The Twisty Road to Salem
The twisty tracks between Bangalore and Salem are to be seen to be believed !
On the 3rd March 2007, IRFCA members from Bangalore, Chennai and Pune enjoy an entire day traveling from Bangalore to Salem and back on the 572/571 passenger.
The pictures are shot by many IRFCA members whose names are mentioned along with the photographs.
Far away from home?? At Toppur, this PA WDG3 with a short BCN rake, was waiting for us. (Poochi)
At Toppur, the base of the hills finally! The ROB ahead is the NH7 (between Dharmapuri and Salem). (Poochi)
This TT says it all... (Poochi)
Omalur, the southern limit of SWR. (Poochi)
The triangle between Omalur and Magnesite. The distant lines are the main lines to JTJ. (Poochi)
This is the common cabin for all three legs of the triangle. (Poochi)
Our Destination - Salem Junction! (Poochi)
This is one clean platform... because nobody uses it? :-) (Poochi)
A wave of Green and we're off on the return leg. (Poochi)
Look at that! Appears as if we guys hadn't eaten for a century ;-). Thanks to SBC-Srinivas for a superb lunch! (Poochi)
Old Friend ED WDM2 17543 powering out of Omalur on the return run. (Poochi)
Chinna-Tirupati Temple atop the hill, with Toppur Peak looming in the back. (Poochi)
Karuvalli is the halt for Chinna-Tirupati. (Poochi)
Toppur Peak panorama. (Poochi)
The climb begins, along the hillsides bordering the hudro-dam. (Poochi)
The late-afternoon Sun blessed us with a fine vista of the hills and the dam. (Poochi)
The shallow valleys along the hills. The distant mountains right at the back are the Yercaud Range. (Poochi)
The hills echoed Alco's roar everywhere as Great Beast 17543 thundered through to Muttampatti! (Poochi)
The Hanuman Temple in the valley below. I'm told that when certain loco-pilots are on duty, the purohit shows the aarati when they pass by! (Poochi)
Looking back along the aforementioned valley. The railroad runs along the hillside (to the right in this image) while the road runs right through the centre. This valley can be spotted on Google Earth. (Poochi)
Our Guard had recently been promoted to Passenger Grade and this was his first trip! (Poochi)
Budding photographer and railfan, Nishanth snaps away with his trusted Fuji Finepix. (Poochi)
The Fort at Rayakkottai. (Poochi)
Our Assistant waves the green and 17543 smokes smartly out of Rayakkottai. (Poochi)
The evening Sun gives a golden sheen to our train as 17543 negotiates one of the innumerable fantastic curves on this line. (Poochi)
Abandoned mysterious temples like this one are found on many peaks and crags enroute. (Poochi)
A beautiful rock formation near the station of Periya Naga Thunai. (Poochi)
Recent comments
Great work guys! I wish I too could have joined you. Next time for sure if time permits.
Posted by Rohit Mohan on 2007 Mar 31 19:35:19 +0000
akash
Great work Apu and gang. I am jealous! Great pics. CBE-LTT with blue beast at the helm is my most favourite! Thanks for a treat!
Posted by Akash Bang on 2007 Mar 28 08:27:43 +0000
I once took the long way from Chennai to Bangalore via Salem, just for the heck of it and was rewarded by this delightful line. Twisty is right - I doubt there is a straight section that is more than 500 m long!
Posted by Mohan Bhuyan on 2007 Mar 28 06:28:52 +0000