The Heavy Weights of Kutch
After experiencing the misty deciduous forests of Dang, coastal towns of Saurashtra, the wilderness of Gir, we head out to the dry, dusty, sparsely populated and climatically the least appealing region of Gujarat, Kutch. With the two major ports at Kandla and Mundra being the near-most to the Gulf and Europe by Sea route, the region sees incredibly high number of freight movement. Alco, EMD, Python, and double stack containers, you can see them, round-the-clock!
Crossing the Little Rann of Kutch across the Hadakiya Creek is one of the longest Diesel hauled trains, the Nagercoil-Gandhidham Express. (Harish Kumar)
The bridge across Hadakiya creek connecting Maliya Miyana Jn. with Samakhiali Jn., is an important line for freight traffic to Kandla Port and Mundra Port. (Raghu Jayaraman)
Up close, it's the turn of a BCNA rake led by WDG-3A to cross the Little Rann of Kutch (Benher)
Rightway, as we step into the Kutch region, we watched a python rake with a Sabarmathi WDG-4 #12245 sandwiched between the two coal freights. (Harish Kumar)
Far from home, Gonda WDM-2B #16687 with colorful container rake waits for clearance at Vondh, as there was another freight train also waiting ahead. (Harish Kumar)
WDG-3A #13279 from Vatva shed appears from haze and flew past us at great speed towards Bhachau. Location: Vondh. (Harish Kumar)
Tall and Handsome, WDG-3A #13279 from Vatva shed spreads its wing wide as it flew on the double line section between Samakhiali and Gandhidham. (Naveen)
Gonda WDM-2B #16687 with a container rake gets a move from Vondh (Naveen)
After lunch at a Dhaba in Vondh, we moved on to Bhachau and within few minutes we heard a arriving train and found an EMD hauled freight train curving into Bhachau. (Harish Kumar)
(Harish Kumar)
On a very hot and humid day (Benher)
After the little session and chat with the SM of Bhachau, we split into two teams. One team went towards Gandhidham and other towards Samakhiali. Somewhere between Bhachau and Chirai, Harish and I found a nice place to spend some time as we found another
Our steed and a passing train. (Harish Kumar)
About an hour later the late running 14312 Bhuj - Bareilly Jn Ala Hazrat Express with Izzatnagar WDM-3D 11326, grew up from a gradient. (Harish Kumar)
What do we call a mixture of BCN and Container train forming a python? (Benher)
Amidst the green Kutch landscape, yet another EMD-led freighter head towards Gandhidham (Benher)
At the same time, east of Bhachau sees another freight action with Sabarmati WDG-4 #12244 hauling a long python rake (Raghu Jayaraman)
The eight wheeler caboose is spacious, good enough for a friendly conversation. (Benher)
About 20 mins later, Naveen and I spot the same container rake hauled by WDG-4 #12244 at Chirai (Harish Kumar)
The second half of the Python rake was powered by Sabarmati WDG-4 #12363 (Naveen)
After the scheduled halt at Bhachau, Bhuj - Bareilly Ala Hazrat express head-out on its long journey ahead. (Raghu Jayaraman)
The tri-weekly Bhuj-Bareilly Ala Hazrat Express (14312) continues its long-journey (Benher)
A Shakthi-led colorful container rake proceeds towards Gandhidham side. (Raghu Jayaraman)
(Naveen)
..and another colorful container rake goes in the opposite direction, within few minutes. (Raghu Jayaraman)
Being Navarathri, a period when you would see the whole of Gujarat heading towards Mata no Madh. The whole route is filled with Camps for the Padyathris and yathris with whatever mode of transport they could afford - Bicycles, Motocycles, Auto-rickshaw, C
(Benher)