IR 17968R CUPJ 56514 020216
Golden Rock's WDM3A 17968R at Cuddalore Port Junction in the late afternoon/early evening of Tuesday 2nd February 2016.
The GOC old ALCo (built by DLW in 1980) has just arrived with the Bangalore City Jn - Karaikal Fast Passenger, train 56514, having taken over from an Erode Shakti at the previous reversal point of Vriddhachalam Jn. It would run round here before proceeding south towards Mayiladuturai Jn.
I was hoping to make the 17:32 departure north towards Villupuram Jn on a plus 17, absolutely no chance! In typically frustrating Indian Railways' fashion the train hits a patch of impossibly optimistic timings from VRI; given just 55 minutes to cover the 57.5 kms, and only 10 minutes for the last 25 kms! Load 16 and not terribly fast track...
The run round here took ages and it left over an hour late, delaying the next move a bit as they let the Fast Passenger out in front of my Express. Grrrr.
Anyway, I may not have had as many engines as was possible but it turned out very well in the end and I scooped four GOC Shaktis on the bounce: 13157 to Puduchattiram on 17407; 13562 to Tirupadripulyur on 56878; 13163 to Mayiladuthurai Jn on 16105; 13448 to Kumbakonam on 16779 and finishing off with a TNP WDM2 all the way through to Chennai on 16180.
IR 17968R CUPJ 56514 020216
Golden Rock's WDM3A 17968R at Cuddalore Port Junction in the late afternoon/early evening of Tuesday 2nd February 2016.
The GOC old ALCo (built by DLW in 1980) has just arrived with the Bangalore City Jn - Karaikal Fast Passenger, train 56514, having taken over from an Erode Shakti at the previous reversal point of Vriddhachalam Jn. It would run round here before proceeding south towards Mayiladuturai Jn.
I was hoping to make the 17:32 departure north towards Villupuram Jn on a plus 17, absolutely no chance! In typically frustrating Indian Railways' fashion the train hits a patch of impossibly optimistic timings from VRI; given just 55 minutes to cover the 57.5 kms, and only 10 minutes for the last 25 kms! Load 16 and not terribly fast track...
The run round here took ages and it left over an hour late, delaying the next move a bit as they let the Fast Passenger out in front of my Express. Grrrr.
Anyway, I may not have had as many engines as was possible but it turned out very well in the end and I scooped four GOC Shaktis on the bounce: 13157 to Puduchattiram on 17407; 13562 to Tirupadripulyur on 56878; 13163 to Mayiladuthurai Jn on 16105; 13448 to Kumbakonam on 16779 and finishing off with a TNP WDM2 all the way through to Chennai on 16180.