The Vindhyas beckon....

This is how the landscape was throughout the route - cloudy skies, barren lands, charred leaves, lifeless trees and not a single element of greenery - almost as if we were passing through a nuclear test area! 2009-03-14, Bizzy ()

Remnants of the CR rule on the Akola-Khandwa Section.... ()

A Fallen Hero - An unidentified YDM-4 that had turned turtle somewhere on the route. 2009-03-14, Bizzy ()

Another look at the fallen hero. 2009-03-14, Bizzy ()

458B AK-RTM passenger passes through the ragged landscape of Khandwa.One needs to be careful here as people sometimes throw things at passengers from outside.2009/03/14 (Abhishek Nair)

A Kachori seller goes about his business at Khandwa as a huge crowd jostles for space in the unreserved coaches ahead. See how we have smartly locked the door of our coach to avoid the crowd getting in! ;-) (Karan Desai)

The 458B Akola - Ratlam Fast Passenger enters Khandwa Jn, running 5 minutes before time. (Akshay Marathe)

The mechanism for operating semaphores at Attar. (Akshay Marathe)

Our 458B passenger to Ratlam halts at a wayside station... notice Karan peeping out of the emergency window (Ramdev Gowda)

At Nimarkheri, we have the third crossing of the day. The crossing train waits on the loop line headed by Mhow YDM-4 #6300. (Akshay Marathe)

The famed bridge across the Narmada, at Omkareshwar ()

The Akola - Ratlam Fast Passenger negotiates the sweeping curve after Omkareshwar Road, hust before the Narmada bridge. (Akshay Marathe)

Seen here is the road bridge over the river Narmada after Omkareshwar Rd.Pic taken from the AK-RTM passenger.2009/03/14 (Abhishek Nair)

The Banker loco coming in to take charge of our train at Kalakund.... ()

YDM4 #6307 comes in to bank our train at Kalakund.... ()

Finally we reach Kalakund. The loco to the right is the banker for our train. (Akshay Marathe)

MHW YDM-4 #6307 attaches itself to the 458B AK-RTM passenger for banker duties at Kalakund.2009/03/14 (Abhishek Nair)

A typical scene at Kalakund station where the AK-RTM passenger halts slightly longer as a Banker needs to be attached to it.One can also see 2 railfans in this pic.2009/03/14 (Abhishek Nair)

MHW YDM-4 #6307 approaches to the AK-RTM passenger to attach itself as the banker.2009/03/14 (Abhishek Nair)

The banker being coupled to the last coach of the train. (Akshay Marathe)

After all the formalities of banker attachment were completed, we wait for the starter to proceed towards Patalpani. (Akshay Marathe)

The YDM-4 banker smokes hard as it pushes the passenger up the Patalpani Ghat. Villagers who are regulars on the rooftop in this section give confused looks to the "newbies"! (Karan Desai)

Lush greenery and golden sunshine! Past late-afternoon, as we traversed the ghat section between Kalakund-Patalpani, the landscape changed completely from the drab grey-brown that had been dominating since the morning. 2009-03-14, Bizzy ()

The stone lined wall of one of the tunnels in the Kalakund - Patalpani section. (Akshay Marathe)

We approach a tall viaduct on the Kalakund-Patalpani section. 2009-03-14, Bizzy ()

Entering one of the many tunnels on the Kalakund-Patalpani section ()

The lead loco of our train smokes slightly as it pulls the train up the spectacular Kalakund - Patalpani ghats. (Akshay Marathe)