Meter Gauge Chronicles. A journey on one of the last remaining MG routes yo! 1. BRK-MLN MG Express being moved on PF-1 at Bahraich. Meanwhile, GD-BRK DEMU getting ready for its trip in the background. 2. The train leaving the chill vibes of Manjhara Poorab, with machine, man, and nature all chillin' together. 3. Regular life and daily peeps on the train heading to work in Risiya. Teachers, shopkeepers, nurses, cops, and even peons - everyone on the train was tight with each other. 4. A curious kid checkin' out the scene from the window; askin' his pops about everything. That's how I got into trainspotting too. 5. Tracks going deep into the Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary, connectin' different paths. 6, 7. Rollin' through Dudhwa national park, catching all the vibes. 8. Approaching the mighty Ghaghra barrage, feeling some type of way as the river below churned. 9. A railway worker bouncin' back after set the signal to Stop - keepin' things movin'. 10. The sneaky lil devil grabbin' my samosa and hiding under the train like a pro. 11. Our ride headin' back to Bahraich, passing through Katarniaghat sanctuary after Dudhwa. 12. Nanpara Junction busy as with trains. Stopped for a minute, grab some grub and maybe swing by for some freshly made bread-pakoras or samosas at the platform. Big old tree giving you them Malgudi Days vibes. 13. That bread-pakora hittin' right with the oily vibes. 14. IZN YDM-4 standin' tall at Mailani. 15. Peep the MG yard at Mailani, all sorts of YDM-4s, GS coaches, Vistadome joints, and some freight rides too. 16. Check the loco maintenance shed beyond the yard, handled by IZN probably. 17. Mailani yard stacked with all them coaches and locos, chillin' with the coaching depot in the background. 18. Where MG links up with electrified BG - BRK-MLN MG Express on PF-3 vibes with my next ride MLN-GKP Express on PF-1. Laid out this journey on 31/06/2022. The whole ride on a general ticket from LKO-MLN-LJN was smooth. Train was fresh, washrooms clean and working. Electrics? Well, that's another story. Impressed how even peeps in the middle of nowhere tapped in with their tickets mid-jungle. Helpful bunch - talkin' with them was some real insight into their remote life. Kumud.

The Lalbagh express is a straight-up beast. It used to tear through its path at breakneck speeds, leaving all other stops in the dust. It was like the Shatabdis' loyal sidekick, known as the "common man's Shatabdi." But now with the Vande Bharat trains in the picture, things have switched up. The Vande Bharat trains are taking over the scene, with Bengaluru to Chennai passengers choosing them over the Shatabdis. Lalbagh has taken a back seat, with more stops and a slower timetable to let the Vande Bharats pass. Its aggressive nature is slowly fading away. Even though it's now just a humble mode of transport for regular folks, passengers from small towns still rely on it. The unreserved coaches are jam-packed, but passengers aren't exactly thrilled. The train screeches to a stop at every station, defeated. But when that whistle blows and the engine roars, there's a sense of excitement in the air. The train picks up speed, racing ahead with sparks flying off the tracks. It effortlessly reaches 130 km/h, exuding that classic Lalbagh charm. Though its glory may be short-lived as it halts again, a fresh Vande Bharat zooming past. But Lalbagh proves itself time and time again, revealing its fierce side between stops. Despite its worn-out appearance, it's still a force to be reckoned with, unmatched in priority after the premium trains. Old Lalbagh ain't dead just yet.

Is train ki charm aur beauty ka to hamesha se attitude hi unique hai.

Pura route tezi se cover karte hue, yeh apne 10ish halts se jaake Chennai tak lunchtime se pehle pahunch jaati thi. Shatabdis ke dutiful second-in-command ke roop mein kaam karti thi, jaise hi uska partner Brindavan. Isko mila tha 'common man's Shatabdi' ka nickname, after all.

Lalbagh ek aam express nahi tha. Asal mein, ek ghanta baad hi uske peeche ek itni aam express aati thi ki sab log us train ko "The Express" kehte the.

Aaj, Vande Bharat trains ke aane se priority dynamics badal gayi hai.

Point se point Bengaluru - Chennai wale log Vande Bharat trains ko choose karte hain. Route ke pehle ke raja, Shatabdi trains ka kaam bas Vande Bharat trains ke waitlists ko carry karna hai.

To fir Lalbagh kahan reh gayi?

Kai aur halts. Ek thoda easy timetable, taki do Vande Bharat trains usko overtake kar sake. Yeh aggression systematically kam hoti jaa rahi hai.

Lalbagh ka kaam ab sirf trustworthy people mover ban gaya hai. Kuppam ya Sholinghur ke aam aadmi ab bhi iss train ka wait karte hain. Yeh Express se to fast hai na? Unreserved coaches bhare hote hain. Yatriyon ko impress nahi karta. Har jagah rukne par train peecha chhodne ki koshish karta hai.

Par fir, jab whistle baja aur WAP-7 dar awaaz mein chilaane lagta hai, yatri khidkiyon se umeed se dekhte hain. Engine kheenchta hai. Aur kheenchta hai. Aur thoda aur kheenchta hai.

Speedometer tezi se badhta rehta hai jab train aur bhi fast hoti jaati hai. Rails se sparks nikalte hain aur lage hain jaise unhe iss beast ko control karne mein mushkil ho.

Train bina kisi effort ke 130 kilometers per hour tak pahunch jaati hai. Haath se down AC coach ab bhi galat taur se "Shatabdi Express" likha hua hai lekin woh jyada ajeeb nahi lagta. Lalbagh Gudiyattam ko style mein chhod deta hai, ballast stones rail se udd jaate hain. Dekhne layak drishya. Vintage Lalbagh waapis aa gayi hai, apne peeche dhool chhodkar.

Par yeh temporary hai. Ek aur halt tak pahunchta hai aur train ka naya haqiqat sabke samne phir se aa jaata hai. Loop line mein switch karte hue, thaki huyi train thodi der ke liye araam karti hai jab tak ek fresh-looking Vande Bharat usse overtake karke aage badhta hai.

Par Lalbagh ne ek baar phir prove kiya hai. Saare gandagi aur sannata ke beech, yeh train ka asli aggressive chehra abhi bhi har rukawat ke beech apne aapko dikhane ka mauka dhoond raha hai. Premium trains ke baad, priority ke mamle mein usse koi bhi train compete nahi kar sakti.

Purani Lalbagh abhi tak zinda hai. Abhi tak.

Kya yeh ek hi Rajdhani hai jo State Capital tak nahi jaati? Thanks