Page 5

 

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The 6011 Chennai express starts the enjoyable climb on the Karjat-Lonavla Ghat section on this 90 degree curve after Palasdhari station. A WCG/2 pair undertakes banking responsibilities from the rear. Notice the three-wire DC catenary used by CR on the Kalyan-Pune route. Mumbai CST to Kalyan is a standard 1.5 KV 2-wire catenary, that would soon give way to the ubiquitous 25 KV AC line.

 

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The yellow board on the right denotes the "Shunting Limit" threshold, south of Karjat station. A massive freight yard outside the station allows goods and shunting locomotives to use the main line for their private agenda. The 6011 Chennai Express accelerates on this stretch to race through Palasdhari.

 

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The 6011 Mumbai Chennai Express offers its passengers breakfast at Guntakal station in AP. This late dawn snap from the train shows the morning sun sending its orange light through the underframe of the train - notice the outline and wheel shadows, left of the adjacent track.

 

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"Green" seems to be the color that defeats all others in the monsoon-months along the Sahyadri hills in Maharashtra. 6011 Mumbai Chennai Express is pretty late as the train climbs the first ramp in the gruelling ascent to Lonavla on the Pune route, in late July '98.

 

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A long continuous curve to the left takes trains from Ghorawadi onwards to Bedgewadi, 30 kilometers north-west of Pune station. On a bright day, you could spot BCNA wagons parked at the Bedgewadi military siding far across to the left before the train swings on the curve and runs through the station. The 6011 Chennai Express accelerates to Pune on a wet evening in late July '98.

 

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The iron rails by the side of the track are meant for the new permanent way beside the single line Adoni - Guntakal section on SCR. The doubling of the Pune - Renigunta route would help the 6011 Mumbai - Chennai Express in the picture to chop off a couple of hours out of its leisurely schedule.