Platform7

After having a date with WCAM3s, it was my date with a particular loco - WCAG1 #21972 of Kalyan Electric Loco Shed. Before going into the details of the "date" -
I got up much after the rooster in my Mobile shouted. It was already 0530. My head was drooping even while I was in the toilet. After a hurried bath, I reached at the Table for my breakfast. It was already 0625, and chances of getting the 0633 Local was negligible. I decided to fill up my tummy, and then drove like a fanatic to the railway station. I rushed up the stairs - The railway clock showed 06:40:15, the next train was at 06:42. The train came in at around 06:43 or so. I sat down, and my head was still drooping. I had lots of material to study for the day's examination in "Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics". I felt my stomach churning as I studied pathways of drug transport in the body. The book said "Blah...Blah...Blah...". I kep my eyes glued to the window as the train approached …

Another week, the last in the month, started off with delays. I narrowly made it to Belapur station on time to board the 0633 BR-CSTM local. The EMU crawled its way to Kurla, and finally made it to Kurla at 0708. The intercity was yet to rush through. I rushed my way to Platform 5. Just as I landed on Platform 5/6, I saw the Chalukya express rushing towards Dadar. The loco was a maroon liveried WDM3A #18651R of Pune. The train simply flew past the station, and the time was just around 0710. By now, the Pune bound Intercity express was seen rushing towards Kurla. The loco was WCAM3 #21895. I tried to have a photograph, but that turned out to be blurred :-(
I took the usual 07:17 Ambernath Fast EMU from Kurla. Our EMU slowed down near Vidyavihar....Guess what? I saw the Samarsata Express snaking its way towards Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. The composition of the train was, from loco: SLR-GS-S1 to S9-PC-S10-AS1 to AS5-A1-A2-H1-GS-SLR; making a total of 23 coaches! The EMU kept speeding throug…

After writing three university examinations, i desperately required to have a break. Having some work at Thane came as an icing to the cake! I had plans of spending a huge amount of time at the station. But, lethargy of waking up in the morning (after having had sleep-'less' nights) made me leave my home only at 0930. I boarded an EMU at 0950 from Belapur.
I got down at Kurla, and went towards Platform 5 to board a Fast EMU to Thane. There was one 12-Car Thane EMU scheduled. I did not want to travel by that, and decided to wait for the next one. The next was a Kasara EMU. The AC/DC rake pulled in. I settled on to a seat (did not want to stand at the door!). Right outside Kurla, I saw the Pragati Express rumbling off!
At Mulund, two Ticket Checkers got in and detected three cases of "irregular" travel. All the three surprisingly had tickets - but for Second class. One person argued on the grounds that "he had a ticket". The TTE got rough with him, and rathered…

The day started off with a long line of narrow misses! Firstly I missed the 0628 CSTM local from Belapur (I had plans of going a bit early!). Since I was carrying my camera after some long time, I wanted to catch the Intercity rushing past - But all I saw was the intercity blasting past the station while I was just getting out of the EMU at Kurla! The third miss of the day - The 07:17 Ambernath local came in with her headlamps on. I wanted to capture it - but the camera did not start up on time! The fourth miss - I was ready at the door to capture a pair of Kalyan WDM2s at Nahur. Unfortunately, the Vidharbha rushed across, and I did not get a chance to take out the camera on time! The fifth miss - The camera was on, the train was approaching. I pressed the shutter, but by the time the shutter actually exposed, the loco was half way past the lens! The train was a 23-coach Kushinagar Express!
Finally after 5-misses in a line, I got a sneak opportunity to capture the Mandovi at Thane. The…

Surprised? Read on...

I had a normal day today. Took the 0633 slow from Belapur. One interesting spotting - While I was standing on Platform 5 at Kurla, the Pune bound Intercity rushed through (The train was probably late since I/C usually crosses Kurla at around 0706~0708, and today the time was around 0711). The loco had her markers on. Just as the loco approached Kurla station, some trespassers were noticed by the Loco pilot and he switched on the Headlamps and blew the horn continuously right till the end of the platform. Out of excitement by seeing the loco speeding up through the curve I even forgot to notice the loco road number!
I took the 07:11 Karjat local from Kurla. On the way, our train crossed the Deccan Odyssey somewhere near Bhandup. I reached college at about 0800. We had Pharmaceutics Examination today, and the paper was good. I had to get a concession certificate from my college since my season ticket is expiring next week. I had a longish wait to submit the applicati…

After lots of curtain raisers, and anxiety filled moments, the Final Year B.Pharmacy (Semester VII) examinations (Theory) of the University of Mumbai began today. Our college (Veer Mata Hiraben Popatlal Shah College of Pharmacy a.k.a VMHP Shah College of Pharmacy) was playing host for 96 students of the Thane region. Out of the 96 students appearing for the examination, a meager minority of 25 students are from my college. (Our batch strength is 25!). The first examination was filled with nothing but anxiety. Everyone at the center were anxious of the fate of the paper. The paper was quite easy unlike expected!

Railfanning: I took the 06:33 Belapur CSTM EMU in the morning. The 0628 CSTM EMU which runs ahead of my train was delayed today, and CR decided to send our train ahead. That ensured that every inch of space in the tiny First Class enclosure was taken up by passengers of both the trains combined together! The journey was normal, and I had no time even to look outside. I was deepl…

Image: The sun setting over Thane station after a long shining day!
After about three months of regular postings, Platform 7 is now taking short breaks. Since My terminal examinations are starting from Monday, the frequency of updations will change. I'll try to make updations every alternate day from now on.
Please bear with me for the interruptions, and please bless me for my tough days ahead!
I have 6 papers in all, spanning over two weeks. The examinations will be on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next two weeks. At the end of the next week, I plan to put up a very huge surprise. So keep visiting regularly (atleast once every two days! Please...). So bye till the next update.

After finishing off my University Practical examinations, I had a job with top priority - Taking my car to the workshop for service, and for correcting a few defects. I contacted the dealer for a service appointment. I got an appointment for Thursday morning, which I accepted gladly. Accordingly, I left my house at 0815 towards Thane. I reached Thane by about 0900 itself, while my appointment was for 0945. I spend some time bus-fanning admiring the "mangled" buses of TMT (Thane Municipal Transport). I handed over the car to a Service Advisor at the dealer and set journey to the railway station. I reached the station at about 1020. I walked straight towards Platform 7.
Platform 7 happens to be my favorite railfanning location (this signifies the name of this site!). I walked a long distance down the platform, and settled at a good point for photography. At about 1028, I took the first photograph of the day. The Pune-Mumbai Pragati Express came calling with WCG2 #20139 in charg…

I had a "pseudo" Normal day today! I took the 0658 slow from Belapur in the morning. Surprisingly, I spotted the Vidarbha express at Kurla. The train was sharp on its time!!! The Deccan express flew towards Pune, and my Asangaon EMU trailed the Deccan. I noticed that the Mandovi was still on the platform while I reached there. The loco was WDP4 #20023, the very same fellow who worked the Udyan express when I had traveled on it recently! I went to college immediately after that.
I had Pharmacognosy practical examination today. The exam was average, and I had an unusually poor performance in the subject. I tried hard to put behind the day while I travelled back to Thane on an overcrowded MSRTC bus. I was tensed since I had plans to board the Ratnagiri passenger. The time was already 15:45, and the train is at 16:05. I had just 1.5 kms to cover, but the road is usually heavily crowded. The bus finally pulled into Thane station at 1600. The train had already reached, and chances…

The day had some interesting events. It included some railfanning and a Murder! I saw the Deccan express screaming past Kurla as soon as I got down from my EMU. I had my eyes half closed (starved of sleep!) and somehow reached Platform 5 at Kurla right on time to board the 07:42 Asangaon "Semi-Fast".
As the EMU crossed the Thane Outer, I saw the Mandovi standing at Platform 7. The EMU just pulled in for a halt, and I jumped out to have a look at the loco. The beast from Krishnarajapuram was the newest to visit Mumbai - WDP4 #20030 was it! I quickly snapped a photo (the sun was directly incident on the loco and that gave a very high contrast photo!). I walked out and took a bus to college. While the bus was pulling out of the Bus Station (about 5-8 minutes after I took the photo), I heard the DP4's horn, and saw the train pulling out.
I had to perform a murder at college today. I decided to delegate the chance to a friend of mine. The victim was a Frog. We murdered him (or …

I spotted a WDP4 in action after a very long time, today at Kurla, and then at Thane. The last time I saw a WDP4 was on October 31 at Madgaon. The loco was shunting the rake of the Konkan Kanya Express. Today I managed to have a glimpse of the loco, first notching past Kurla and then waiting at Thane for the starter. The loco was WDP4 #20016 (reportedly from KJM, but still has the Hubli logo on!). The beast looked tired and requires a paint job urgently!
The day was relatively dry except for spotting of the MAS-CSTM Express. There were nothing noteworthy today except for a very funny incidence at college::
We (my batch of 13 students) were to have our Pharmacology practical examination today (The very same Frog Murder: For new comers - Click here). Accordingly I made it college at 0900 AM well in time for the 1000AM exam. We all got ready (wearing our white lab coats), took all the required apparatus (dissection box), and were waiting near the laboratory. Since this was an university co…

Due to the accident, the entire schedule went haywire and that resulted in massive replanning. My brother wanted to return to Bangalore on 29 October itself, while my parents (alongwith my Sister-in-law) were planning to return on 30 October. I had a ticket for Poorna Express departing Ernakulam on 30 October. On friday, 27 October, Myself and my Sister-in-Law set out for a journey to Thrissur to book tickets for each others journeys. The plan was: My brother would take a bus from Thrissur on 29th evening, myself would take a train from Thrissur to Ernakulam on 30th morning while my parents (with my sis-in-law) would take a train from Thrissur to Coimbatore (3352 ALLP-Dhanbad Express) on 30th and then board 2678 CBE-Bangalore Intercity from there.
We took a bus from right outside our home to the Municipal Bus station, Kodungallur. From there we boarded a Limited Stop bus bound to Thrissur. We got down at Chettiyangadi which is the stop for the Railway station as well as the KSRTC bus s…

Saturday morning, being a holiday, saw me travelling "backwards" on a Panvel-CSTM local. I reached Kurla at about 11 AM, and took a slow bound to Thane. I got down from the train at Vikhroli and waited for IRFCAn Deepesh Soni to join in. He reached Vikhroli at about 1130 or so. We had to meet a person (now thats a surprise!!!) at Vikhroli. We had a short railfanning session there.
The first train to go through (before Deepesh joined me) was a long Tanker rake hauled single-handedly by WDG3A #14983 from Kalyan. Minutes after Deepesh joined in, we saw the Patna-LTT Express "screaming" past with a WCAM3 in charge. The train had two refrigerated cars at the rear end. Minutes after the express went through, We spotted the Sahyadri express going through with a WCG2 in charge. After some time, we saw the Sewagram express going through.
We were in for a rude shock after a few minutes. The Ferozpur-Mumbai Punjab mail went through! The train was about 5-6 hours late!!! Deepesh…

The day was one of the worst in recent days! In the morning all were normal including the Deccan express screaming past with a WCG2! As the Asangaon EMU in which I was travelling inched closer to Thane, I saw the Mandovi standing on Platform 7. I was happy that I would be able to see a WDP4 soon. Some moments later, I saw the train (Mandovi) moving out! Oof!I missed that fellow. My train pulled in about a minute after the Mandovi pulled out! I went to college with a heavy heart!
The day was too tiring that I had no chance of freeing up my mind until 1630 in the evening. I alongwith my friends left the college at 1700, and got a bus 1725. I reached Thane at 1800. I decided to go by the Thane-Vashi train instead of moving via Kurla. Just moments after I reached Thane, there was an announcement that 5018 Gorakhpur-LTT express was 3hrs late today (quite normal!!!). The CST bound Mahanagari express pulled in at about 1820 (about 4 hours late!). I boarded the 1830 Vashi EMU and kept watchin…

Today, after long 22 days, I had an opportunity to visit Panvel for some railfanning. On my way down to the station, I messaged Panvel IRFCAn Ranjeet Ramaswamy to know if he was free. I reached Panvel at about 1220 right on time to catch the incoming Kerala Sampark Kranti (from Chandigarh). The train came in with WDM2 #16293 from Ernakulam. The train was recieved on Platform 1. Platform 2 was occupied by a WCAG1 hauled BCNA rake (loco at the Diva end). Right after the Sampark Kranti pulled in, a huge population of sikhs got down from the train and proceeded outwards. The PA system announced the arrival of KR4 Ratnagiri Dadar Passenger on platform 2. The BCNA rake slowly moved out.
The coaches of Sampark Kranti were being watered i.e., the overhead tanks were being filled with water. The rake composition was Loco-SLR-GS-GS-S1 to S7-PC-S8-AS1-HA1-GS-GS-SLR, totalling 17 coaches. It was a huge disappointment to see that this train is still having only a partial AC2T coach! I moved over to…

Confused?
Wednesday was no ordinary day that I could sleep off! This was the day when I would be appearing for the first of a series of four Practical Examinations conducted by the University of Mumbai at the Final Year Bachelor of Pharmacy (Semester 7) examinations. We had our Pharmaceutical chemistry exam today. I was tense in the morning, but later relaxed out after reaching Kurla. I decided to stay at the door on the speeding 0741 Asangaon Fast AC/DC EMU. There were no crossings (Mail/Express) on the way, and that disappointed me to the maximum. I reached college at 0900 and was engrossed in preparations for the day. At abotu 0920, we came to know that the external examiners who had turned up where the same ones who had come for our First year examinations way back in 2004. The are two examiners - One a male and the other female. The "sir" has reportedly done post-doctorate and is known for his "off-the-way" questions. As soon as I came to know about them, I dec…

Monday was another tiring day. The journey was normal in the morning and there were nothing noteworthy. I saw the Chalukya rushing past towards Dadar with WDG3A 13063 of Pune at its helm. The train had two 3AC coaches, probably being sent to Matunga for POH, at the rear end.
In the afternoon, I boarded the 1402 CSTM fast local from Thane at about 1430hrs! That was an AC/DC EMU and she really showed off shortly after Mulund. While my EMU was pulling out of Thane, I saw the Mangalore bound Matsyagandha pulling in with WDM2 #17544 from Erode, working LHF. This particular loco has a flat face at the SHF end, probably a modification after an accident! As my EMU pulled out, the Chennai express pulled in.
While I was at Kurla, the Sinhagad express rushed past. This train now gets a WCG2 and had 18 coaches including a AC Chair Car and a Pantry car! I boarded the 1459 Panvel from Kurla and reached home by 1545! Bye for the day....

The Government of Kerala has an independant authority to operate and authorise ferry services within the state's inland waterways. The authority is christened as "State Water Transport Department" also known as SWTD. The department is based at Alappuzha and operates a good number of passenger services in the district. Typically, the boats operated by them can carry upto 100 passengers.
The Kuttanad area of Alappuzha, which was ill-connected by road until a few years back, had only these boats for their commute. One such boat is seen in the image above. The boat has about 4 crew members including a Driver, a navigator, a person to tie the boat at stops, and a conductor locally called as a "Master". In the image seen above, a cabin can be seen above the roof of the boat. The Navigator sits inside this cabin. He has a starwheel to control the direction of the boat. He communicates with the Driver, who sits towards the middle of the boat, with the help of a bell.
Th…

I got an unexpected opportunity to board a KSRTC bus whilst my trip to Kerala in October. I had last boarded a KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) bus in May 2005. I boarded a Guruvayur-Kodungallur-Ernakulam Jetty 'Limited Stop Ordinary' bus, KL15 3963, Fleet Number TS838 of Parur Depot. The bus was of TATA make and I was seated right behind the driver. The driving was quite comfortable with the bus rarely making it above 60kmph and with smooth braking and pick up. The bus left Kodungallur at 0830 and reached Edappally at about 0935, covering the distance of about 32 kms in 65 minutes. The fare was Rs. 17.00.

I got my second opportunity on October 29. Since Private bus operators were beginning a strike on October 30, I expected heavy rush on KSRTC Buses and on Trains, and since I had to reach Ernakulam on October 30 for some urgent work and to board the Poorna Express, I decided to go to Ernakulam from Kodungallur (in Trissur District of Kerala) on October 29 in the…

The day was normal in the morning with me resting with my heads on the walls of a DC EMU leaving Belapur at 06:33 in the morning. I wanted to make it to my college before 0800, and was determined to do it! I reached Kurla unusually early at 0705 itself. I saw the Pune Intercity flashing past the station. I was at the platform when the scene took place. I decided to give the 07:11 Karjat local a miss since the coach was already crowded. The train was late too. Just as the starter turned yellow after the Karjat local left, I saw the 07:17 Ambernath sneaking in! The EMU was the all new aerodynamic coach! Aerodynamic refers only to a minor difference in shape for the face of the EMU! MSRTC decided to cheat me in the morning! The first bus to leave the depot after I reached there was at 07:55!!! The college was still 25 mins away! I made it to college at 0820, and had a tiring day with lots of writing work! I just got a nasty cold, and spent the entire day sneezing!
In the evening as I walk…

I saw the Mysore-Dadar Sharavati express after a very long time today at kurla. The loco in charge was WDM3A 18757 from pune. The loco was in the old 'green & cream' livery. The loco smoked mid-way while on the platform. The scene was too beautiful to be summarised in words!
The day was normal. One interesting fact - As my EMU from Belapur was entering Kurla, I saw the Mumbai bound Konkan Kanya rushing past. The train was over 2 hours late. It is high time KR abolishes the Rake-Sharing of Mandovi and Konkan Kanya. On many days, Konkan Kanya pulls in several hours late and that consequently delays the outgoing Mandovi. Passengers are put to undue hardships due to this.
In the evening I saw the pragati rushing past with a WCAM3. More spottings tomorrow! Bye!

Today, i returned to college after a long break of about 13 long days. I woke up, unusually, at 0400 AM. After getting fresh, i sat down watching songs of latest flicks in Malayalam. I got up dressed and left my home at 0600. Went to the restaurant at the railway station (which opens at 0500) for breakfast and the morning chai. The breakfast was dissapointing, but the chai was good. I took my regular train, settled on one window seat sipping chai. The train was unusually empty and had only seated passengers. The train pulled into Kurla right at 0707, and I boarded the 0711 Karjat fast (I had to reach college urgently for some work). I reached college at about 0800.
We had our Pharmaceutical Chemistry practical examination today. The exam was being conducted by our college. We had two questions (of 35 and 22 marks respectively). The procedure for synthesis of a chemical compound would be given, and we have to prepare, analyse it and submit. Analysis means determination of its Melting po…

Finally the trip has come to an end! I reached CSTM at 1030 (the DQ was on the dot!!!), and boarded an EMU at 1045. Reached home by 1200. Took a cool bath and I am leaving shortly for lunch. More to come soon! Bye till then!

I woke up at five in the morning. The train hadn't reached pune even then. We were held up for a crossing......the traini pulled into pune after 90 tension filled minutes since i got up. The train pulled into platform 3 and the deccan queen was already on platform 1. I rushed through the FOB and my coach C3 was right in front of me.....the loco in charge is WCAM3 21949. The TTE is just checking the tickets and we now parallel to the express way! A detailed report would appear soon....bye till then.