One Last Hurrah with diesels?

November – that awesome month that heralds the arrival of the weekend of the year! That moment when everyone is planning to go on a holiday, be it to the mountains, or the beaches or to historic monuments and when my teammates begin asking me, where is Ani heading to this time around?

And thus the 3 musketeers planned a few things but unfortunately, the dates did not work out and I had to go solo this time around. This reminded me of the famous line by Mr Joseph Tribbiani where he went backpacking in Western Europe. Only this time, I was carrying my strolley and a laptop back, having foregone by 95 liter backpack which takes up space for 4 people by itself by virtue of its size. 

The tedious task of planning began, with my dear crew chief annas, giving me guidance and inputs throughout. One itch that kept bugging me was the lack of mileage along the Ahmedabad Marwar section. Multiple attempts to complete that section was akin to us trying to visit Ledo, which finally happened earlier this year. 

A cursory glance of the timetable showed that Secunderabad Hisar Express which is possibly one of the last long distance trains with a ICF rake and a WAP 4 doing the honors of leading it. Thus the tickets were booked, with the remaining plans from Hisar being left to uncertainty, which evoked some fear in my manager.

As the last week of November rolled in, I happened to notice one amazing train that travels from Gujarat all the way upto the mighty Himalayas, traversing through the Aravalis, the Thar desert and finally entering the rich Doab plains of Punjab, before making a climb into the lap of the Himalayas. Plans reformed, tickets booked for what set to be an epic 3960km journey, spanning across 6 days, starting from the Land of the Nizams, flying into the home of the most Vibrant state, passing through the very lands where veer Maharanas like Maharana Pratap, Rana Sanga attained Veera Swargam, into the holy land of the Sikhs before being welcomed into the lap of Mother Parvati’s paternal home. And from there, I would make my way back to the capital city, before boarding the fastest train to the IT Capital of India to my Janmabhoomi, the second IT capital of India. 

December 20 could not come soon enough, and when it did, it turned out to be a very very long day. The 1715 Airport Pushpak bus was missed thanks to a detour I took to the Apollo Pharmacy to buy some much needed Paracetamol and Pudin Hara, lest the trots show up. Fervently praying this missing of the bus did not set the tone for the trip, I enquired at the counter for the next bus and was assured it would be here in no less than 10 minutes. However, the bus did not arrive with even at the O’ Clock and the tension began to mount. My aircraft was already headed to Vizag, albeit a tad delayed and would return back to Hyderabad before proceeding to Ahmedabad. Thankfully, a friendly cabbie came to my rescue, and offered to take me to the airport for the same price as the bus, but I would have to share the cab with two other gentlemen. Agreeing to this, it was off to the airport and having covered a grand total of 400m, the car came to a halt, to a sea of red taillamps illuminating the view ahead. The dreaded Wednesday traffic!! What can a man do to catch a break!

Thankfully, the traffic eased out as we reached LB Nagar, and a quick obeisance to the mighty Hanuman of Karmanghat later, the cab deviated into the Pahadishareef road that provides an alternative to the good citizens of Secunderabad area to reach the busy RGIA. If one travels on this road during the notorious ‘graveyard’ shift, this road can give Hotel California vibes! On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair,,,,,

Having Digiyatra is such a breeze and the security was cleared in no time at all, only to be greeted by a huge line at the Encalm lounge with the estimated wait time to enter the lounge being around an hour or so. And hence, I resigned myself to paying 400 rupees for an idli platter and a filter kaapi thus paying what would become the highest I paid for a meal, across the next 6 days of travel.

Having polished off the idlis and gulped down the last cup of coffee for the next week, and my gut bacteria feeling very happy due to the idlis I had had for dinner (Thanks Dr Pal), I made my way to the boarding gate. And this boarding gate seemed to be an eternity away. Just wish I had a suitcase that could transform into a scooter for those long walks from the security to the gates.

On arriving at some gate with 3 digits (too exhausted to count), I came to the conclusion that the gate numbers assigned at the airports are the number of kilometers you walk in order to reach the gate. And thus, nursing a slightly sore throat and a mild headache, I picked up a bottle of water from the vending machine and waited for my aircraft to arrive from Vizag, while spotting a few aircraft.

The boarding finally began, and it turns out that my plane was parked at some random corner of the airport, necessitating another 20 min commute by bus. Here I was, trying to ensure that I was on a vacation, to escape the long commute but fate did not permit thus! Oh and did I mention that my plan to avoid checking in my bags was foiled at the gate. I had to part with my strolley at the gate and stroll up to the bus. After what seemed an eternity later and some irate passengers shouting at the poor crew members, we finally took off from Hyderabad and onto to the skies towards Ahmedabad. I settled in for some 40 winks, before the crew woke me up, to serve the meal, which consisted of a bread roll, some paneer tikka and a salad.

Touchdown was Ryanair like and we taxied into the terminal, with a 787 of Singapore Airlines welcoming us. A few moments later, the strolley arrived safe and sound on the conveyor and I booked an auto to take me to Ahmedabad station, where I had booked the AC Dormitory. The auto driver asked me to wait near the statue of the man who integrated our nation seamlessly and gave me a chance to pay my respects to the great Sardar Patel, after whom the airport is named.

I arrived into the dormitory just past midnight, and promptly went to sleep, having booked it till 6 am only. The dormitory was quite clean and resembled a AC Sleeper bus. The washrooms too were clean and dry, albeit a bit dusty due to the renovation works going on. It is priced a bit costly though, at 500 something rupees for the 6 hours I had booked it.

The next day dawned and the excitement was palpable. I vacated the dormitory and still in need of some sleep, I headed to the executive lounge. The lounge is a decent place to visit, albeit a bit small. Catching some winks proved rather difficult as Platform 1 heralded the arrival of a long distance train from the near the Western Ghats to the Aravalis.

As I was sipping on a cup of chai, a familiar hum was heard in the distance. The Ajmer bound Express from Mysuru arrived on platform 1, with a EMD from Krishnarajapuram in the lead. The NWR bound trains from Bengaluru are the last of the trains in India to do a 130 with a diesel locomotive and the time is fast running out before the humming diesels are replaced with the non descript white electric locomotive. The Ajmer Express brought in a lot of passengers to the lounge, who were probably waiting for further connections towards Kutch and Kathiawar.

In order to get some fresh air and begin my exploring of Ahmedabad, I walked towards Platform 9, and lo behold, at what was once the hub for the Girnar Express, Udaipur Express and Botad Fast Passenger, during the metre gauge heydays of Ahmedabad stands the upcoming Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Railway building. Another cup of chai later, I made my way to the Kalupur Metro station and made a quick hop to Amraiwadi and back before finding a nice hole-in-the-wall nashta shop for much needed breakfast. Before I forget, it seems that wherever I go north of the Vindhyas, people insist on recommending the best place to get Idli and Vada! The friendly auto rickshaw driver who took me to the station from the airport suggested a couple of shops where he assured I would get “ek dum mast idli vada” despite my insistence for local delicacies! Anyway, back to the shop, a hot plate of poha and khaman was on offer along with some puris and jalebis. I savoured some excellent poha and khaman for breakfast while opting to skip the puris and jalebis.

Trundling up and down platform 1, wondering where my train would come, the Veraval bound Express from Jabalpur departed towards Veraval, having what I presume is a traction change along with taking on more water for the coaches and a fresh crew.

The Rajdhani was berthed on her usual platform 5, while the Ashram Express was still resting on PF 9, which is where my train was due to be pushed in, after it had arrived in the morning as the Somnath Express, all the way from Veraval. As the clock struck 10, the chug of the Alco was heard and the WDG 3A class locomotive, now derated for shunting only, pulled in the Ahmedabad Jammu Express, a train that needs 7 rakes due to its overtly complex rake sharing arrangements, which may cause mayhem at times. But, more on that later!!

The shunting locomotive went away in search of more work, the khalasis took their position to couple the electric locomotive (oh how I wish I could go back a few months time to see a lovely diesel loco coming in to take charge), when a shrill whistle was heard in the distance. A white locomotive with a single white band emerged in the distance and to my surprise, it did NOT pull into platform 9. Instead, it went right into platform 6. It turned out to be one of the blue eyed boys of the Indian Railways. Not the Shatabdi or the Vande Bharat but the intercity coming in from Vadnagar which has become an important location in the geopolitics of our great nation! and on Platform 5, was the Rishikesh bound Yoga Express, while on 7 was the Gujarat Queen Express with an ex Baroda now Valsad WAP 4 locomotive bearing road number 22676. It was 1040 and there was no sign of the locomotive for our train and I did think of heading back to my coach which was at the very back, needing me to walk a whopping 262m which seemed like the 26.2 miles to me or akin to running a marathon. A few seconds later, a second hoot was heard and this time, it was a red loco with a cream band in the distance and to my joy, the points were set to platform 9 with 22677, a WAP 4E class locomotive from Vatva shed doing the honors until Jodhpur, a departure from the standard WAP 5 class locomotive thats usually assigned to my train. I was happy indeed, as this combo of tap changer locomotive with an old ICF rake is a fast disappearing from the pages of Indian railways.

Having clicked the mandatory picture and seeing that the time was fast approaching for the departure, I hurried back to the B4 coach, which was quite clean, AC working quite well and the washrooms very clean and taps working fine.

The clock struck 11, the guard blew his whistle and the LP gave the honk and off we went, the start of a 3960km for me, on what was majorly ICF rakes! As we exited from the last platform of Ahmedabad, another train was snaking out from the first, heading in a different direction, further into Saurashtra towards the foremost of the Jyotirlinga Kshetrams where Sri Krishna himself worshipped Mahadeva and whose restoration was completed in 1951 despite stiff opposition, coming from another Jyotirlinga Kshetram, where Mata Annapoorani ensures everyone is fed well, Kala Bhairava is the kotwal and Mahadeva is the Lord of the Universe, and Nandikeswara is seeing the rightful abode of his Lord. A lovely parallel action ensured for a while, before the Banaras Veraval Express was stopped prior to the Sabarmati river.

A brief halt at Sabarmati later, the train gathered speed and proceeded on the erstwhile metre gauge line, which connected Delhi to Ahmedabad. All traces of metre gauge have been obliterated with the DFC now giving company to the mainline. To my worst luck, the side lower berth happened to be on the non track side, thus limiting the action that I could see. At Kalol, the actual blue eyed boy of the Railways crossed us, coming from Jodhpur and proceeding towards the secondary terminal of Ahmedabad.

Onwards from Kalol, the scenery changed, with hills appearing in the background and the terrain becoming a bit more sandy. The sight of oil rigs indicated the presence of ONGC and one of the largest on-shore fields of the said company and what will be the first major junction of the journey, Mahesana. This gave the passengers a much needed chance to stretch their legs and grab some lunch, having arrived at 12 pm. The stalls on the platform offered a choice of dhokla, samosas, puris with a choice of aloo gravy or dry aloo sabji. As the clumsiest person ever, I did not trust myself to carry the gravy curry safely back to my seat, and thus settled for a choice of hot puris and dry aloo curry, which tasted very good. A vendor came by selling lassi which was the perfect dessert for the meal. The vendor also insisted to try the delicious rabdi which he said will be sold at Abu Road. That station could not come sooner!

The DFC now switched over to the right side and the passengers and I settled in for a short afternoon siesta! Hey, I do deserve a siesta! A quick nap later, a large establishment was seen on the right, which indicated the mighty Abu Road Diesel Loco Shed, which once housed the YDM 4 class MG locomotives and now houses a lot of diesel BG locomotives, with 10 electrics also making a subtle intrusion into the shed. A long halt awaited, as the coaches were to be filled with water, while I walked up to the nearest food stall and picked up a chilled cup of rabdi. 10/10 for the taste and just what is needed for a late dessert!! Watering done, dessert munched upon, the crew headed onwards into Rajasthan.

The doorplating began from here, enjoying the rhythmic clackety clack of the wheels on steel rails, and the honking of the locomotive, while hoping for some action on the DFC. My prayers were answered soon, as a loaded oil rake was heading towards Rewari, and a WDG 4G heading it. This line is also unique for electric locomotives as the wires are placed much higher than usual, due to the presence of double stacked container wagons, and the electric locos plying this route need special high rise pantograph.

As the train neared Marwar, I was delighted to see a couple of Lucknow based ALCO locos on mainline operations, hauling a military train. The Jammu Express was now slowing down and I began peeking out to see if a unique “steam” loco could be seen on the far end of the station. To my disappointment or joy(?), all I saw was a conventional metre gauge rake, with a YDM 4 leading it, having brought in the service from Mavli. This triggered some fond memories for me, as the Bannerghatta Crew Chief, Branchline Guy and me had taken this very train during our trip of 2019, down the ghats from Mavli to Marwar, before seeking refuge in the waiting hall. The halt was unusually long here, with the culprit being the Indore Jodhpur Express which was given precedence over us.

An extremely long halt, the Jammu Express deviated towards the heart of Marwar territory and onto the Thar area! The sunset adding to the beauty of the views enroute. A 100 minute journey later, the train was pulling into the Blue City, Jodhpur where the electric loco would be detached and a diesel would take charge. Platform 1 was occupied by the Mandore Express, which was getting progressively full, with passengers getting for an overnight journey to the National Capital. Dinner was purchased here, consisting of a typical railway thali. A tad spicy but hot and fresh.

Comedy ensured just after we left Jodhpur. A couple of girls boarded the train and insisted that B4 37, 38 was their seats while the elderly gentleman showed his ticket to prove that he was on the right train, while the girls were not. They were supposed to board the Jaisalmer Sabarmati Express. They saw Ahmedabad on the train board and just got in. Their train meanwhile, was nearing Raikabag Palace for a scheduled halt while our train did not have a halt there!! The girls pulled the chain, with the train coming to a screeching halt, and the girls scampered off, and got down from the train, to the road and to their luck, there was a breach in the wall fencing, through which they escaped. This just added to the delay but the train had enough slack to cover up the delay by Bhatinda.

The next morning, I woke up from my SUB and freshened up. I opened the door to be greeted by a deluge of fog, which resembled the Thirupparkadal while the temperatures were sub 10 degrees. Hoping for some much needed tea (not the Long Island ones, but the adrak wali) I resigned myself to standing by the door as the two passengers in the side lower berth were still sleeping. At 0700, the train was slowing down, negotiating a lot of points, heralding the arrival of a major junction. Bhatinda it had to be and we had covered up a near 1 hour delay at Jodhpur to reach 25 minutes before time. And thankfully, my co passengers in the side lower also woke up and asked if they could sleep in the side upper berth, to which I happily agreed. Having spent 3 hours in freezing cold in the platform, back in March 2023 it was a welcome change to come here in the warm confines of the 3A coaches. The sight of hot chole bhaturas and aloo parathas made my tummy rumble, and I settled for a plate of hot parathas and chai. The long halt also gave me the opportunity to take a look at the EMD loco that had taken charge at Jodhpur and stretch my legs.

Proceeding onwards at 0745, into dense fog, and the Punjab heartland, the progress wasnt that fast, but it certainly was steady. Till Firozepur, I will not talk, but will let the pictures take over.

We pulled into Firozepur on time, and the northernmost divisional headquarters of IR, where a fresh set of locomotives will take charge. I also had to change coaches here, as my journey from Firozepur to Jammu was in B2 coach, which would be much closer to the loco, incase a pair of ALCOs took charge. Hoping against hope for ALCOs, I waited with bated breath. I was so tense, you could actually see my breath in the air. A honk later, a pair of headlamps cut through the fog, revealing the most beautiful sight! A pair of ALCOs from Ludhiana was to come till Pathankot. A day before, sad news emerged from the down south that Southern Railways had withdrawn ALCOs from mainline service, marking an end of an era, when Erode, Golden Rock, Ernakulam and Tondiarpet locos ruled the tracks of Konkan, Kerala, TN. Who can forget the sight of the orange WDP 3A class locomotive with the Trivandrum Rajdhani or the unique locomotive numbered 11121! I counted myself immensely lucky to have done numerous rides with ALCOs and yet, this sight of the Ludhiana locos made me realize that this would possibly the last time, I would experience ALCO locos hauling a train! Truly, between ALCOs and Vande Bharat trainset, I grew up (psst, or so I hope to think, my mother may disagree).