Welcome back,
The Rajadhani express trains have been at the forefront of meeting India's long distance high speed travel requirements for over 40 years. In SCR, the first Rajadhani to pass through our tracks was the Nizamudin- Bangalore Rajadhani which was inaugurated
around the year 1994. I will share a small experience with you about how desperately i wanted to see this train on its first run and how i spotted it.. read on..
It was the year 1994 I think when news had been coming through of a high speed rajadhani which was being introduced between NZM and SBC via secunderabad. I remember seeing the timings sheet given to the Station master at Moula Ali station and the Rajadhani was a true beast which overtook everything else in its path, as this circular had all the overtakes mentioned and required regulation of express trains en route.
I will add the final dates and other info once I dig through those introduction papers, but now i would like to narrate how i spotted the rajadhani for the first time in SCR near SC station.
I had got news that the train would starting from Nizamudin on a certain day and as SC was not a commercial halt, the Rajadhani was scheduled to arrive at 04.30 am to SC for a loco change and go onward to Bangalore via Wadi. I was told that this train always runs early even now it does, reaching SC station 20 min or so before its scheduled time on a regular basis.
The previous night was all spent in anticipation of watching the train, but the bottle neck was that being the winter season my parents refused to allow me to railfan near the Road over Bridge at my house. That too at an absurd time of 2 Am on cold winter morning in November. But determined that i was, i did not give up. I checked my protective gear of a thick sweater, a wollen face mask to protect against the cold and tight shoes. These were the days before I had mobiles and cameras so all I did was spot the train!!!!!!
After a quick alarm buzz at 1.45 am in the morning, I got up and brushed and climbed into my protective gear and taking a bottle of water was all set to see the Raj enter SC for the first time. As the rajadhani had a operational timing of leaving KZJ at around 2.30 am, a 4.30 am arrival was expected at SC and that was also flexible as the Raj was given maximum preference on the line. Stepping out of home, I was greeted by a blast of chill air and beyond that a fear of going out alone at 2am in the morning. Gingerly stepping out from my home, i walked through deserted roads on to the road over bridge near my house. It was 02.15 am and I positioned myself on the bridge like a brave soldier on a border front in the winter chill. There was total silence and except the occasional sounds from the Lalagudda workshops and from the steam MG shed of YP locomotives being readied for the next day. Time passed so slowly as i peered into the darkness towards moula ali home signal to see if the Rajdhani would be coming and also hoping for some other movement on the other line to KZJ. Soon enough a twin KZJ WDM2 Hauled BCNA rake passed by to KZJ with a big green signal greeting it at Mouali Outer, the sound of the BCNA in the still night was amplified 100 fold and gave it a Gigantic presence much like any other train i had seen..
Slowly the clock ticked past 3.00 am , covering my face with the muffler I braved the cold and stood steadfast on the bridge, hoping that i would see a light coming out the curve at MLY(Moula Ali). But nothing came, after 20 mins I heard a huge thudding sound and slowly and steadily saw a Tanker Rake with Petrol cars come towards SC with a KZJ Diesel Loco, it went by leisurely as the driver had nothing ahead of him and the whole area stunk of petrol vapor for the next 15 minutes or more. The cold got worse as the night grew on and my legs started to ache as there was no place to sit. The area below the bridge was not safe and full of reptiles and other perils even during the day so I stayed up on the bridge hoping for one glimpse of the elusive Rajadhani.
The time was 3.40 am, i heard a faint horn of a electric engine about 2 miles away maybe near Moula Ali C Cabin and the thud thud on the track due to the dead silence of the night, my heartbeat started racing up and i was all alert to see if this was indeed the rajadhani, slowly but surely the rubbing sound of the rake on the tracks got louder and louder and then i saw a flash of light at the end of the MLY curve illuminating the Nacharam lake and could see a train coming down the gradient, i could also now hear the rumble of EOG car and it was getting louder by the minute.... Soon enough the light turned my direction and i saw a freshly painted WAP1 coming round the curve with great speed with some yellow rake behind it. The roar of the EOG's got louder by the second and then I saw the mighty rajadhani in its pristine ICF livery glowing in the yellow sodium lights of the Road over bridge, it was like a dream come true and this railfan's desire of the early morning spotting was appeased with a rush of adrenaline and a thrill beyond the description of words. As fast as the rake had come, it went round the curve with both EOG's roaring into the night and there was again a still silence..it was 4.00 am and I was at the point of time the happiest railfan on Earth so to speak for having seen my dream train... and went back home in dream like state and slept thinking of those few magic moments which changed my perception of IR forever.
Even today these mighty trains run across SCR's tracks with many more Rajadhani's being introduced and Loco links may have changed, crews retired and innumerable snaps and video's may have been taken of the trains, but the pride of the Rajdhani and its spotting is still cherished by every railfan who has come to Secunderabad.
