A Short Train | Hubballi to Pune | Complete Journey Compilation on board the 17305 Goa Link Express involving a complex shunting process in Londa Jn.
"What is Link Express" Video - click here
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In almost every train Journey, there tends to be some sort of an adventure; Almost every trip sees some or the other incident which would have occurred otherwise...
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on a normal day. But, when I am traveling something has to happen; always. Call it luck, destiny or whatever, seldom has it happened such that the trips I plan are executed the way I want them to be. Something has always gone haywire, this time around, my entire schedule went kaput, all thanks to some bad weather predictions. And rightly so, had I been on with my original plan in spite of the weather warnings, I am sure, something would have gone wrong there too, and I would landed in a soup.
May 2018, it was the last week, I had planned to go for the Deccan Queen's Birthday and travel on it from Pune to Mumbai. Tickets were booked, itinerary was Bengaluru → Mangaluru Jn. → Panvel → Pune; for the onward part of the trip. Idea was to cover the Shiradi Ghats and the short Panvel Karjat route which always eluded me. But as fate would have it, a couple of days prior to the Journey, heavy rainfall along the western coast flooded a lot of sections of the KR, and also Mangaluru Jn. The train which I was supposed to take from Mangaluru; the Netravati Express was regularly getting delayed. And leading up to the day of my journey; it was getting delayed long enough for me to miss my connection from Panvel - the Pragati Express.
A quick check up with a friend in Mangaluru was the final nail in the coffin for me; for he assured that tracks at Mangaluru Jn. are also flooded and the weather for the next few days was unpredictable. Putting all speculations to rest, I canceled my tickets and booked in the KSR Bengaluru Hubli Janshatabdi; a first time ride for me on the same morning I was to go to Mangaluru. From there I had 2 choices, a direct run up to Mumbai on the Hubballi Mumbai Express or the Goa Link Express to Pune. A friend was trying to book the ticket from Current availability, and luckily i got it in the 17305 Link Express. This was also a blessing in disguise. I could see the entire shunting process of Londa Junction; which I have already presented as a separate Video.
The short 8 coach rake from Hubballi starts off with a PUNE WDP4D in lead, bang on schedule at 16:15 hrs. The Hubballi Mumbai Express left behind KYN WDP4D 40235 'GAURAV'; about half an hour prior. Acceleration was a piece of cake for the power of my train, dragging along a minuscule load. After crossing the Gandhidham KSR Bengaluru Express in Amargol, we dropped into Dharwad for our first halt, and the next one was Alnavar Jn. The late running Haripriya Express to Tirupati was waiting for us in Nagargali. We were held there for an extra 20 mins, to allow the 22497 Sriganganagar Tiruchchirapalli Humsafar Express to pass. Given the enormous slack thrust in our schedule, we still made it to Londa Jn., more or less on time. Our main rake from Goa was nowhere close to arriving soon.
After consuming 2 cups of chai and a plate of Vada Pav, I started pacing the platform up and down. The main rake patiently pulled in at about 18:50 hrs; well behind schedule. Then began the complex shunting process, involving my train, the link Express to Bengaluru that came along with 12779 and 12779 itself. Many a shriek, scream and yell were heard once the starting doing its back and forth routine. Some people didn't understand; while some did. A father of 2 teenage kids accordingly guided them to witness the shunting from both on board and off board the train, taking turns to send one kid on board every time the train went out.
About an hour after our arrival, the complete formation of 12779 left from Londa Jn. After Ghatprabha, I turned in for the day; for I had to wake up early next morning. And rightly so, thanks to the slack in schedule, we reached Pune Jn. right time next morning; at 03:55 hrs, and I was greeted by a beautiful sight of an ICF Rajdhani rake of 04417 Pune H. Nizamuddin Special. This journey was nothing extraordinary by its own, but the events surrounding it and the events that lead to it made it special. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.
The crossings that I saw on the way include:
1. 16505 Gandhidham KSR Bengaluru Express
2. 17416 Kolhapur Tirupati Haripriya Express
3. 22497 Sriganganagar Tiruchchirapalli Humsafar Express
I have shared the video of the Complex shunting process above under the title 'What is Link Express'. Do watch that too. Thanks & have a great time.
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