sspnreport

Here is my report :

I reached Bangalore Cant. at 6:30am .
A little later I saw the totally packed Lalbagh Exp depart behind a
WAP-4 (22222) of Erode shed .
At sharp 6:55am the SSPN exp arrived behind a KJM WDM2A . This was
previously a 3 coach train , but now a days it has become 5 coaches .
Here is the composition :
Engine - IICC - GS - SLR - IICC - IICC.
The last 2 coaches are reserved & vestibuled .
I boarded the first IICC as I wanted to be near the loco . The
reserved coaches only had about 30 people + TTE . The GS coaches had
about 120 people. As my coach was relatively empty , I settled down
into a comfortable window seat .

At sharp 6:58am the loco blew its loud horn & chugged out steadily .
Just after crossing over some points , the train picked up to abt
70kmph almost instantaneously . It was a great feeling to burst
through a packed Bangalore East station ! From there on the drivers
did a commendable job . We were always early by 10mins at all
stations .On various sections the train touched 100kmph mark . The
drivers literally toyed with the train , as they increased &
decreased speed as they liked !! My feeling is , travelling by this
train is as good as travelling by a 'light' loco.

This train has only 6 stops in 212kms over 4 hrs.
Cantt , Yelahanka , Dodballapur(DBU) , Gowribidanur(GBD) , Hindupur ,
SSPN .

It was a great feeling to zoom on the main line while crossing with
the Udyan Exp . But we had to wait at DBU for 10mins to
cross with the lowly HUP-SBC DMU. On Maklidurga-GBD section there is
a fall in gradient from 846MSL to 679MSL. So the landscape is quite
scenic & rocky with plenty of sharp curves . Here , the loco simply
went to (silent)neutral mode & let the gravity take over.It hardly put any effort! I was amazed that the dynamic brakes were not used either in MKL or Penukonda ghats .Only air brakes were used! We arrived at SSPN 15mins early at 10:30am .

At Puttaparthi :

The puttaparthi town is actually abt 8kms from the SSPN rly stn . To
protect passengers from greedy autorickshaws , some noble souls have
provided a bus connection for this train:-). So ,with a feeling of
thanks , I boarded the APSRTC bus waiting just outside the plfrm 1.
This bus drops you at puttaparathi bus terminus which is bang
opposite to Sai Baba Nilayam. Tkt cost is only Rs.5 & journey time is
abt 20mins. On the way , it was nice to see the airport runway & main
road go side by side. There is only a gap of around 80mts .

At Prashanthi nilayam , The 'darshan' was to be only at 2pm . So, I
visited the museum on the Prashanthi hill & roamed abt the complex .
The entire complex has excellent architecture , A good mix of palace
style & modern design .
Later I had lunch at the 'Dining Hall' . One food coupon costs Rs.2
only. For about 4 coupons I had a wholesome lunch . The food given
here is pure & a type of social service . Also there is a respectable
variety of items . Hence , for visitors the 'dining hall' is the best
place to eat.
At 2pm I had darshan of Sai Baba (10mins only) , there was a crowd of
abt 2000 devotees !!.
Around 3pm I caught a bus & arrived at SSPN by 3:20pm.

Though the train was to depart only at 4:30pm , I arrived early so
that I could admire the rly stn . I think SSPN is the most beautiful
railway station on IR. Apart from its architectural splendour , both
the internal & external layouts are geometric & pleasing to eyes .
Also , as the stn is brand new , it was very neat & sparkling .
Also , the location is such that it is surrounded by barren rocky
hills & green fields. Giving a touch of contrasts & beauty .

At 4:45pm the train departed from SSPN . I boarded the reserved coach
as, I wanted to be behind the loco . But, the TTE (female) insisted
on paying Rs.15 as reservation charges . Later , I found out from the
TTE that this train will be sacked shortly , after Minister
officially inaugurates the SSPN line & other trains begin to take
that route . As my coach was literally empty with only 10 people , I
enjoyed the privacy ! So, I did some sound recordings peacefully !
The climb up the penukonda & MKL ghats was enjoyable with the typical
WDM2 sounds . We had to stop for several crossings with the VSKP
bound prashanthi exp , WDP-4 exp , awesome-twosome KK & DMU and a goods train . But still we reached YNK 10mins early.

At around 8pm the train stopped at CSDR for signal. So, I got down
joyfully & walked off to my house just 2mins away !!
this was an unforgettable trip . I feel lucky that I got
to enjoy this train before it is sacked for ever :-)
So friends, if anyone wants to enjoy WDM2 power take this train !

Thanks for the patient reading !