Sonar Kella Sonar Rail a!!

The rainy season was in full song in Bangalore. A cup of coffee in hand and some nice choco chip cookies on my plate, I was watching Top Gear when the Whatsapp group that lay dormant since December 2019 suddenly lit up. Guys, how about a trip to the border lines? 

With that thought in mind, I spent all my time drawing out plans, etching out the best possible combinations, multiple discussions and spent life as a near recluse. But, after much deliberation, the battle scene was all drawn up. Now all that remained was the execution. 

Cadbury popularized the saying "Shubh Arambh, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye." Well, we totally echo the sentiment before embarking any plane journey. Just that Kuch Meetha is replaced with filter coffee, the drink of the gods. Upon arrival into the swanky "Its not the SMVB, but it is the SMVBs grander and older cousin", we made our way to the arrivals section, where the aroma of coffee hit us in and promptly had a cup each. Perfect accompaniment for the packed dinner of Puliyogare (Tamarind Rice) and Mosaru Anna (Curd Rice). An uneventful flight later, we had touched down in one of Indias busiest airports, Indira Gandhi Airport.  (PS - Vistara - That food you served was yuck. Sundal Wrap in a plane!)

                                                        

                                                                                   

A taxi ride to a Sarai by the premises of the namesake terminal in NCR, we logged off for the night. The next morning, the peace and calm of the neighbourhood was shattered by the bellow of a wild locomotive. Who needs an alarm clock when a train can give you a better wake up call. Trudging our way to the DEElightful Sarai Rohilla station, a white WAP 7 with a familiar yellow and blue logo with a LHB rake was rushing past. The AP Express from Visakhapatnam was rushing away to take some much needed rest, far away from the hustle and bustle of New Delhi. The Jodhpur bound Salasar Express was on Platform 4. Surely, if this train ran in those days, Topesh and Prodosh would have boarded this train! We were no less a Prodosh Topesh combo, and our exploring would begin in a while. A 600 km journey, that would last almost 12 hours, taking is right through the Shekhawati region and into the lap of the Thar desert. 

                                                      

                                                                                                 

Cuppa chai downed, we boarded the coach that is meant to carry 64 passengers but today, would carry a grand total of two passengers who would probably end up spending more than half the time by the doorside. At 5 minutes past 7, the locomotive let out a roar, blew the horn and pulled away towards the southwest of Delhi, for a journey into the North Western Railways. Metal on Metal clashed, produced a lovely orchestra accompanied by the honking and revving of the loco that could be worthy of a masterpiece produced by Yanni. The exit out of Delhi saw us being greeted by the newest baby in the network. The WAG 12B locomotive was waiting to head into the city for his chores. 

As we pulled into Rewari, the tummies began to rumble. Vendors on the train? Nay! Pantry Car! NA. Do we starve throughout? The route also did not look promising in terms of food availability. TravelKhana simply said "Khana? Na!". As we pondered over the meal, we spotted a cart outside the coach selling bread pakodas and pakodis. The adage says "Be a Roman while in Rome". So forgetting about one plate masale, and coffee, we tucked into a hearty calorific breakfast. As we exited Rewari, and into Bikaner Division, the universal dish of Bharatiya Rail, came by.  Bread Cutlets which is the one constant in consistency and taste wherever you go in India. 

Having wolfed down the second round of breakfast, the cool breeze from the AC and the heavy breakfast, coupled with the outside temperature which was steadily going up, while the terrain changed gradually, meant it was time for a power nap. This was more or less the agenda we followed for this trip. Short bursts of power naps followed by long RF sessions. 

The coach attendant was kind enough to arrange a hot meal for us at Loharu, which is where I woke up after a good refreshing nap. On the adjoining platform, the Sikar Express which had left ahead of us was waiting to make its final run to Sikar, having reversed and ready to leave. 

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                      

                                                                                                             

 The excellent lunch set the expectations in terms of the food that was to come our way over the next few days. But then, there is a saying in Tamil, "Alavukku Meerinal Amruthamaum Nanju" meaning Even Amrutham (Nectar) is poison if it goes beyond a limit. That turned out to be true for us after a certain point, when we began craving for a burger and sandwich, after sampling excellent Rajasthani thalis. Lunch done, the train prepared to slow down for one of the major towns enroute. Churu. Now, for any traveller on this route, Churu may appear to be a nondescript town, but it has a special place in the Indian Met Departments charts. It is known for recording one of the lowest temperatures in the Indian Plains. Brrr!! Thankfully, Suryadeva was benevolent by showering warm rays and keeping the climate chill. The long halt here meant our crew chief stretched his legs by walking to the end of the platform and photographing the locomotive in all its glory. 

Departure from Churu was bang on-time. And we proceeded towards Ratangarh. The train was looped at Ratangarh for a crossing. The minutes ticked past and the signal in the opposite side turned green. A beautiful beast from the Gir forest turned up with the Delhi bound Express. Crossing done. the train now headed south-west towards Degana. The mainline joined, long halt done, we sped off towards Merta Road. What do we do for our evening snack? Railkhana saved us when we ordered piping hot aloo parathas and pav bhaji. Of course, there was a tense moment or two, when the food was nowhere in sight and the starter was given. 

The sun began setting for the day providing some stellar photography moments. In the meantime, calls began from our other companions who were already sightseeing the Blue City. "Ellro idhira. Gaadi right time a?" Affirmative given. Status: Raikabag Palace approaching. The golden hues of the sun bathed our Utkrisht rake, making her a Hiranya Roopi. 

In we pulled almost on time, into the Blue City, for a hearty dinner, basking in the magnificience of the Fort behind and to board a DEMU to Barmer later that night. 

                                                                                                 

                                                                                        

 I know that railfans are a crazy bunch. We have done overnight journeys in Sleeper Class, AC 3 Tier, 2 tier , first class and even UR on the odd occasion. But a overnight journey in a DEMU? How does that even work? Quite simple. Take 4 seats. Spread out your bedsheets on them and stretch out and sleep. Clearly, we were not the only ones with this idea. Our co-passengers also had similar thoughts and as the DEMU trundled away, into the hinterlands of the desert, we settled down for some well deserved sleep.  How good did we sleep? The "berth" turned out to be surprisingly comfy. with all of us getting some modicum of a visit by Morpheus. At the crack of dawn, we were now at Barmer. Home of India's first underground airforce base. 

                                                                        

 In order to get bit more sleep and freshening up later, we made our way out to the station, Armed with a whole lot of water bottles to battle the heat, we made our way to the far end of platform 2, where one old ALCO stood with a tiny rake, for he alone would go alone to battle each day, far into the hinterlands, and as he made his way to the border with Pakistan, he would offer his tributes daily to those fallen martyrs. More on this later. Anyway, the first of our trysts with the ALCO began. These fine beasts which ruled the roost from Ernakulam to Ludhiana and from Vatva to New Guwahati are now fast being sent to the welding torch, where they are being valued not as machines that served the nation proudly, but as heavy metal worth a lot of money. 

                                                                                               

                                                                                   

The loco was a veteran, having seen the glory days to his territory fast shrinking. No one knows, when his current turf will be usurped by those white monsters. The crew made their final checks and as the starter was given, the train gave a loud honk, indicating that the lone train to Munabao would leave soon and urging passengers not to miss it. With a gentle pull, and a mighty growl. the loco and the train set off, carrying its 10 odd coaches, most of which was filled with villagers heading to their villages and 4 intrepid railfans, who had to assure the crew that we were NOT taking the Barmer Express to Bangalore later that day, but instead were heading northwards into another city. Whilst the passengers were not interested much in the sounds made by the loco, we occupied the 2 middle doors and the two emergency exits. waiting to savour the concert that was being performed. "Clickety Clack Clackety Click Chug chug chug honk honk". This rhythm continued all the till Munabao and the sights on offer was a treat for the eyes. 

The sights. well, words are simply not enough to describe the experience. The vast expanse of desert, the thorny shrubs, the sand pouring into the coach as the train, embracing the sandy grains as it showered her blessings upon this train daily. The phrase "Dhool Kelapardhu" took a literal meaning here. The sand rose up in the air, blending perfectly with the Utkrishtified coaches and giving rise to a literal sandstorm that the train left behind in its wake. 

  

As we moved on, the stations rolled of one after the other. The crowds alighted, more people got on, and we even managed to spot some wildlife enroute (namely some cows and peacock). Longish halts enroute meant plenty of time to alight, take photos and head on. A great workout for the knees!

As the train sped along, I positioned myself on the right, to pay my tribute to the fallen railway warriors who were martyred in the line of duty in the 1965 war. This beautiful memorial was inaugurated a few years back and stands as a fitting tribute to the resolute spirit of the Indian Railways, which chugs on, no matter what the circumstances are, Be it rain, sun, riots, snow, or floods. It was indeed a goosebumps moment as the train passed by the memorial and the LP also paid tribute to his fallen colleagues by tooting the horn (he did this in both directions). And the memorial marked the imminent arrival of our train into what is the largest station of this route, namely Gadra Road.

                                                                                                  The Memorial for the fallen Railwaymen

As we exited Gadra Road, the excitement began to build up. We were caked in sand but who cares! We were approaching Munabao. The last station in India! The sand made way to more firm ground and stones began to dot the countryside. At last, at long last, we reached Munabao! The train branched into the loopline into the lone platform that sees just one train. The other side of the station was barricaded and covered securely. That platform in its heydays would receive the Thar Express, the lesser known cousin of the Samjhauta. Now. creepers have started forming a natural curtain to the barriers. What a sight! The very station evoked a haunted, eerie feeling. The border tensions could be felt in the station. No wonder as we were less than a km from it. Our presence evoked a lot of curiosity amongst the staff there. They were bemused to see that a bunch of people had come all the way from Bangalore just to visit their tiny station. The time flew by fast and we boarded the train again. This time, in shut down mode, sleeping and napping before a long drive to Jaisalmer from Barmer by car. Upon our return to Barmer, we bid farewell to the LP and ALP, settled down for a delicious Rajasthani lunch, complete with Bajra Roti, and booked a car to Jaisalmer. A self drive car awaited at Jaisalmer for 2 days. for we had an exciting agenda planned for the next two days. 

A battered Nissan Micra with a barely functioning brake, horn, engine and gearbox crying their heart out for every rev and gear change, with plenty of dents and bends. Akin to a Rajput warrior who has braved many a battle, one can say! A pleasant night at the desert camp and dune bashing done, we rested for the night and the quartet ( akin to the Top Gear trio and the Stig) made their way to the famed Longewala Yudhsthal, where our brave Indian Army with a just 120 soldiers inflicted a crushing defeat upon a battalion of 2000 soldiers and 40 tanks of the Pakistani Army. The fact that we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of this epic battle in a couple of months time was indeed a goosebumps moment. 

We then drove along from Longewala to the tiny station of Jetha Chandan. Why were we heading here? To capture the fabled token system that is fast disappearing from the annals of IR. Semaphores were To be replaced by multi aspect colored signals soon and the signs were all there at Jetha Chandan, of the imminent change. The signal fell, the pointsman took his position and so did we. We prepared ourselves for a front row seat, to watch the loco pilot throw the token into the net and collect his token to march further into the distance. 

After capturing this exciting sequence, it was now time for ALCO ride 2 of the trip, atleast for 2 of us. The quartet split up, with Abhilash anna and me waiting to board the Jodhpur Passenger, to set foot into a historic town while Pawan Anna and Akshay were to follow us by car. 

A pristine 14117 of Abu Road made its way into the station, and we boarded the first SLR. The magic began again. The ALCO magic!!

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As we left Jetha Chandan, I realized something! It was Dr. Kalams birthday and we were heading to a town that was close to his heart, and the scene of one of his greatest triumphs was less than 10km as the crow flies. Amazing coincidence indeed! We made our way chugging merrily through the countryside, till we reached the junction of Ashapura Gomat.  A long long halt later, and spotting many an Army truck, we finally started towards that Hallowed station.

This is a name which caused shockwaves in the International community, but made India a powerful nation. For the railways, it may be a cul-de-sac nondescript station that sees just 3 trains coming and going, but for a student of science or indeed any Indian, this town ought to be revered. That town is Pokharan. And as we reached Pokhran, I had tears in my eyes, for the reverence for the great man who was celebrating his birthday that day, for the brave defence minister who also had a major role in IR who made it happen and above all, the bold Prime Minister who withstood the threat of sanctions and said India will be a nuclear superpower come what may! Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Shri George Fernandes and Shri AB Vajpayee - we shall never forget them. 

We pulled into Pokhran, and the loco detached itself to run around for a reversal, while we stepped outside for a chai and namkeen. We saw some delicious sweets and packed some for our colleagues who were chasing our train and would meet us at Ramdevra, the last of the Semaphore section. 

Not only did the loco reverse, so did we position ourselves to the front SLR again for a short hop to Ramdevra. We drove back to Jaisalmer, and stayed in the fort for the night at Zostel and woke up to some spectacular views. 

The day began in earnest. Pawan anna had left for Jodhpur by the Ranikhet Express whilst Abhilash anna, Akshay and me prepared to take the Lalgarh Express. The now mandatory picture of the TKD EMD with the Sonar Kella in the background taken, we made our way to the coach, to savour the semaphores for one last time. We got Rani Lakshmibai, waiting guard over her Sonar Kella!

The journey began in earnest. And we savoured the semaphores and we came across a familiar station and a familiar face! The pointsman we had met the previous day was doing duty as our Lalgarh Express went by and we bid our goodbyes to him and soon, it was time to enter Ramdevra, saying bye to the semaphores. The change was quite evident as the pairing train was waiting for us and it had a EMD in the lead. As we cleared the home signal for Ramdevra, the ALCO gave a tribute to the semaphore signals, as though the loco knew both of them were at the end of their days. Sad sad moment indeed, 

At Ramdevra, a huge family entered the coach and the calm and peace of the coach was shattered by the chatter and hustle and bustle. Nonetheless, we found the company welcoming, and after equipping ourselves with more water and fluids, the journey resumed. A decent lunch and a nap later, we entered Lalgarh, where the longest running daily train of India was resting, to begin a long long journey to the land of Kamrup. A solemn promise was made to a trip on this legendary train, end to end soon and we proceeded to platform 1. Abhilash anna and I stepped outside and I was delighted to see something that made me as excited as a kid in a candy store. It was an old old Lambretta Auto. A relic of the License raj, this auto has fast disappeared from the roads of India,, but still thrives in a few pockets. I asked the auto driver nicely for a small ride around the premises of the station - a request which the driver kindly accepted and which saw amused smiles on the faces of his stand friends. Nonetheless, it was a lovely joyride and the easiest money the auto driver had made. 

Some snacks loaded, we eagerly awaited the arrival of our train. Bikaner Delhi Sarai Rohilla Superfast via Sriganganagar. It looked like the surprises were not done yet! We expected a EMD but got a lovely Alco instead. A TKD WDM 3A doing the honors this time. 

We set off, into the northward direction, towards Sriganganagar. The train was reasonably empty but well maintained, a surprise from what I expected from the Delhi maintenance. Guess DEE CDO does a better job than NDLS! Since it had been a hectic few days, I settled into to a good sleep early into the journey. 

We reached Delhi Sarai Rohilla and parted ways with Akshay. Abhilash anna and me had one more train journey to make. Vivekanandapuri Halt to New Delhi by the Sriganganagar Tilak Bridge Special - chosen because it gets a WDP 3A as its power. As we walked up the FoB, nostalgia hit Abhilash anna and me. We had commenced our epic trip a few days ago from this very station and in fact, the same platform where our train from Lalgarh was berthed. As we waited at Vivekandapuri halt, a honk was heard. A WAP 4 lumbered into view and we had a shock - the boards read Bhiwani Tilak Bridge Sriganganagar. Apprehensive that this train may be our train, we enquired with the passengers who assured us that this was coming from Bhiwani and the Sriganganagar train was behind. And soon enough, the WDP 3A, affectionately called Toaster, swayed and danced into view. Our D1 coach was full and this had to board S1 (not that it made any difference). The TKD dancer danced herself into NDLS and we made our way to the Airport Express metro station, but a number on the adjacent platform caught our eye. 12627 Karnataka Express - From Namma Bengaluru. How could we not go without paying obeisance to this train? 

After stuffing ourselves at the lounge, we walked to the gate, for my first ever Air India Experience. And what a way to begin, with a B787-8 VT NAA. Loved the flight, food and In flight entertainment! An uneventful flight later, we reached Bangalore, and after a lovely cup of coffee, took a taxi and reached our homes, with memories to look back upon.