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The Mumbai-Chennai line is double-tracked in bits and parts; and the section between Guntakal and Gooty has a lateral separation to allow trainspotting from the door :) On a chilly December 97 morning, the 6011 Chennai Express crosses the 6010 Mumbai Mail powered by a Gooty WDM2.

 

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WDM2 #17137 from Guntakal seems to like the Eiffel 65 dance track "Blue" as she waits with the 6009 Chennai Mail at Solapur. The run southwards has very few interesting sights as the Deccan plateau is largely arid and "un-green".

 

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On a sultry morning, the 6011 Chennai Express from Mumbai trundles into Gooty. This town is perhaps one of the many railway towns in India - places where the major employer and the reason for existence is Indian Railways.Other examples like Mughal Sarai and Bhusawal exist in this category. The Gooty WDM2 seems happy to be calling in home.

 

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WDM2 #16025, fresh from her night-in at home, wakes up early to take over the 6010 Chennai-Mumbai Mail at Gooty. This train has three locomotive changes in its 1283 km trip.The second loco change is at Gooty where a tired locomotive that brought the train, hands over charge to a ready one.

 

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The camera gets close to a Gooty WDM2 as she takes a mid-night stop for crossing. The standard maroon livery that characterised WDM2 locomotives all over India has lost favour now, with many sheds taking on specialized livery schemes. The orange-blue is typical of SCR stock from Guntakal and Gooty.

 

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A light WDM2 Pune inmate eases past the 6009 Chennai Mail at Mantralayam Road. This station is famous for the Raghavendra Ashram on the banks of Tungabhadra. This train crosses the river north of the station over a long single-line bridge.