning, from simple things like deciphering coach no (I explained her the meaning of our coach SE 148060/C), why CBC gives jerks, the meaning of W/L, T/P, T/G, distance markers on OHE poles, meaning of WAP/WAG class, etc. She was certainly amazed at all this. I asked her that this was just the tip of the iceberg, there is many more to come. It was around 06.15 and my “morning lecture” was over, as we skipped Gondia, the last major station in MH on this line at a moderate speed. It was already bright and we had clear vision of outside scenery. Gondia was waking up and already action could be seen in the form of passengers and trains at the station. The most notable feature of NGP-HWH Section is that the tracks pass through the mineral rich industrial belt of CG-OD-JH-WB, as a result sighting of freight, especially coal rakes are in abundance. At around 06.45, morning tea was served along with a couple of Parle Marie biscuits. The coach soon sprang into action and the kids around started their masti. We had some strong and hot coffee to kick-start the day. We bade goodbye to MH and entered CG. We soon paid obeisance to Mata Bamleshwari Devi at Dongargarh, the hill-temple overlooking the station which is a famous RF spot to get an aerial view. The P4 was on cruise mode with very less slowdowns. We skipped the likes of larger stations like Rajnandgaon, the twin-steel cities of Durg-Bhilai and it was certainly a pleasing sight to the eyes to see our train skip large stations. The glimpse of Shivnath river and her tributaries were too were amazing. SECR was full of coal rakes and the beautiful Raipur Alco and BIA WAM-4 in their typical Ice Cream livery were found in plenty everywhere. Breakfast was soon served, which included 2 slices of fresh and soft bread, butter chiplet, omelette with green peas and French fries (The fries had become worn out and soft due to the steam from the omelette. Veg Cutlets were offered for the veggies), tomato ketchup, mixed fruit jam, Masala Buttermilk and coffee. The taste was good and it was filling. We took the Raipur bypass line at Sarona Cabin (our sister 12261/62 HWH-CST-HWH Duronto too does the same) and as BSP was nearing, we had two unscheduled halts at Belha and Dadhapara for regulation as we were running before time. We were put on PF-3 at BSP at 09.55, bang on time.
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As we were getting a halt after a long time and I seized the opportunity to get down in order to stretch my legs and to get a feel of the station. BSP, the zonal HQ of SECR was extremely neat, clean and well maintained, befitting the standards of a Zonal HQ. Water was filled, washrooms, bays and corridors of the train were cleaned thoroughly and room freshener was sprayed on all curtains. (This is done at regular intervals during the journey which ensures that the level of cleanliness is maintained). While the boarding / de-boarding saga was ongoing, Lunch was being loaded. Our co-passenger lady and her daughter wished us all the best for our further journey and got down. A middle-aged Sindhi couple who hailed from Raipur occupied the seats opposite to ours. The man informed me that he had booking in Azad Hind, however that did not confirm and this one confirmed, as a result he had to come some 100 odd kms to catch our train. He also cribbed about the slow speed of the train overall and reiterated that there was ample scope for speeding up. The running staff was changed too and a fresh crew took over. The halt lasted for around 15 minutes and we departed thereafter at 10.10. The loco let out a snort and soon after negotiating the crossovers and the T/P indicator, P4 unleashed itself again and hit MPS in no time, breezing past stations. The controllers accorded us great priority which further bolstered our run. We were crossing and overtaking various express and coal trains. We skipped the relatively important regional stations of Champa at 10.50 and Raigarh at 11.55. Just prior to Raigarh at 11.45, sweet corn veg soup was served. Odisha welcomed us at Brajrajnagar and skipped the shortest named IR station Ib at 12.35. Lunch was soon served which consisted of 2 Roomali Roti (soft), Chicken Curry (chicken was awful but gravy was tasty. Paneer Mutter was given in Veg), Rice, Dal, Pickle, Devbhog brand Dahi (too much sour hence could not eat). Dessert had a welcome change of 2 really tasty and soft gulab jamuns instead of ice cream. While having lunch, we skipped Jharsuguda at 12.45 but platform view was again blocked by coal train. The MPS run continued as we glided past Brahmani River Bridge and skipped Rourkela slowly at 14.00 and the famous home of locos Bondamunda at 14.10, where an assortment of various locos, both Diesel and Electric were loitering around the station and yard area. The geography had now changed with mountains and forests all along. It was fun to go through the lone tunnel of this route at Mahadevsal. We hit divisional HQ of Chakradharpur at flat MPS at 15.10, which was pure bliss. The speed gradually slowed down as we passed Sini Jn. The open spaces now gave way to concrete structures and another steel city TATA beckoned to welcome us. We crossed Adityapur at 15.50 and cityscape now became more prominent. We were put on PF-5 at TATA at 16.00, 5 mins behind schedule. A good number of passengers alighted here.
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We got the starter at 16.10 and we set out for the last leg of our journey. Soon after departure, evening snacks were served consisting of a Wet Wipe tissue, Kachori, sandwich, Motichur Laddoo, tomato ketchup sachet, masala peanuts and tea / coffee. The controllers again put us on cruise mode and the run upto KGP was uneventful and pretty smooth. We crossed KGP slowly beside second longest platform at 18.05 and picked up speed later. The scenery post KGP was soothing to the eyes. The rustic rural setting of green fields of Bengal with mud houses / thatched roofs, rivers and pools in between gave a much needed break from the hot and dry environs. The catering and the housekeeping guys made their rounds collecting tips and feedback forms from the passengers. P4 seemed hurry to reach home and was destroying whatever came in its way. Witnessing the high speed run in KGP-HWH section was really a treat to the senses. The sight of the train gliding over Rupnarayan river at Kolaghat was a sight to behold. The run upto SRC was absolutely fantastic as we were belting past furiously at MPS, crossing and overtaking many green Kolkata EMUs. SRC was skipped at 19.35 and the train speed considerably slowed down. As awesome to see the coaching complex and EMU carshed at Tikiapara where many express trains and EMU consists were having rest. After a lengthy marathon journey of over 2000 kms, we curved in to PF-22 at the mighty HWH station at 19.50 where we were cheerfully received by our admins Sabyasachi Da and Joydeep. My Thanks to both of them for their wonderful reception. Thanks for patient reading :-)
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Ratings:
Speed: 8/10
Cleanliness: 9/10
Punctuality: 8/10
Food: 7.5 / 10
Overall: 8.5 / 10.

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May 17 2016 (08:45)
aniket paul   1674 blog posts
Re# 1850237-6              
Amazing write up sir hope to meet you next time
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