IR WDM3A 16535 54464 TDL 090319
Tughlakabad WDM3A 16535 at Tundla Junction being attached to the 11:50 Rishikesh - Bandikui Jn Passenger, train 54464. Morning of Saturday 9th March 2019. This takes 24 hours and 10 minutes to cover the 584 kms, plus the obligatory 2 or 3 hours delay (on a good day), all in totally Unreserved accommodation.
Actually it's three different trains with a rather complicated operation: there's the Rishikesh portion (worked by WDP3A 15529) that reverses and joins with a part from Bareilly Jn (54462) at Chandausi Junction, the whole lot then runs combined to Tundla Junction where a third portion is detached for Farrukhabad (54466). The Bareilly loco works through on that and upon reversal another loco (16535 in this instance) is attached to the rear to go forward with bits of both main trains to Bandikui. I'd been fascinated by this train for years and only just got around to doing it - although an Unreserved Passenger overnight wasn't particularly appealing. It didn't turn out too bad but I spent most of the night napping and inadequately defending my ever shrinking sleeping space from the sort of people you wouldn't ordinarily choose to spend the night with (there was no real hassle or security issues, I must say).
Unfortunatley for me the first enforced shitbox (EMD/WDx4x) of the trip occurred with the most unwelcome appearance of a BGKT WDG4 at Chandausi, although I was dozing at the time and wasn't able to confirm this until running the 18 coaches down to the front at Tundla, some 6 hours later (but knew I was almost certainly bowled-out as it was suspiciously quiet up front, with no Alco tell-tale transition lurch). Anyway, I was asleep for most of it (but it still pisses me off now!).
IR WDM3A 16535 54464 TDL 090319
Tughlakabad WDM3A 16535 at Tundla Junction being attached to the 11:50 Rishikesh - Bandikui Jn Passenger, train 54464. Morning of Saturday 9th March 2019. This takes 24 hours and 10 minutes to cover the 584 kms, plus the obligatory 2 or 3 hours delay (on a good day), all in totally Unreserved accommodation.
Actually it's three different trains with a rather complicated operation: there's the Rishikesh portion (worked by WDP3A 15529) that reverses and joins with a part from Bareilly Jn (54462) at Chandausi Junction, the whole lot then runs combined to Tundla Junction where a third portion is detached for Farrukhabad (54466). The Bareilly loco works through on that and upon reversal another loco (16535 in this instance) is attached to the rear to go forward with bits of both main trains to Bandikui. I'd been fascinated by this train for years and only just got around to doing it - although an Unreserved Passenger overnight wasn't particularly appealing. It didn't turn out too bad but I spent most of the night napping and inadequately defending my ever shrinking sleeping space from the sort of people you wouldn't ordinarily choose to spend the night with (there was no real hassle or security issues, I must say).
Unfortunatley for me the first enforced shitbox (EMD/WDx4x) of the trip occurred with the most unwelcome appearance of a BGKT WDG4 at Chandausi, although I was dozing at the time and wasn't able to confirm this until running the 18 coaches down to the front at Tundla, some 6 hours later (but knew I was almost certainly bowled-out as it was suspiciously quiet up front, with no Alco tell-tale transition lurch). Anyway, I was asleep for most of it (but it still pisses me off now!).