The Saurashtra Sojourn

We start the first day of our sojourn in Saurashtra by taking a short Rajkot-Okha-Rajkot trip. The onward journey was by the Saurashtra Mail. Here is a bird from Vatva with her green wings flapping hard as she speeds away with Porbandar / Okha - Howrah S

Sabarmati WDG-4 #12231 glides past Aliyavada with a BCNA rake (Naveen)

A little boy enjoys his time at the door! (Raghu Jayaraman)

View of Hapa Station. As of now, three weekly trains originate from this station (Benher)

Just as our train comes to a scheduled halt at Hapa, the Porbander-Rajkot Passenger leaves towards its destination. (Benher)

At Hapa, this Jhansi loco was attached to our train, to haul us further up to Okha. This loco has apparently brought in the slip coaches to Howrah from Okha, to be attached with Porbander-Howrah Express! (Benher)

The Saurashtra Janata Express is getting ready for its overnight journey to Bandra Terminus. (Benher)

Token ready to be exchanged. (Raghu Jayaraman)

Just after we cross the Okha Madhi station, a group of flamingos takes flight at the roar of an Alco. (Naveen)

A Sabarmathi WDG-4 takes rest at Dwaraka (Benher)

The afternoon passenger from Okha to Bhavnagar waits for crossing at Bhimrana (Benher)

Who doesn't like the emergency window? (Benher)

A wide angle view of Okha station from Dwarka end. (Naveen)

A beast from Ratlam and a bull from Okha strike a pose. (Naveen)

A permanent way inspection trolley rests in its siding at Okha (Benher)

Life goes on in the streets of Okha, even as an empty rake getting shunted to the pit line. With no stabling lines to park shunting locos, the locos of the incoming trains are extensively used for shunting. (Benher)

After traveling over 2,500 kilometers, the Ernakulam - Okha express finally clears the home signal of its destination, Okha with an off-link: twin WDG-4s from Hubli (Raghu Jayaraman)

With our connection back to Rajkot was late in the evening, we took a boat ride up to Bet Dwarka and back. (Raghu Jayaraman)

We return to Okha station to take the Ahmedabad bound passenger back to Rajkot to get our Bike which arrived at Rajkot by SC-Rajkot express on this day. (Naveen)

RTM WDM-3A #16834R gets ready to haul the Ahmedabad bound passenger train from Okha. (Benher)

We were the sole occupants of the only reserved coach from Okha. But the coach filled up, once we reached the temple town of Dwaraka (Benher)

Day two of our sojourn in Saurashtra region would see us moving from Rajkot to Veraval via Jamnagar, Porbander. (Harish Kumar)

Led by twin WDG-4s from UBL, the Okha-Ernakulam express gingerly crosses the bridge over River Aji (Benher)

So, do Rajkot hold a WDG-4?No, this is just a scale model placed on top of Retiring rooms at Rajkot railway station. (Naveen)

(Naveen)

WDG-4 #12190 gently passes through Rajkot with a long BTPN rake. We would meet this rake, again at Hapa, and little later at Jamnagar (Naveen)

The calm before the storm... (Benher)