Trip to Puri

2010-08-26

Anindya Roy

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Last month myself along with a friend (non-rail-fan and he hates rail
fanning entirely!!!) of mine set off a trip to Puri in the back drop of Bay of
Bengal and one of the famous tourist destination of the Bengalis. We booked
our tickets in 2837 Up Howrah-Puri Express and 2882 Down Puri-Howrah
Garibrath Express for our to and fro journey respectively. I boarded a
Howrah bound emu from my hometown station Dankuni and reached Howrah at
21:00 pm, almost one and half hour before the scheduled departure time of
Howrah-Puri Express. Some of the spottings I had made in the old complex
were as follows: HWH WDS-6 #36191 had brought empty rake of 219 Up
Howrah-Malda Town Fast Passenger at platform no 6,MGS WAP-4 #22749 had
brought 13 hours late 2334 Down Allahabad City-Howrah Vibhuti Express at
platform no 11, HWH WDS-6R #36179 had brought the empty rake of 3071 Up
Howrah-Jamalapur Express at platform no 13.At 21:15 pm an hour late 2348
Down Rampurhat-Howrah Shaheed Express behind HWH WDM-3A #14128 pulled into
platform no 7.The announcement were being made that 3019 Up Howrah-Kathgodam
Bagh Express will leave from platform no 10 and 2020 Down Ranchi-Howrah
Shatabdi Express will arrive at platform no 8.

Then I moved towards the new complex of Howrah and some of the spottings
were as follows: 2884 Down Purulia-Howrah Rupashi Bangla Express behind
TATA WAM-4 #21372 arrived bang on time at platform no 19,2022 Down
Barbil-Howrah Janshatabdi Express behind TATA WAM-4 #21293 arrived 15 minutes
behind the schedule at platform no 18, KGP WDM-3A #16424R(GM type DBR
installed) had brought the empty rake of 8005 Up Howrah-Sambalpur-Koraput
Samaleshwari Express at platform no 17.By the time announcements were being
made for the SER trains which were rescheduled to leave Howrah next day
morning due to night restriction after Jnaneshwari derailment:2152 Up
Howrah-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Samarsata Express,2906 Up Howrah-Porbandar
Aradhana Express,2130 Up Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express and 2810 Up
Howrah-Mumbai CST Mail via Nagpur were rescheduled to leave at 4,4:30,5 and
5:30 am respectively.

At 21:45 pm KGP WDM-3A #16110R pulled the empty rake of 8615 Up Howrah-Hatia
Express into platform no 23.As my friend turned up in the new complex the
announcement of our train was being made “2837 Up Howrah Puri Super fast
Express will leave from platform no 22”.From the gathering of the crowd in
the platform it was clear that the charisma of Puri is the same as it was in
the past and there is no such off seasons!! At 21:55 pm KGP WDM-3A #16463R
(GM Style DBR installed) pulled the empty rake of our train. The rake
composition was as follows:Loco,SLR.GN,S1-S12,B1-B3,A1-A2,HA1-HA2,GN, SLR, Inspection car. Our
coach S12 was 10 th from the loco. After settled our belongings to our
scheduled berths I rushed towards the loco and I was very pleased to see
that SRC WAP-4 #22398 was in charge of our train. We left Howrah at 22:36
pm, a minute behind the schedule.

The link of the video: Howrah Puri Express departing Howrah

Slowly we were picking up speed after crossing Ramrajatala but again slowed
down just before entering Santragachi and shifted to the Up reverse line
that is middle track at Sankrail. We picked up speed just after crossing
Abada and maintained around 100 kmph upto Kulgachia. We again slowed down
before Bagnan to cross Damodar river but picked up speed quickly just before
Deulti. By the time almost 80% of the passengers had settled at their berths
and most of the lights of the compartment were turned off. After crossing
the bridge over Rupnarayan river at Kolaghat at good speed we slowed down a
bit at Mechada. Soon the LP notched up again and stations like Bhogpur,
Panskura etc were left behind in a great speed. Then we had an unscheduled
stop at Khirai for 2 minutes and after crawling through Haur, SRC WAP-4
again started to prove it’s worth and finally pulled our train into platform
no 4 of Kharagpur at 12:15 am that is 5 minutes before time.

As I got down to the platform I heard the announcement of 5929 Down
Chennai Egmore-Dibrugarh Town Express which was running late by an hour. We
left Kharagpur at 12:25 am and were waiting for the TTE to come but as he
didn’t come till 12:45 we decided to go to sleep. I woke up at 3:30 am and
found our train was leaving Jajpur Keonjhar Road and we were running late by
5 minutes. Then I again went to sleep but woke up by the noise of some human
voice just beside my berth and found that we were stationary at Nergundi. We
left Nergundi at 4:05 am and after crossing the Mahanadi bridge we entered
Cuttack at 4:30 am bang on time.

The link of the video: Howrah Puri Express entering Cuttack

We left Cuttack at 4:37 am (two minutes behind the schedule) and were
maintaing around 50-55 kmph and reached Mancheswar at 5:00 am where 2842
Down Chennai Central-Howrah Coromandel Express with customary SRC WAP-4
crossed us.We left Mancheshwar at 5:05 am and crawled into platform no 4 of
Bhubaneshwar at 5:15 am bang on time. Only two or three people got down at
Bhubaneshwar while the rest most of whom were in family were seemed to head
towards Puri as usual to enjoy the weekend like us. By the time I went to
the front door for door plating and spotted (through the vestibule) some
people with masks were sitting beside the toilet of the next coach. I was a
bit scared after hearing from another co passenger that swine flue had broke
out at Bhubaneshwar, the place we had to visit within a day for sight
seeing!! We left Bhubaneshwar after 5 minutes halt and gained momentum
slowly after negotiating a curve just before Lingaraj Temple Road, the
station next to Bhubaneshwar.

The link of the video: Howrah Puri Express negotiating a curve just before Lingaraj Temple Road

After blasting through Retang we slowed down a bit, some off shoots of
Eastern Ghats were seen at far at the right and we were approaching Khurda
Road the junction station from where the main line goes towards the South
that is Visakhapatnam-Vijaywada while another line goes towards Puri. Just
before entering Khurda Road we meet 212 EO Down Puri-Sambalpur Passenger
with BNDM WDM-3D #11221 at it’s lead.

The link of the video: Howrah Puri Express meets Puri-Sambalpur Passenger

Finally we arrived at Khurda Road at 5:48 am, two minutes before time.

The link of video: Howrah Puri Express entering Khurda Road.

We left Khurda Road at 6:10 am after ten minutes extra halt and started to
move towards Puri.After crossing Haripur gram we picked up speed quickly and
maintained around 80-85 kmph upto Motari halt. Before arriving to next
scheduled halt Kanas Road an off shoot of Eastern ghat accompanied us at the
right.

The link of the video: Glimpse of the eastern ghats from Howrah Puri Express

We reached Kanas road at 6:20 am five minutes behind the schedule and left
it after four minutes extra halt at 6:25 am. After crawling at around 30
kmph we entered Delang at 6:33 am. This is the station upto which doubling
has made till date and I didn’t see any initiative for further doubling in
the Delang-Puri section yet. At Delang we were stopped for 25 minutes to
allow the combo of 8416 Up Puri-Kendujhargarh Express with VSKP
WDM-3A #16051R in lead and 8414 Up Puri-Paradeep Express with VSKP WAM-4
6P #20505 was attached to the rear end.

The link of the video: Howrah Puri Express meets Combo Express

We reached Sakhi Gopal at 7:05 am (20 minutes behind the schedule) and quite
surprised to see that six ICF Shatabdi liveried AC chair car coaches were
parked in a loop line and Bandra Terminus-Surat-Vasai Road AC Winter special
was written in the nameplate. We left Delang after a minute halt and gained
some momentum shortly and after crossing Jankidaipur and Maltipatpur at
around 50 kmph finally we entered platform no 3 of Puri at 7:20 am that is
10 minutes before time. The TTE didn’t come at all and our tickets were
checked at the exit of the Puri station!!

The link of the video: Howrah Puri Express entering Puri

For our return journey we reached Puri station at 21:30 pm. The station was
over crowded as passengers of both Jagannath Express and Garibrath Express
were waiting there.2801 Up Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express was waiting
for the starter at platform no 4.Suddenly the lights were off and the load
shedding remained for 10 minutes!! I think load shedding is a regular
phenomenon in the stations of Orissa and I experienced the same in Balugaon
last month for more than six hours. At 21:50 pm announcement was being made
that “2882 Down Puri-Howrah Garibrath Express will leave from platform no
5”.Here the loco pushed the empty rake from the back instead of shunters
pulling them. The rake composition was as follows: Loco, EOG, G1-G15 (AC 3
Tier), EOG. Our coach G9 was 10 th from the loco. The coaches were 2008 made
and the interior of the train was neat and clean and just above the door
there was an electronic display board which was indicating name of the
train, destination, distance to the next station and average speed of the
train. Our coach was almost houseful and some college students had started a
chorus song with guitar even before our train departed Puri!! In the mean
time I went to have a look at the loco and I was really happy that TATA
WAM-4 6P HSAB #21317 was in charge. I was a bit skeptical that it might get
an WAP-4 but after seeing one of my favorite TATA WAM-4 I was relieved and I
was really looking forward to a WAM-4 ride after our journey with SRC
WAP-4.We left Puri 5 minutes behind the schedule at 22:20 pm.

We were feeling a bit suffocated as the AC was not working even after half
an hour. The average speed was ranging from 45-87 kmph in the Delang-Khurda
stretch. By the time TTE came and he faced severe protest from some
passengers due to non function of the AC. The TTE was repetedly telling that
his job was to check tickets and not to look after the functioning of AC but
the passengers were not ready to digest his excuse as usual. They were
saying that since all of us were paying the fare of AC 3 Tier so we should
get the extra money back if the AC would not work!! Finally TTE was agreed
to look into the matter and AC was turned on just before Khurda Road. We
reached Khurda Road outer at 11:00 pm and after waiting for 5 minutes
finally entered at 11:13 pm (two minutes before time).We left after 7
minutes halt and by this time most of the passengers were settling under the
blanket.(Bed Roll was offered at the coast of Rs. 25) and the cold was
seemed to be a bit higher than the usual AC coaches, it was a chilling and
freezing experience. I was thinking that it might be intentional to keep the
AC at full volume so that most of the passenger had to take the blanket
after paying the money!!

We reached Bhubaneshwar at 23:40 pm again 5 minutes before time. As I got
down at platform I heard the announcement of both 8412 Down
Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneshwar Intercity Express and 2864 Down Yesvantpur-Howrah
Express were running late by 55 minutes. We departed Bhubaneshwar at 23:50
pm. Then I was feeling a bit sleepy and went under the blanket but woke up
again at 12:15 am and found our train was stationary at Cuttack. Two people
boarded from Cuttack and one of them had the side lower berth in front of
me. We left Cuttack at 12:25 am. and started to move towards the next
scheduled stop Jajpur Keonjhor Road. After that I again went to sleep and
woke up at 2:30 am and found our train was flying at 110 kmph through the
planes of Orissa towards the next stop Balasore. The window glass was quite
clear and I again went to sleep after watching moonlit landscape for
sometime. Finally I woke up at 4:25 am and found our train was entering
Kharagpur 10 minutes before time. Instead of the slack time provided to
Garibrath TATA WAM-4 6P did a great job upto Kharagpur. I went at the
backdoor for door plating.

At 4:45 am WAM-4 produced a melodious twin tone and we started our journey
towards Howrah. As we crossed the Kharagpur yard we met 2834 Up
Howrah-Ahmedabad Express stationary with SRC WAP-4 at it’s lead. To maintain
night restriction this train is used to held at Kharagpur now a days
probably till 5 am. We were put in the main down line and slowly picking up
speed after Balichak.

The link of the video: Early morning WAM-4 action at Haur

After slowing at Khirai the LP notched up again before Panskura and it was
crossed at around 90 kmph. At Bhogpur we met 5 hours late running 2102 Up
Howrah-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Jnaneshwari Express with SRC WAP-4.

The link of the video: Garibrath meets Jnaneshwari Express

We slowed down to cross Mechada and crossed bridge over Rupnarayan at around
50 kmph and maintained the same upto Deulti where we met 7 hours late
running 2130 Up Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express with BSL WAP-4 #22203.At Bagnan
we were shifted to the Up reverse line that is middle track. After crossing
Kulgachia we gained some momentum and crossed Birshibpur at good speed.

The link of the video: Garibrath speeding through Birshibpur

We again slowed down to Uluberia and picked up speed just before Chengel. At
Bauria we met 9 hour late running 2810 Up Howrah-Mumbai CST Mail via Nagpur
with SRC WAP-4 #22577.

The link of the video: High speed crossing of Garibrath and Mumbai Mail

We slowed down after Andul and crossed Santragachi slowly. At 6:15 am we
were stopped at Tikiapara and allowed an emu and a freight as well to
overtake us!! Combo rake of 2821 Up Howrah-Puri Dhauli Express and 2883 Up
Howrah-Purulia Rupashi Bangla Express with SRC WAP-4 #22262 and 2021 Up
Howrah-Barbil Janshatabdi Express with TATA WAM-4 6P #21332 crossed us. We
departed Tikiapara after a pathetic half an hour halt at 6:45 am and again
stopped for a minute just after crossing the emu car shed. Finally we
entered platform no 18 of Howrah at 6:55 am, 10 minutes ahead of it’s
scheduled time.

My gratitude to all the members for their patient reading of my long trip
report. I will be highly grateful for your precious comments and
suggestions.

Warm regards

Your’s sincerely

Anindya Roy, Dankuni