Sundar's RAIL World

by: S.Shankar

 

 

 

Greetings to all from super railnut Sundar Krishnamurthy.

Sundar is away in the UK on a longish stint, and has sent me some terrific photos to share with you all. There are forty one photos in all, twentyone from India, and the remaining nineteen from the US.

Here then is the first page dealing with Sundar's Indian Railways pics. Click on the link at the bottom of this page to go to his US railway pics.

All IR pics have been taken by Sundar in February 2000.

NOTE: All captions are in first person singular, exactly as stated by Sundar himself.

CLICK ON EACH THUMBNAIL TO ENLARGE IMAGE.  HIT 'BACK' TO RETURN TO  THIS PAGE.

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 1. A WDS/4B diesel shunting unit (SC: Vijayawada (BZA) shed) waits with a flat car carrying a captive ZDM/5 unit # 503 (PRTN shed) outside the Parel Loco Works gate in Bombay. (My comments: What is a BZA diesel shunter doing in Bombay, and which shed is PRTN?)

 

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 2. In early Feb.2000, the Central Railway celebrated 75 years of electrification. A d.c. e.m.u. unit proudly displays the coat of valor as it goes past the ZDM/5 pictured above.

 

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 3. Miles away, an exhibition on the same event. The Ajni loco shed (Nagpur) has wooden models of all their prototype models, and here they are on display.

 

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 4. The 6529 Udyan Express from Bombay proceeds to climb the Bhor Ghats to Khandala, and crosses a WCG/2 triplet banker coming downhill.

 

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 5. A SC Kazipet (KJZ) WDM/2 unit in red/green livery at Poona. The top means stop,and the lower coat means go!

 

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 6. A SC Guntakal (GTL) WDM/2 in blue/green livery! The color schemes of the IR never fail to amaze me. This is the Channasandra station outside Bangalore as my Udyan Express crosses the waiting Guntur Passenger.

 

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 7. On the Channasandra triangle, an observation car with two others pulls towards Krishnarajapuram (KJM), with a WDM/2 in charge.

 

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 8. Never before did I see a TKD (Tuqlakhabad) loco in Bangalore. This WAG/5A comes below the newly made b.g. overbridge that does Hosur-Banaswadi. The bridge was m.g., it has now been re-gauged.

 

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 9. A WDM/2 triplet rushing in for the comfort of a loco shed. KJM (Krishnarajapuram)-ED (Erode)-KJM are the origins, and its left Baiyappanahalli for the KJM shed.

 

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 10. The temporary by-pass is a sheer ordeal for the train. Here, the 1014 CBE (Coimbatore)-LTT (Lokamanya Tilak Trml.(Kurla)) Express calls in for its Bangalore reversal.The line spins round 90 deg. and loses 10 mtr. of height in hardly any space. Note that the train would later take the new bridge in the background. The railway building in the background marks the Channasandra by-pass.

 

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 11.Another pic of the same train.

 

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 12. The 2640 Brindavan Express with a WAP/1 impatiently waits to leave Bangalore City. Its 4 pm, and its dreadfully late. The Mysore-Madras Shatabdi Express has already pulled in on Platform # 5, but the Brindavan leaves first.

 

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 13.My train to Hyderabad City. The 7086 Bangalore-Secunderabad Express with a brand new ultra-clean rake, with a Kazipet (KJZ) WDM/2C heading the train. The notorious bald head is hidden at the back. This WDM/2C did 22 coaches at 100 kmph.

 

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 14. The Mysore-Madras Shatabdi Express with a KJM WDM/2 unit. You can see that the train livery is consistent unlike Bombay where Rajdhani power cars get coupled to the Shatabdi. An ED WDM/2A can be seen in the background.

 

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 15.The Karnataka Express gets a twin-Jumbo WDM/2 pair. The pair is seen here waiting for the evening departure to New Delhi.

 

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 16. Canine looks? Themid-mounted headlamp for the WDS/4 AND WDM/2 make it seem like a pair of dogs. (My comment: That is strictly Sundar's opinion!)

 

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 17. An odd day? WAP/1s in short supply? A Sapthagiri-liveried WAM/4-6PD gets the Mysore-Madras Shatabdi Express.

 

sndrindia18.jpg (77229 bytes) 18.All set to leave. Don't know where this train may overtake the super-late Brindavan. (My comment: The 6PD against the engine's classification apparently means that the loco is fitted for push-pull working. Note the additional set of jumper cables, probably for push-pull, just below the left windshield. (on your right, as viewed from this side).

 

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 19.  Junta mulling over the   'coupling ceremony' as the rear pantograph goes up.

 

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 20.The 7086 Express leaves Bangalore for Secunderabad. This train was completely blue--well almost, save for some maroon coaches absent in this pic.

 

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 21. Sharp curves outside Bangalore city. (My comment:This is the clearest view so far of the new standard IR dark blue/light blue livery, about which there have been so many discussions in our forum of late.)

 

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Sundar's U.S.A. Photos