• Another long Mumbai-Chennai Trip: Part 1

    Yes. As you might have guessed. Another long and tedious journey (not for me though! 😛 ) by the famous supercrawler – 11027 Mumbai Chennai Mail. Well, it is almost impossible to get reservation (especially in AC) in any other train; unless you book at least 3 months in advance! That too, given the day…

  • I am a Tam Brahm

    Footnote: This poem can’t be called an entirely original work. I owe a lot of the ideas (and certain facts) to the various people in India who have been at the fore of the anti-caste movement – great historical leaders like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Thanthai Periyar; as well as contemporary anti-caste movements – comprising…

  • An eventful Saturday Monsoon Outing by Godavari express – Part 2

    So, an eventful Saturday monsoon outing had started with my trip by 12117 LTT-MMR Godavari express; starting 7 mins late and getting further delayed by 40 mins along the way – as we came to Kasara, where the suburban services to the lines North-East of Mumbai terminated; and the beautiful Thull ghats began. Before reading…

  • An eventful Saturday Monsoon Outing by Godavari express – Part 1

    I love having a full weekend off ; especially in the monsoons. It provides you the opportunity to undertake train journeys which might otherwise have been difficult; given that there is a Mega Block on Sundays – due to which many daytime intercities usually tend to get cancelled. Moreover, the train in this case was…

  • To a smoker I meet everyday

    Every day you smoke that cigarette of yours Leaving the air around you full of toxic fumes Which coil into a gigantic serpent That turns its baleful eyes on my helpless form And slowly, but surely, slithers towards me Hissing evilly as it prepares to send me to my maker Before rearing sharply, and plunging…

  • A Saturday Night of Action at Manmad

    I will begin with the disclaimer that this is purely for railfans and rail enthusiasts; so others can read this if they like; but they are really better off giving it a pass – so that they don’t get bamboozled by all the technical jargon here! 😛 Anyway, there is a legend at the bottom…

  • Something has to give

    Something has to give After hours of frustration Hours of thankless toil Where are the fruits? Trust and rapport built Through days of understanding Days of convincing Evaporate at the eleventh hour Causing me to tear my hair out And start all over again   But are my efforts recognized? Do all those hours count?…

  • My first journey by Pragati express

    12125/26 Mumbai Pune Pragati express is one of the regular daytime intercity commuter trains serving the bustling Mumbai-Pune route. However, it is a train in which I had never travelled; until yesterday (from Pune to Mumbai). 12126 was parked on its customary platform 5; behind chocolate brown KYN WCAM2-6P 21864. My coach C2 was of…

  • My first tryst with LHB Panchavati – Part 2

    Well, much to my pleasure (being my first ever ride by this train 🙂 ); 12110 MMR CSMT Panchavati express had a swimmingly good run in BSL division i.e. upto IGP – here you will see how it fared in Mumbai division. Please don’t forget to check out Part 1 before reading on! https://ashwinkumar1989.online/2018/06/03/my-first-tryst-with-lhb-panchavati-part-1/ We departed…

  • My first tryst with LHB Panchavati – Part 1

    12110 Manmad Mumbai Panchavati express is an extremely popular commuter train – used by thousands of passengers mainly between Nasik and Mumbai. Recently the train got an LHB rake and there was a lot subsequent hype; unfortunately, the new LHB rake did not go well with many regular travellers; due to its cramped seating arrangement…