IRFCA Mailing List Archive

Messages 3761 - 3780

From: ranand <>

Subject: Re: CAtrain

Date: 05 Oct 1998 09:42:07 -0500

I would not recommed "Railroad Tycoon". I found the game to be quite
confusing and
hard to play. It appears to have an interface that is DOS based so it
looks
quite crude.
Also, perhaps while it may be my fault, I never did quite understand the
objective
of the game.

Anand

Internet: anand@watson.email
External tel: (914) 784 7054
Notes: Rangachari Anand/Watson/IBM@IBMUS
Tie-line: 863 7054

From: ranand <>

Subject: A really wierd train (Okha - Puri)

Date: 05 Oct 1998 09:53:59 -0500

My parents just brought me the SC railway timetable and I
saw this train "Okha - Puri express". Certainly, compared to
all the other strange trains introduced in the recent years, this
one sounds quite reasonable. However, the route of this train is
along the Howrah - Chennai line down to Vijaywada and then
up to Ballarshah!! If you look at the railway map of the region,
this route is obviously much longer than taking the Vizianagram -
Raipur line. Any insight into this train?

Anand

Internet: anand@watson.email
External tel: (914) 784 7054
Notes: Rangachari Anand/Watson/IBM@IBMUS
Tie-line: 863 7054

From: Shanku Niyogi <>

Subject: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 11:10:15 -0500

Hi folks,

Here's a bit of a challenging itinerary-type question to mull over. I am
visiting India in February - at this time, some relatives of mine and I
are
travelling from Calcutta to Mumbai by train (en route to Goa). To
maximize
my train experience :), I have decided to depart Howrah a day or so
earlier
than my relatives, and make a 2 (or more!)-train journey, changing
trains
somewhere in central India. My goal is to arrive the same day as my
relatives arrive in Mumbai (not necessarily before them, but on the same
day).

Can anyone (especially those with a timetable) think of a good itinerary
for
this? I was thinking Rajdhani to Kanpur, but I don't have a timetable
handy
to check.

Thanks,
Shanku

From: Pushkar Apte <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 12:20:31 -0500

> Hi folks,
>
> Here's a bit of a challenging itinerary-type question to mull over. I
am
> visiting India in February - at this time, some relatives of mine and
I are
> travelling from Calcutta to Mumbai by train (en route to Goa). To
maximize
> my train experience :), I have decided to depart Howrah a day or so
earlier
> than my relatives, and make a 2 (or more!)-train journey, changing
trains
> somewhere in central India. My goal is to arrive the same day as my
> relatives arrive in Mumbai (not necessarily before them, but on the
same
> day).
>
> Can anyone (especially those with a timetable) think of a good
itinerary for
> this? I was thinking Rajdhani to Kanpur, but I don't have a timetable
handy
> to check.
>
> Thanks,
> Shanku

Shanku:

The links from the Howrah-Delhi main-line to Mumbai are: 1.
Allahabad-Jabalpur-Mumbai, 2. Kanpur-Jhansi-Mumbai and of course 3.
Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai. The two Superfast trains on routes 1 and 2 are
Ratnagiri Exp and Pushpak Exp respectively. (I'm assuming you want to
travel in decently fast trains). Both leave Allhabad/Kanpur @ night
(after 20:00) - so you need a train from Howrah that reaches
Allhabad/Kanpur sometime in the afternoon to allow for enough slack to
catch either Pushpak or Ratnagiri.

Problem is that most of the decent trains from Howrah -> Rajdhani,
Kalka Ml etc. leave Howrah in the evening and get to Allhabad/Kanpur
in the morning. Poorva Exp. will have you cutting it too close,
unless you want to spare a day. Assuming you take - say Kalka Ml,
you would leave on Day 1, reach Allhabad/Kanpur on Day 2 morning, and
then leave Day 2 night, reaching Mumbai on Day 3 night. If your
relatives leave on Day 2 by Gitanjali, then you can literally meet
them @ the station by either Ratnagiri or Pushpak Exp. Provided of
course at least Superfast trains are halfway punctual!

Hope that helps.

Pushkar
-------

From: Pushkar Apte <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 12:20:31 -0500

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 12:24:22 -0500

>
>Hi folks,
>
>Here's a bit of a challenging itinerary-type question to mull over. I
am
>visiting India in February - at this time, some relatives of mine and I

are
>travelling from Calcutta to Mumbai by train (en route to Goa). To
maximize
>my train experience :), I have decided to depart Howrah a day or so
earlier
>than my relatives, and make a 2 (or more!)-train journey, changing
trains
>somewhere in central India. My goal is to arrive the same day as my
>relatives arrive in Mumbai (not necessarily before them, but on the
same
>day).
>
>Can anyone (especially those with a timetable) think of a good
itinerary for
>this? I was thinking Rajdhani to Kanpur, but I don't have a timetable
handy
>to check.
>

Since Howrah to Mumbai is about 32 hours min., you would have about 3
days in hand if you decide to depart from Calcutta a couple of days
earlier. There are upteen ways to get to Mumbai from Howrah/Sealdah
depending on your priorities:
1. Do you want to travel by Rajdhani/Shatabdi?
2. Do you want to use superfast trains only?
3. Do you want to travel on a particular section?
4. Do you want to travel mostly during daylight or do you prefer
nighttime travel?
5. Do you like traveling by double-line sections or single-line
sections?
6. Would you like your trains to be mainly electric hauled or
diesel-hauled?
7. Would you like to include Metre Gauge journeys?
8. Do you want to come across a particular station?
9. Is there any particular tourist spot you would like to visit?
10. What is your max. changeover time at any particular station?

Examples:
1) Rajdhani-only
Howrah-Patna/Gaya-N.Delhi *change*
N.Delhi/Nizamuddin-Mumbai Central

2) Diesel-traction only + single-line sections
Howrah-Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada-Nadikude-Secunderabad *change*
Secunderabad-Solapur-Mumbai

3) MG travel opportuniry
Howrah-Chennai-Tiruchi *change*
Tiruchi-Thanjavur-Chennai *change*
Chennai-Mumbai

4) Daytime travel only + superfast non-Rajdhani trains only
Howrah to Mughalsarai by Poorva Exp. (~9.00 am to ~7.00 pm)
Mughalsarai to Delhi by NorthEast Exp. (~4.30 am to ~ 5.00 pm)
Delhi to Ratlam by Frontier Mail (~8.00 am to ~7.00 pm)
Ratlam to Mumbai by Swaraj Exp. (~8.00 am to ~6.00 pm)
[Major disadvantage: nighttime layovers at three stations]

So, once you state your preferences we can hack it out!!

Vijay

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From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 12:24:22 -0500

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 12:54:08 -0500

Here's a nice lil' itinerary if you would like to travel on the Konkan
Railway as well as on MG trains:

Howrah to Chennai Central - by Mail, Coromandel Exp.(superfast)
Chennai Egmore to Tiruchi by Cholan Exp., Rameswaram Exp. (MG)
Tiruchi to Mangalore by the Tiruchi-Mangalore Exp. (extension of the
Tiruchi-Palghat Exp.)
Mangalore to Kurla by the superfast exp. (Konkan Railway)

If you want to travel atleast once by Rajdhani, you can catch the
train at Kankanadi and detrain at either Panvel or Vasai depending on
where you would be staying at Mumbai.

If you just want a single layover (and are not too crazy about the MG
part), you can travel from Howrah to Ernakulam by the
Guwahati/Patna/Howrah-Cochin Exp. and then take the Rajdhani Exp. from
Ernakulam to Panvel/Vasai.

Vijay

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From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 12:54:08 -0500

From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 13:17:07 -0500

>
>Shanku:
>
>The links from the Howrah-Delhi main-line to Mumbai are: 1.
>Allahabad-Jabalpur-Mumbai, 2. Kanpur-Jhansi-Mumbai and of course 3.
>Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai. The two Superfast trains on routes 1 and 2 are
>Ratnagiri Exp and Pushpak Exp respectively. (I'm assuming you want to
>travel in decently fast trains). Both leave Allhabad/Kanpur @ night
>(after 20:00) - so you need a train from Howrah that reaches
>Allhabad/Kanpur sometime in the afternoon to allow for enough slack to
>catch either Pushpak or Ratnagiri.
>
>Problem is that most of the decent trains from Howrah -> Rajdhani,
>Kalka Ml etc. leave Howrah in the evening and get to Allhabad/Kanpur
>in the morning. Poorva Exp. will have you cutting it too close,
>unless you want to spare a day. Assuming you take - say Kalka Ml,
>you would leave on Day 1, reach Allhabad/Kanpur on Day 2 morning, and
>then leave Day 2 night, reaching Mumbai on Day 3 night. If your
>relatives leave on Day 2 by Gitanjali, then you can literally meet
>them @ the station by either Ratnagiri or Pushpak Exp. Provided of
>course at least Superfast trains are halfway punctual!

If the Howrah-Delhi trunk route is your preference, then the best thing
would be to take Howrah-Jodhpur Exp. till Kanpur and then board the
Pushpak Exp. about 6 hrs. later:
Dep. Howrah - 11.30 pm Arr. Kanpur - 3.00 pm (next day)
Dep. Kanpur - 9.00 pm Arr. Mumbai CST - 8.40 pm (third day)

Vijay

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From: Vijay Balasubramanian <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 13:17:07 -0500

From: Shanku Niyogi <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 05 Oct 1998 14:11:45 -0500

Thanks for all the input, Pushkar and Vijay.

I was thinking of sticking to a northerly route via the Howrah-Delhi
trunk,
partly because we may actually end up travelling from Mumbai to Goa by
train
anyway - the more varied the train travel, the better, eh!

I was originally interested in taking the Rajdhani up to Kanpur or
Allahabad, but if this means that the stopover is very short, perhaps I
should reconsider. One of my goals is to get at least a bit of
photography
in at stations, especially since the North-Northeast corridor doesn't
have a
lot of photographic coverage in our group, and I personally would like
to
get a couple of WAP photographs for possible modeling.

Sounds like the Jodhpur Exp.-Pushpak Exp. route is a good idea. I was
originally thinking Rajdhani Exp.-Pushpak Exp. So, I guess my refined
set of
questions would be the following:

1) What would be the comparative timings of stops for Rajdhani Exp.,
Jodhpur
Exp., and Kalka Mail be? (I guess the latter has the most stops).
2) How reliable are Jodhpur Exp. and Kalka Mail compared to Rajdhani in
times of timeliness? I'd rather not get stuck for a day in Kanpur.
3) Might it just be better to take the Rajdhani to Delhi, take some
pictures
there, and hop on a Rajdhani to Mumbai? What are the timings for that?
4) Is Kanpur station and the Kanpur-Jhansi-Bhopal line better for
railfans
than Allahabad and the Allahabad-Satna-Jabalpur line (I would guess so)?
If
I'm going to spend a day (or even an afternoon) sitting in a station
watching trains go by, which of the two might be better?
5) Is Pushpak a better train than Ratnagiri?

Thanks again,
Shanku

From: Dheeraj Sanghi <>

Subject: Re: Lucknow Jn

Date: 06 Oct 1998 00:20:39 -0500

> As per the Central Rail timetable the 2133 Mumbai - Lucknow Pushpak
> express goes to LKO (which is the station code of Lucknow as far as I
> know). However the 5009 Jabalpur - Lucknow Chitrakoot Express goes to
> LJN. Are there two BG stations in Lucknow ? Only a person (Dhiraj ?)
> familiar with Lucknow could tell.

There is one station complex, in which there is a "Northern Rly"
part, and there is a separate "North-Eastern" terminal. They do
have different codes. But I thought that both Pushpak and Chitrakoot
start from "North-Eastern" part of the station.

-dheeraj
--------------
Dr. Dheeraj Sanghi (0512) 59-7077/7638
(Off)
Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering (0512) 59-8627 (Res)
Indian Institute of Technology (0512) 59-0725/0413
(Fax)
Kanpur - 208 016 (UP), INDIA. dheeraj@iitk.email

From: Dheeraj Sanghi <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 06 Oct 1998 00:34:03 -0500

> 2) How reliable are Jodhpur Exp. and Kalka Mail compared to Rajdhani
> in times of timeliness? I'd rather not get stuck for a day in
Kanpur.

Both Kalka and Jodhpur are fairly punctual. It is Pushpak which is
late on many occasions. So taking Howrah-Jodhpur Exp would be fairly
safe, if you decide to change trains at Kanpur. But of course Kalka
would allow you more time at Kanpur Station.

> 3) Might it just be better to take the Rajdhani to Delhi, take some
pictures
> there, and hop on a Rajdhani to Mumbai? What are the timings for
that?

That is also fairly safe. The Howrah Rajdhani reaches Delhi around
10:00 AM, and Bombay Rajdhani leaves around 04:00 PM. (I can check
exact times, if you need.)

> 4) Is Kanpur station and the Kanpur-Jhansi-Bhopal line better for
> railfans than Allahabad and the Allahabad-Satna-Jabalpur line (I
would
> guess so)? If I'm going to spend a day (or even an afternoon)
sitting
> in a station watching trains go by, which of the two might be
better?

If you take Pushpak, you would be doing Kanpur-Jhansi-Bhopal
during night time. I don't remember the timing for Ratnagiri
offhand. I prefer sitting in at Kanpur station, but perhaps
that is because I am familiar with the surroundings, I
know the trains, I know where to get information from, etc.

-dheeraj
--------------
Dr. Dheeraj Sanghi (0512) 59-7077/7638
(Off)
Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering (0512) 59-8627 (Res)
Indian Institute of Technology (0512) 59-0725/0413
(Fax)
Kanpur - 208 016 (UP), INDIA. dheeraj@iitk.email

From: Dheeraj Sanghi <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 06 Oct 1998 00:34:03 -0500

From: Dheeraj Sanghi <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 06 Oct 1998 00:38:16 -0500

> The links from the Howrah-Delhi main-line to Mumbai are:
> 1. Allahabad-Jabalpur-Mumbai, 2. Kanpur-Jhansi-Mumbai and of course
> 3. Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai.

I am really doing nit-picking here. But there is Tundla-Agra-Bayana-
Vadodara-Bombay route, which is taken by Avadh Express.

-dheeraj
--------------
Dr. Dheeraj Sanghi (0512) 59-7077/7638
(Off)
Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering (0512) 59-8627 (Res)
Indian Institute of Technology (0512) 59-0725/0413
(Fax)
Kanpur - 208 016 (UP), INDIA. dheeraj@iitk.email

From: Dheeraj Sanghi <>

Subject: Re: Good timetable itinerary question

Date: 06 Oct 1998 00:38:16 -0500

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: IR Power generation summary: first pass

Date: 06 Oct 1998 00:44:10 -0500

> I am afraid that's not quite true. I have traveled on three separate
> occasions on an AC loco. and have never seen the panto lever being
> touched. They simply cut off power to the traction motors while the
> loco. is in a neutral section.

Okay this must be correct - the panto is not dropped, only the power is
switched off - what happens to the headlight - do they also shut off in
the neutral section ?

Apurva

>
>
> Vijay
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at <A HREF="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</A>

From: Apurva Bahadur <>

Subject: Re: engine change

Date: 06 Oct 1998 06:18:02 -0500

D.G.Goswami wrote:

> Hi folks,
> I am a bit confused.On The Bombay-Bhusawal section of CR
trains hauled by
> DC locos from Bombay switch to AC locos at Igatpuri.The AC loco at
Igatpuri
> hauls the train from the very place where the DC loco left it.Now how
can
> both AC & DC locos operate from the same place?If Igatpuri has DC
traction
> how do AC locos bring in Up trains.If it has AC traction how do DC
locos
> take Down trains till Igatpuri.?I am a bit confused bcoz on WR all
Bombay
> bound trains have dual voltage locos.But on the CR trains either are
DC or
> AC locos.(baring trains pulled by WCAM3s).Please help me clear the
confusion.

Chinmay,Good to hear technical queries which we try and sort out
ourselves,

First difference between is that Igatpuri and Virar is the terrain - IGP
is on top of
the Thull ghat while VR (? ) is flat land. Locos stop at IGP to let off
the bankers
which have been attached at Kasara at the bottom of the ghat. There is
an electrical
dead catenary section after Virar through which the AC - DC loco coasts
without power
and switches on the appropriate pantograph. Thus Virar transit can be
done without
stopping.
The IGP overhead line gets charged to different voltages at different
times. The DC
loco coming from Mumbai comes in with a train, detaches, draws ahead,
shunts to a
loop line and then reverses towards the DC loco shed at the Mumbai end.
Then the line
gets charged to 25 KV AC and the AC locos starts from the AC loco shed
at Manmad end.
The loco attaches to the waiting train and soon departs. The reverse
occurs when the
train comes from Manmad towards Mumbai. The system is quite foolproof
and I have
never heard of a mistake being committed at IGP although there are some
stories of
wrong panto being selected at VR. There are members on the IRFCA like
Prakash
Tendulkar and Viraf Mulla who have footplated the VR section and perhaps
they can
tell us more..
Note that today, trains such as Mumbai - Manmad Pachwati Express are
hauled by a AC -
DC WCAM 3 and the same loco takes the train to Manmad after the line
voltage is
changed.

Apurva Bahadur

From: Pushkar Apte <>

Subject: News and Views

Date: 06 Oct 1998 07:10:13 -0500

First the news:

************************************************************************
*

INDIAN EXPRESS FRONT PAGE
Tuesday, October 6, 1998
Express Rly rivalry slows down plans for super-fast
[Image] Goa-Mumbai train
EIW ----------------------------
[Image] PANAJI, Oct 5: Rivalry between service
officials the Central Railway and the Konkan
Market Railway Corporation has caused plans for a
Indicators high-speed train between Mumbai and Goa to be
[Image] put in cold storage.
Screen
[Image] The superfast train is expected to reduce the
travel time between the two places to less
Boulevard India than eight hours. ``There is a proposal to
run a train which will make the Mumbai-Goa
[Image] round trip in sixteen hours,'' a well-placed
Celebrity Chat railway official source told The Indian
[Image] Express.

The train which will bridge the 600 km
Express Power distance between Mumbai and Margao twice
[Image] daily is primarily meant for transporting
Letters tourists.
[Image]
Advertisers Railway officials say the train, besides
Forum benefiting passengers, could emerge a major
[Image] revenue earner on the loss-making Konkan
Railway route. For instance, sleeper coaches
[Image] could be replaced by chair cars,
Express Careers accommodating more passengers.
[Image]
Business Forum However the stumbling block in the
[Image] introduction of the high-speed train is a
small segment of the track between Mumbai and
Match Maker Roha. This stretch, particularly the 75 km
[Image] track betweenPanvel and Roha, needs to be
Express improved substantially before trains can be
Properties run on them at high speed,'' said senior
[Image] Konkan railway officials.
Palki - Travel
& Tours They allege that the Central Railway
[Image] expressed its inability to cover the 150 km
distance between Mumbai and Roha in less than
Information four hours. ``Instead they asked us to cover
Technology the distance of 450 km on the Konkan Railway
[Image] route -- in four hours,'' say KRC officials.
Astrosurf
[Image] Though the rail tracks of the Konkan Railway
Eco-India are designed for speeds of up to 160 km per
[Image] hour, these cannot be attained on a single
track corridor. Speeds for even the superfast
Dr Know trains have been restricted to 110 km per
[Image] hour until a second track is laid on this
Morning Digest route.
[Image]
Incidentally this the second-time a proposal
Express for a high-speed Mumbai-Goa train has run
Greeting into trouble. A few years ago, a private tour
[Image] operator from Hyderabad offered to run an
Graffiti imported high-speed train on this route. That
[Image] project had to be abandoned as the Railways
Crossword refused to allow a private party to own a
[Image] train.

************************************************************************
*

Now, my views:

This article has facts that I was curious about:

- Total Mumbai-Madgaon distance = 600 km
- CR/KR hand-off point is Roha
- Max KR speed is 110 kmph
- Panvel-Roha is the weak link in the chain

It is also intriguing in the opinions expressed:

It makes CR to be the bad guy, but I suspect that may be one-sided.
What is KR's status in the IR hierarchy - is it a separate division,
or is it a subset of CR?

Whatever the reasons, it is a terrible waste that a potential revenue
gold-mine - in teh form of the Mumbai-Madgaon Shatabdi - is being
wasted by inter-railway rivalry.

Also, the bit about the private operator's offer is a curious twist.
Does any private operator run any train on IR?

-Pushkar
-------

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