Honnavar - A true railfan paradise!

Inspired by various trips by members to KR's crown jewel, I headed out on a trip to see it with my own eyes. I was blown away by the peace, beauty and nature's grandeur which Honnavar is. Thanks to Appu and gang's detailed maps of the area, I was able to get around easily and let myself soak into nature and pristine diesel action. Presenting to you a place a railfan will never get tired seeing or visiting - Honnavar!

Date: 2015-02-05
Owner: Gallery Administrator
Size: 35 items
IMG_6286

The first action of the day has to be the most awaited one - and I was not disappointed! Golden Rock's toaster curves in swiftly on to Honnavar Bridge with the Rajdhani bound to Delhi! (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6310

Closely following the Rajdhani was an almost hour late running biweekly Ernakulam-Okha Express led by an Ernakulam WDM-3A. (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6315

As I got down from the viewpoint hill onto the line descending a steep slope, the first sight to emerge is the Honnavar Tunnel. A minute's prayer for those who laid down their lives during the construction of this tunnel followed. This tunnel is defini

IMG_6332

This is how the inside of a KR tunnel looks like! (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6341

With the sun behind me, the next sight was the Mangalore-Madgaon "Superfast" passenger hauled by its customary Erode WDM-3D which unlike its MPS run throughout, slowed to observe the PSR over the Sharavathi A bridge. (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6354

The weekly Dadar- Tirunelveli Express led by Erode's WDM-3D #11194 flies out of Honnavar tunnel. (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6358

The only loaded Ro-Ro service that I saw during my two day visit to Honnavar led by Golden Rock's WDG-4 #12783 (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6362

The endless line of trucks being "driven" without actually anyone "driving" them were a sight to behold! (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6370

A plaque near the Sharavathi - A bridge which was completed in September 1994. (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6380

The almost 3 hour late running Mumbai-Mangalore Superfast led by its customary Kalyan WDG-3A # 13496 cruises over the Sharavathi A bridge. (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6422

Next up was the Mangalore-Madgaon Intercity led by Ernakulam's WDM-3A #16479. The train here is crossing the Sharavathi B bridge and entering Mavinkurve island. A short distance ahead is the Sharavathi A bridge which culminates in the Honnavar tunnel. (Pa

IMG_6430

Truly light at the end of the tunnel. This is one pic I was always waiting to capture, that of a train inside a tunnel. This was the closest I could get before moving away to safety. Ernakulam's alco approaches with the weekly Gandidham-Nagercoil Express.

IMG_6438

Finally the loco bursts out of the tunnel! Ernakulam's WDM-3A shows some power as it exits with the express to Nagercoil. (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6453

After an afternoon break, I returned for the evening's actions. First up was the Karwar-Bangalore Express with Ernakulam's WDM-3A #16457 gracefully passing over the A bridge. (Pawan Koppa)

IMG_6461

The centurion star appears! Bhagat ki Kothi's "ton" #20100- the only passenger EMD I captured races past with the Marusagar Express bound to Ernakulam. (Pawan Koppa)

Comments
(view all 8 comments)
Terrific album
Posted by Arzan Kotval on 2015 Feb 22 15:32:24 +0000
Superb .... Nice collection ....
Posted by Jayasankar Madhavadas on 2015 Feb 19 06:21:34 +0000
Lovely set of pictures. Lucky Pawan to get enough time off to do this. Thanks for sharing the album.
Posted by Sridhar Joshi on 2015 Feb 18 05:08:22 +0000