Pune - Hyderabad trip & Trainspotting at Secunderabad
by Vasudev Kamath
2001-01-22
Just back from Hyderabad after a trip - did some trainspotting at Secunderabad as well. Will post all the details soon- just back this morning.
Travelled by AC 2-tier both ways (official work) by 7031 and 7032 so not much was seen at night. But I did pass a "mystery train" at Jeur which I saw from the window in the door of the AC coach.
It has an FC sleeper coach, a kitchen car/postal van kind of car, and 9 AC coaches (most probably AC chair car)!!! + 2 SLRs. These 9 coaches were certainly not sleeper coaches, because there were no bars on the windows. Morover, I saw it at Jeur station and in the section between SUR and DD the sleeper coach windows (steel shutters) are generally shut by the RPF/GRP. Whereas I could see the lights inside the coaches! They looked like AC chair car coaches. I presume it may have been some military special. This was on the evning of the 18th of Jan.
This trip was also enlivened by the presence of Narayan Rangaraj and an opportunity to meet some railway officials at a conference- and YES, some of them have indeed heard about IRFCA!!!
Jan 18
Simultaneous arrival of 7308 and 6340 at Pune at 16:30 hrs!!
7031 PUNE timings were 16:40 arrival 16:55 dep. PF 4. I was in the 2AC coach, and so far back to see which loco- it was a regular maroon coloured WDM2 from KZJ.
Saw a loco stabled at PUne PF 3 siding 18758? in GTL colours Blue and orange but saying loco shed as KZJ!! The place where Guntakal is written in a circle on the hood of the loco was completely painted out!!
Saw Daund-Pune passenger with only 4 Double-decker coaches. Does this mean that now the number of coaches of Double decker will be reduced?
Passed 6530 Udyan late, at 17:22 between Loni and Uruli.
Passed a loco with Erode colours, but I thought I saw on the hood it was written "Da Ma Re" I was really surprised!! Not sure about this. This was either at Uruli or Kedgaon.
DD was 18:14 to 18:22.
Sorry- the mystery train (which Apu has clarified was a military train) was not passed at Jeur, but very close to Kurduwadi (Kem?)
KWV was 20:53 20:56.
SUR was 22:30 22:45.
Jan 19
GR as approx 0:40 0:45.
Wadi was arrival 1:50. 6012 arrived with 17181 WDM2 Gooty loco shed!!!
Tandur approx 3:15
Lingampalli approx 5:10
Begumpet 5:27 5:32
Waited at Hussain Sagar station (where the station used to be) for Narsapur-Hyderabad exp to go towards HYB and for Krishna express to go towards SC. Then left for HYB.
Got down at HYB, took a rick to a hotel near SC station.
Jan 20
Did some trainspotting at SC.
East Coast express is Vacuum braked. It was hauled by 21317 WAM4 Lallaguda. (Where is this loco shed. it is probably the only loco shed without a station corresponding to it. The closest that it comes to is Lallaguda Gate, which does not have a loco shed nearby)
Composition is 3 GS HYB-BZA, SLR, GS, A1, S1 to S8, GS, SLR S8 was full of daily passengers as the entire coach was a quota coach. SOme sleeper coaches are now earmarked to be general coaches for a part of the distance.
Later 1019 18973 KZJ WDM2 SHL came on PF 1 7:43 to 7:57. Loco changes at KZJ and not at SC.
Tungabhadra express to Kurnool Town was waiting on PF 7. WDM2A 17153 Gooty!! SLR, GS for Ladies, 7 GS, GS for Ladies, ACChair, SLR
DHMU of 3 coaches came on PF 6. This left for Falaknuma at 8:00 (I took this to Sitafalmandi)
Visakha express bound for KCG was waiting on PF 5. 16364 WDM2 KZJ SLR, GS, S1 to S11, A1, AS1, GS, GS, SLR. S1 coach was numbered "SK 098201A" !!
Venkatadri express is upto SC!! Timetable says it is only upto KCG but the train comes upto SC and the board on the coaches also say SC.
It is vacuum braked and the composition is SLR GS GS S10 to S1, composite FC+SL old type (not like 1058), H1, A1, GS, SLR. It was hauled by 17780 GTL WDM2.
PF 2 and 3 (island PF) are the ones straight out of SC towards KZJ. Not PF 1.
In the evening, I saw 2430 NDLS-SBC Rajdhani brought in by WAP4 CNB 22364, comprising Loco LRRM H1 A1-A3 PC AS1-AS4 LRRM. Arrival was at 20:05. Dep was 20:20. Loco was 17229 KZJ WDM2 SHL. Platform 3.
Saw Gautami express (recently extended to 24 coaches) WAP4 22214 LGD SLR GS S1 to s16 AS2 AS1 A1 HA1 GS SLR left from PF2.
AP express has the following composition (saw only the AC coaches) Loco (HYB side) SLR GS HA1 A1 A2 AS1 AS2 AS3 ......
Will post the trainspotting on Jan 21 later. (This includes a trip from SC to Medchal by MG)
To summarise, SC station is a trainspotter's delight!! Lots of diesel movements, not many freight movements due to the bypass line, but some MG movements as well!!!