Navjeevan Series "New Life": First Class Trip to Salem

WDM-2#16296 with Garib Rath Express at Pukkiravari. The train was in loop waiting for our passenger.

April 2nd, 2010.

I started at 20:30hrs from my house and reached Egmore at 21:30hrs. I hurried to the hotel just outside Egmore to have my favourite Chilli Parotta as I haven’t had it for the past 6 months. To my disappointment, the hotel staff told me that only noodles was available. My friend Sriram Karthik joined me when I was busy with my noodles. Together we walked towards our train. As usual we went to the front to find out the locomotive number. We found that WDM-2#16802 LHF was our power.

I was actually doing an eccentric trip (as usual). The plan was to travel by First Class as first class coaches were going to be removed from service soon. Also, I haven’t seen the section between Virudhachalam and Salem. We were eagerly looking for this trip due to the above mentioned reasons. Sriram Karthik also agreed to join in the trip and another friend Chidambaram agreed to come till Virudhachalam as he was proceeding towards Tiruchi for some personal work. So I charted a plan as follows.

Plan:

1. Taking 1063 Egmore (MS)-Salem Express till Virudhachalem (VRI). Getting down at VRI at around 3AM in the morning. I am not a time-table guy, I am not sure of timings. Sorry!
2. Observe night trains passing through VRI from 3AM till 5:30AM. This was Sriram Karthik and Chimbu’s plan! My plan was to sleep in the platform bench.
3. Board VRI-SA passenger at 5:30AM to Salem. The train reaches Salem around 8:30AM.
4. The return journey is by West Coast Express from Salem to Chennai in First Class compartment.


The Ultimate Road Number King in MAS!! Sriram Karthik!

I am not a guy who notes speeds, numbers nor a guy well versed in timetables. I simply enjoy train travels and I wish to keep my hobby to that limit itself and not venturing into technical details. So I didn’t care about noting down any timing, or spotting or numbers of the locomotives which I saw in action during my trip. However, my dear friend Sriram Karthik was exactly the opposite. He sat all night and noted down all the numbers and crossings with timings! I should really appreciate Sriram on this. Few members are simply great and I am nowhere near in these aspects of rail fanning.

I believed that my train started on time and very soon we were doing very high speeds. Chidambaram boarded at Tambaram and sat with us for some time. He had got a Side-Lower berth in a different coach, but he was interested in being with us for some time. I got a Side-Lower and Sriram got a Lower berth, but none of us were interested in sleeping early.

I was impressed with the driving of the Loco pilot. 18602 WDM-2 was indeed a performer. Even though I am not a great diesel fan, I do like the WDM-2’s. But at heart I had the feeling, that good old WDM-2 days are over. But it wasn’t. The acceleration and speed was awesome. I was not keen on being awake as my focus was not to observe the crossings, but to enjoy the section between VRI and Salem and the return journey in First Class. Chidambaram and I went to sleep when our train crossed Olakur. I opted to take Sriram’s LB and Sriram comfortably settled in my Side-lower berth. Sriram Karthik was awake all night in Side Lower Berth!!

When I woke up next, I noticed that my train was in Villupuram. For the next few hours, my sleep wasn’t continuous. I woke up every time when my train stopped for a crossing. At Tiruvennainallur Road 6108 Mangalore-Chennai Egmore Express was waiting in loop. RPM WAP-4#22806 was the power. At Puvanur, WAP-4 crossed with 2632 Nellai Express and it wasn’t doing great speeds. However, what happened next was something awesome. We were put on loop at Parikkal and 2638 Pandian Express crossed us at a high speed. The honks were monstrous and when the locomotive crossed my window, cold breeze hit my face. I went to sleep again.


Chimbu and Sriram during the early morning hours. The location is Virudhachalam Railway station. Even at that time Sriram is pondering over his notes, timetables, referring to spottings etc etc.

Sriram Karthik woke me up when my train was nearing Virudhachalam. I was feeling very sleepy and I slept on the bench for a few minutes as Sriram and Chidambaram were talking about various rail related topics. It was a different pleasant experience. I mean sleeping in a railway station’s bench at night hours when the whole city is asleep, gazing at the empty sky and stars. The atmosphere was very fresh. I inhaled fresh air and after a few breaths I was feeling as if I was in heaven.

Two of our friends Naveen and Raghu Jayaraman were returning from Sengottai in 2662 Pothigai Express and they agreed to meet us at Virudhachalam. WAP-4#22222 hauled 2662 Pothigai Express entered into VRI in a monstrous style. Amazing! I was speechless. Once the train rolled to a stop, we waited at the coach entrance. Sleepy looking bearded Naveen and a fresh looking Raghu came out and greeted us. Naveen was seeing me after a long time and even at that unearthly hour; he couldn’t resist pulling my legs.

Within two minutes, starter was given and Naveen/Raghu departed towards Chennai. Chimbu and Sriram started talking about train topics and I returned to my slumber. I was enjoying in my own dream world. Sleeping in a railway station is a pleasant experience. Sriram purchased the tickets to Salem and woke me up at 5AM. Our train was already in platform and to our surprised we found that WDM-2#16802 was attached to its helm. This was the same locomotive which hauled our train to VRI earlier. As our train was about to depart, Chimbu’s train came in another platform and so we bid good bye to him as he was heading towards Tiruchi.

Our train had an on-time departure at 5:30AM. The section was scenic and I enjoyed it. It was a single non-electrified line. Our WDM-2 was doing well. Sriram Karthik felt that the Loco-Pilot wasn’t driving well and he wasn’t making full use of WDM-2’s power efficiently. The LP accelerated and decelerated repeatedly for no reason. I couldn’t figure out either, but that wasn’t my job. I sat by the window side and observed the cows, dogs, goats and rice fields as my train went through a scenic route.

We arrived at Salem around 8:30AM. We had only one hour time before 6628 West Coast arrived at Salem. Immediately, without wasting any time we had our breakfast of Idlis, Dosas etc. Sriram was returning in coach as he was not able to get a FC ticket. WAP-4#22517 arrived with West Coast Express and without wasting any time, I boarded my train.

When I boarded the FC coach, I was shocked. There was only one elderly person travelling in it and the rest of the coach was empty. I looked at the chart and found that many FC travellers have got down at Coimbatore and Palakkad. I was overjoyed. There was no one to disturb me!

My cabin was a coupe which can accommodate two people. I got a window-seat facing the locomotive! But the window was towards the left so that could mean I can’t observe any trains which were actually going to come on my right.

22517 did perform well in my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride. I was all alone for nearly 5 hours all the way up to Chennai. No one disturbed me and I was floating in my own world. I gazed out of the window and observed the fast moving trees, roads, mountains, posts, stations. For some stupid reason, my train slowed down a lot especially near Jolarpettai, Ambur, and Arokkonam. But thanks to the buffer in the timings, my train reached on time at Chennai Central. It was a hot day and certainly not a season to rail fan, but I was in Chennai after a long time and I desperately wanted to do this trip. I got down from the coach and waited for Sriram. When I saw Sriram, I was amused. He was looking a chicken which has been fried. Chennai heat was really severe.

As we walked towards MAS entrance, Sriram lamented that 22517 didn’t perform well. However, I seriously differ from this. In my opinion, the locomotive did perform well. However, the train was made to wait unnecessarily at JTJ, AB and AJJ, otherwise it could have arrived MAS very early!

-Krishna Kumar.S
IRFCA-MAS (Transferred from Howrah)