During the first week of June 2007, Google Earth upgraded a patch of the territory, South East of Pune to high-resolution. This upgrade between Alandi and Shindawane revealed a previously unkwown section of the abandoned MG line in usable detail. A closer look of the MG alignment in the satellite map showed a tunnel with what looked like a well or a pond located on the hill above the tunnel. Could this be a tunnel ventilation shaft ? The only way to find out was by a first hand investigation. Pune gang trekked to that area on the 14th June 2007 to do just that. Hyderabad gang member PVS Praveen Kumar traveled overnight each way to Pune to join John, Ashish and me, Apurva for this trek of around 10 Kms. Check out the report of the earlier trek on the same alignment but in a different section here.
At last, I get a picture showing the actual process of the ball token being picked up. This is ironic, as only a few days are left for this section to become "token-less" due to the introduction of the panel interlocking and colour light signals
Pune's WDM2 # 17237 leaves Shindawane with the 1609A Pune - Satara passenger. 16th June 2007
PUNE WDM2 17237 makes a smoky start, while leading 1609A Pune -Satara passenger out of Shindavane station
As always, even a common garden variety of the WDM 2 makes the departure of an ordinary stopping passenger train into an exciting spectacle.
On the way to the tunnel in the mountains in the background, the wayside hamlet’s revered ancestors regard our progress. While not a strictly a railway pic, this is related to a railway related trek so may be justified in this folder.
Praveen from Hyderabad leading the trek to newly discovered tunnel. The embankment can be seen at about 30 % height of the mountain in the front and the tunnel is located to the right side near the weathered patch of rock approximately above Praveen’s h
Another view of area as we climb towards the embankment. The MG trains ran on these lines from approximately 1866 until around 1970.
Finally on the embankment and looking towards the tunnel. This is the view west of Shindawane, towards Pune.
An odd shaped rail structure at the eastern (Shindawane) end of the tunnel. We could not guess the function of this device.
Why do my buddies have such a cautious body language ? The answer lies in the sounds emanating from within the tunnel – a mix between low pitched drumming and sound of heavy water flow – topped by sharp screams – our presence has disturbed roosting
Ashish and John try to figure out an easy way of entering the tunnel. Most of the tunnels portals are obscured by mounds of rubble. Old timers who worked this line had told us to expect walls erected by the railways when the track was decommissioned to pr
We cautiously go inside - the place is pitch dark, our feeble torches just could not light up the tunnel interiors. An alternative name for this set of pictures is ‘S**t scared’ – the textured surface of the floor is a layer of bat guano that got st