This travelogue is 2474 words long

I hardly slept during the night, and the room was a mosquito kingdom. They kept me engaged with their lullaby, and occasional warfare! Finally, it dawned. I jumped out of the bed to get ready for a journey that I had been waiting for long! We (I, and my dad) checked out of the lodge, and we walked towards the once prestigious Coimbatore Junction Station. This station ‘was' a junction station until a year back, but now this station is a mere ‘run-through' station. The majestic building has 5 platforms currently in use, while 1 platform is being renovated. (Platform 6 earlier handled Metre-Gauge trains. After de-commissioning of the MG line, this platform is being renovated in order to handle BG trains).

The huge LCD panel located outside the station, which was installed just a couple of weeks back, was showing status of trains that were to depart the previous night. We walked into the station which was heavily crowded. Some train had just arrived. I just discovered that the train that had just arrived was the pairing train of my train! The train was about 30 minutes late…and that would ensure that my train too would be late since the same rake is used for the outgoing train too!

The crowd that was brought in by the 20-coach train was slowly vacating the platform, and the subway used by passengers to enter/exit the platform was heavily crowded with passengers and porters! We managed to clear through the crowd and finally enter the platform. My train, 1014 Coimbatore – Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express, was on Platform 3. The loco which had just brought the train was still to be uncoupled, and the loco was WDM3D #11101 of Erode (in typical Erode attire!).

The rake of Chennai-Coimbatore Cheran Express was on Platform 4. The rake is now shared with Chennai-Ahmedabad Navjeevan Express, and because of that, the train had a Pantry Car! A shunter loco, WDS6 #36014 of Erode, was coupled to the rake of this train and was ready to be shunted to the yard. Our coach, AS2 (98117 based at LTT) was at the other end of the train. We had a long walk to the coach. The coach was locked from inside, and some sort of cleaning was in progress. We could see water gushing out of the toilet's water outlet. The water tanks were overflowing (probably they too were being flushed!). Passengers were getting angered due to the inordinate delay that this was causing!

Finally, an announcement was made of the PA system that the train would depart at 0830 instead of 0800! So that was a delay of 30 minutes right from the starting point! That was seriously disgusting! Finally the coaches (AC coaches!) were opened at 0800. The loco still hadn't appeared! Surprisingly, no sort of cleaning was done for Sleeper coaches. They just watered the tanks, and the train was ready for yet another run of 1500 kilometres! Poor passengers in those coaches! At around 0805, the loco appeared near the front end of the train! The loco was the same one which had brought in the train (WDM3D 11101, Erode). The loco got coupled to the train and was now ready to roll!

At around 0815 or so, WAP4 #22536 from Erode appeared with the Palghat town-Trichy passenger. The train was received on Platform 2. A shunter loco attached two empty AC First Class-cum-AC 2 Tier coaches to the rear end of the 8-coach passenger train. Announcements were being made that the Indore-Trivandrum Ahilyanagari Express was expected soon on Platform 1. The train finally showed its face at 0821, with WAM4 #21258 of Arakkonam in charge. The Passenger train was permitted to move ahead of us, and the train pulled out at 0825.

Finally at 0837 our train was permitted to pull out of Coimbatore Junction – with a delay of 37 minutes. We had an agonizingly slow run until Coimbatore North Junction. We were loop-lined there. I could clearly see tempers of passengers (mostly season ticket holding daily commuters) rising. We waited there for about 10 minutes for the 607 Erode-Coimbatore MEMU to pull in. The rake came in ‘photogenically' with its headlamps on! We moved out shortly after that! I noticed a Golden Rock WDM2 hauled rake waiting at a distance on the Mettupalayam-Coimbatore line. We took a sharp right curve, and entered the ‘mother-of-all-problems' or ‘the Bottleneck' the Single line from Coimbatore North to Irugur. That is a distance of just 15 kilometres, but the doubling project is in progress from the past 10 years! Most trains are now bye-passing this beautiful city of Coimbatore which was once called as the Manchester of South India.

Now the station is least maintained inspite of being a very good revenue generating point in Southern Railway! Finally, the train crawled through the single line section for another 6 kilometres before entering yet another loop-line. This time the station was Peelamedu. We crossed a ‘Melmaravathur-Coimbatore Special' train there. The loco was a WDM2 from Golden Rock, and the coach composition was – 2X SLR; 14x GS; 2x SL. We stopped at the station at 0910. The wait was getting endless, and there was no sign of the starter turning to a favourable aspect! Finally at 0945, the signal turned to amber. The loco smoked its way out of the station, and we were back on the main line. The train crawled (literally!). The speed never exceeded 60kmph. There were caution orders in the range of 15-45 kmph all along the section until Irugur.

We stopped at Irugur Outer signal for some time. Finally we were allowed to crawl through the station. Some signaling related works were in progress, and that caused all the delays! We crawled into the double line section, and slowly picked speed. We crossed a long BCNA rake hauled by twin WDM2s from Erode (lead by #18209). There were no signs of the train speeding up, and we were crawling at painfully low speeds. We finally pulled into Tiruppur (our first scheduled halt) at 1050 – Now delayed by 2 hours and 11 minutes! We had covered just 49 kilometres in just passed 2 hours and 13 minutes with an average of 22.10 kilometres per hour!

I spotted a light Guntakal liveried WDM2 (#17782) roaming around the station. We were made to wait until 1057 there. During our wait, the ‘now-extended' 6607 Chennai Egmore-Mangalore Express pulled in with WDM2 #17767 of Erode in charge. We continued our painful run out of the station. The train slowed down at many places due to very nasty speed restrictions! We crossed a BCNA rake hauled by WAG7 #27060 of Mughalsarai somewhere before Erode. At some station, we also crossed the Bangalore-Coimbatore Intercity Express. We finally pulled into Erode at 1205, now delayed by two hours and 30 minutes. The station is now a “Clean Train Station”. Staff rushed in to clean the toilets, and the train was ready to pull out in a matter of 5 minutes. We pulled out at 1210.

The section ahead of Erode had fewer speed restrictions, and the train could maintain better speeds. Lunch was served at around 1300 or so. The menu consisted of Chapatti, A Veg Accompaniment, Rice, Sambhar, Pickle and Curd. We pulled into Salem at 1310. I was having my lunch while the train halted at the station. We pulled out 5 minutes later. The train crawled through Omalur, and slowly entered SWR jurisdiction. The train was soon battling with steeper gradients, and I could clearly hear the loco's beats while I was at the door.

We pulled into Dharmapuri at 1435, now delayed by about 2 hours and 22 minutes. We had a short 3-minute halt there. The train kept playing hide and seeks with a few odd rock cuttings, and picturesque curves. I was busy ready a novel – “One night @ a Call centre” by Chetan Bhagat. I did not notice the changing landscape, and the train slowly crawled into Hosur. The time was 1608, and the train pulled out at 1610. I saw a long NMG rake there. The rake was carrying sparkling new Scorpios!

I was back into the berth reading the book when I suddenly noticed that the train was rushing through Heelalige station. Slowly the train approached the famed Baiyappanahalli ramp. We initially had a ‘danger' signal. But as the loco closed by, I saw the signal change to amber with a route indication. The train slowly descended the ramp, and we were hardly metres from the station. I noticed a Krishnarajapuram WDM hauled passenger train on the other side of the main line. That was probably the Yeshwantpur-Salem passenger. The train slowed down while approaching Baiyappanahalli station and we entered the loop line. Krishnarajapuram WDM3A #14024 was waiting on the Main line to proceed towards Bangalore City to pick up some train.

On the UP main line, I saw twin WDM2s of Pune loco shed crawling towards Krishnarajapuram. We were back on the main line, and the train slowly picked up speed. I noticed a ‘green' signal on the UP main line. I saw one more….I was waiting for the Shatabdhi…Suddenly, I noticed an Erode Wappie (#22273) speeding towards my train, and that was the Chennai bound Shatabdi Express! Our train slowed into Bangalore Cantonment Station. I spotted WDM3A #17994 of Krishnarajapuram waiting at a newly constructed loop line with a construction special rake. The train pulled out of Cantonment station at 1710, and slowly pulled towards Bangalore City station.

We got a red at the Bangalore City outer signal. After some minutes of waiting, Arakkonam WAM4 #21235 pulled out of the station with the Ernakulam bound Holiday Special. After the holiday special went through, our train was cleared, and we slowly pulled towards the station. I saw a light WDP4 (#20035) waiting near Platform 2, while we pulled towards Platform 1. The train stopped at the platform at 1725, now late by 2 hours and 15 minutes. My mom was to join us from there, and she had a reservation in Coach AS3. We had a long chat at the platform. At around 1750, the ‘new' EMD loco in charge gave off a very long horn, and slowly the train inched out of the station. I was busy chatting with my mom, and the train slowly entered Bangalore Cantonment station. I saw the incoming Karnataka Express waiting there. One of the twin Itarsi locos in charge was a Jumbo.

We crossed the Salem-Bangalore passenger at Baiyappanahalli, and the loco in-charge was a WDM2 from Erode. The train crawled out of the station, and we crawled towards Chennasandra. We crossed the Yeshwantpur bound Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express at Yelahanka. It was getting dark outside, while I was deeply engrossed in the book. The train kept speeding forward, and the run was amazing. A few hours later, I saw the train departing from Hindupur. At around 2030, dinner was served. The menu was: Chapattis, A Veg Curry, Jeera Rice, Dhal, Curd, Pickle and Papad. The meal was served in a plastic container. The service was good, and the meal was tasty. The pantry is run by KMA Caterers, Bangalore .

We entered Dharmavaram at 2105, delayed by 2 hours. Shortly after Dharmavaram, I climbed on the side upper berth, and instantly slept. I woke up suddenly with a jerk and it was getting hot inside the coach. But minutes later, I slipped back into sleep. I woke up around 0740 or so. While I was about to get out of my berth, I saw some train crossing our train at a good speed. My mom said that we had just crossed Hotgi. That was unbelievable! The train was yet to reach Solapur!

We pulled into Solapur at 0750, now late by 2 hours and 25 minutes. The toilets were cleaned. My train was on Platform 3, while the rake of the Pune-Solapur passenger was on Platform 2. Both the trains moved out simultaneously in the same direction! Soon, both the trains were on the same line for a few metres. Suddenly, the rake of the passenger moved out to the siding, while our train picked speed on the main line! The train picked speed quickly. We kept good speed upto Mohol. At Mohol, we were loop lined. Some minutes later, WDM3A #18903R of Guntakal pulled in with the Chennai Mail. The mail had a stop there, while the reason why we were loop-lined is still a question! Both trains got their starters simultaneously, and we were back on the main line. We next had a halt at Kurduwadi. We left Kurduwadi at 0924.

I kept staring out of the train for quite some time. After we crossed Bhigwan, I walked towards the front end of the train. I wanted to have a look at the loco. I walked through the pantry towards S1. Just outside Daund, we crossed another Pune-Solapur Passenger. The loco was WDM2 #17966 of Pune. We entered Daund at 1045. I walked out of the train to have a look at the beast in-charge of our train, and that was WDP4 #20035 of Krishnarajapuram. I took a photo, and I walked back towards my coach. As I almost neared by coach, I heard a long horn from our loco. I then walked through the vestibule. The train pulled out and we were back on the main line. We left Daund at 1050, now late by an hour and 40 minutes.

We crossed the Baramati Passenger right outside Daund. The loco in charge was WDM2 #16750 of Pune. The train picked up good speed, and we were cruising at good speed. I had a few more pages to read in the novel. A few minutes later, I saw a huge yard outside, and I recognized that the yard was Ghorpadi, which is right outside Pune! We hurriedly packed up our luggage, and were ready to alight. Just as the train slowed down, I saw the Bangalore bound Udyan Express pulling out of the station with an un-identified WDP4 in charge! We were received on Platform 2. On Platform 1 was the Bangalore (Yeshwantpur) bound Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express. The train had probably just arrived, and the loco had not yet reversed. Just as I was getting out of my train, I saw the loco reversing, and that was WDP4 #20013.

We walked over the FOB, and soon reached outside the station. We went to Comesum for lunch. I was keeping an eye on the train from which I just got down. The train pulled out at 1215. We finished our lunch, and by 1230 we were at the MSRTC Bus Terminus right outside the station! We took an MSRTC Volvo which departed Pune at 1300 (MH11 T 9231), and reached Belapur by 1500. There ended a tiring and unexpected journey! Looking forward for the next journey!

I am eager to know how you liked this report! Please send in your comments and suggestions (brick-bats also welcome) to binaiks [at] gmail [dot] com