The death of the dead zone???

Even as I type this post, a mega-block (a non-availability of railway tracks in railway parlance) on the Western Railway suburban section draws to a close. This was due to the conversion of the electrification from DC to AC. While the lines north of Borivili were already AC-electrified, this work would mean that the lines would be converted to AC from north of Vile Parle instead. With that, in all probability, the neutral "dead zone" (which is currently at Borivili) would be shifted to Vile Parle. And, within a few months, the dead zone would be all gone as the entire suburban section would be AC-electrified.

WDP4 cranking up

Remember, I had blogged about my face-to-face (well, side-to-face) experience with the WDP4 (Dippy 4) at Thane station. Here's a YouTube video that has the same effect. Since this is a cold start, there is the customary bell to be sounded to shoo away workers / animals that may be below or around the loco.

Then, a couple of clicks of some switches, the beast comes alive, and starts almost like a plane about to take off. You will have to be patient since this does not happen until 1 min 49 seconds into the video.



There's another vid here, but there's a lot of background noise. Also, another startup at Panvel is here.

What wheel?

A newspaper article (8th March, Times of India) specifies that the Deccan Queen would be piloted by Surekha Yadav, and for the first time "a woman would be behind the wheel". What wheel? Surely, this should not read as "behind the wheel", but "above the wheels". Surely, there is no "steering wheel" in a loco. Okay, I am trying to be picky here, and I get it that this is more of a commonly-used phrase, but hopefully the author also understands the same.

Coming back to Surekha Yadav, I have, of course, read about her earlier. She was also filmed in the National Geographic documentary on "Mumbai" in their "Megacities" serials. She is shown piloting a CR suburban local (probably shot between Dadar and Kurla) frantically blowing the horn to ward off trespassers.

Another trip to LTT

Got an opportunity to go to LTT (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus) last evening. My parents were traveling to Ernakulam. I was lucky to get tickets for them on the newly inaugurated LTT-ERS Duronto Superfast Express. In fact, this service was introduced only on the 18th of January. As is the case with most other Durontos, there are hardly any stops - in fact, the train travels non-stop to Ernakulam (with only about 5 technical halts - maybe for crew change, etc., but not to pick up passengers).
 
The train's scheduled departure is at 20:50 from LTT,  and I reached there about an hour earlier. The rake (brand new LHB coaches, but with a "fractal" livery - printed plastic stuck over its original paint)  was spotlessly clean. I could see the inside of the luggage compartment - it was all shiny stainless steel. The service crew of the train (in uniforms) were busy loading bottles of water and other stuff onto the train coaches. There were 1st AC, 2-tier AC, and 3-tier AC coaches. And, of course, the pantry car and a hot buffet car as  well.

The loco was still not attached. After I  got my parents settled, I went off to the front of the rake to see what I am always keen to see - the coupling of the loco to the rake. There was no activity related to the coupling. I sat down patiently. When it was about 20 minutes to departure, I could hear a short horn - a typical WDM3 / WDP4 horn. A couple of khalasis turned up with a wireless radio and the work gloves. One of them asked the other whether it was an AlCo, and the other replied in the affirmative. Moments later, the Kalyan loco shed WDM3D #11254 had arrived on the same track as the rake. A couple of hand signals later the loco waited about a few hundred meters away. The khalasi jumped onto the tracks, adjusted the coupler of the rake, clambered back up onto the platform. Meanwhile, a handful of engineers arrived at the spot - making checks, giving comments, studying or whatever else they seemed to be doing. I got a feeling that this unusual visit by the engineers at the everyday event of coupling  could have been because of the presence of the LHB rake at LTT. (Usually, only Rajdhanis and Durontos have these coaches - and this might have been one of the first services with LHB coaches at LTT).

A few more hand signals later, the loco was moved very gently to be attached to the rake. The khalasi jumped back again, and coupled the rake - air brake pipe as well. Another one did the checks. With all final checks in place, the pilot started the compressor, and all was well.

A few minutes later the engineers were in the SLR coach checking out the diesel generator sets, the brake van, etc. Another 10 minutes later, the train revved up, and departed  - albeit a few minutes later than its scheduled departure time.

WDM2 Interactive

One of the fun things to do is to play around with this Flash animation created by Sheeju Chandran available at IRFCA. Depending on your browser / Flash plugin  version, you may have  to right-click and choose "Play" and select the "Interactive Technical Diagram". Among other useful information, the parts of the WDM2 and its inner workings (obviously a simplification) can be viewed. Check it out, and don't forget to try out the short and long horns, and the air compressor and release.

A screenshot of the interactive WDM2

Some interesting rail vids

Back to railfanning:Some interesting ones:

• The mighty WDP4 being coupled to a rake: requires a couple of tries to really get it right. Probably something to do with the responsiveness of the control or the power of the gigantic WDP4. Or maybe the pilot was used to the oldie-but-goldie (non-microprocessor) WDMs.

• A token exchange vid: This time the Koyna Express at Ambale.
• And, this eternal favorite that did quite some rounds on the email: A careless couple misjudging the speed of a WAP-4. Luckily, nothing happened. Careless Couple crossing

The Rs. 50 all-day Mumbai Suburban railway ticket

Out of curiosity, one weekend I bought the all-day Mumbai Suburban railway ticket. This costs Rs. 50 and is only valid within suburban Mumbai limits. The ticket is valid for the entire day until mid-night, and is valid on the Western, Central and Harbour lines. There is some confusion regarding the limits, but I guess these would be:

• Churchgate to Virar, on the Western line
• Mumbai CST to Karjat / Kasar, on the Central line
• Mumbai CST to Panvel, on the Harbour line

By "confusion", I mean to ask whether the ticket is valid on the Khopoli line (beyond Karjat), and if it is valid upto Dahanu Road  from Virar.

Update (2010-December-23): Today's  Times of India newspaper carried an advert specifying that Virar to Dahanu is covered as well. Take a look at the advert below. It also specifies that there are 3-day and 5-day tickets as well, and that these are for the 1st as well as 2nd class.

Click to view larger image

Update (2010-December-05): Here's a scan of the ticket. In railway parlance, it is also called as the "Tourist Ticket" (or more correctly the "Second Adult Tourist -1day Ticket").

Click to view a larger image

Neutral zone now at Borivali / Dahisar

Post the AC conversion of some part of the suburban Western Railway line, the neutral section is now located between Borivali and Dahisar. The WCAMs (AC - DC dual locos) now lower down the AC pantograph at this section, and raise the DC one before the end of the neutral section. Here's a video from YouTube that captures this moment. Note the rear pantograph being dropped before the front one is raised. Also, note the boys passing by are oblivious to why this filming is taking place - probably not knowing what is happening.

Train station indicators show platform directions

One of the main problems (complaints) that (new) Mumbai suburban commuters often have is to know which side of the car the platform would be on. In a crowded train, knowing this can immensely help a commuter by informing the commuter well in advance which direction s/he should proceed. Too often, commuters new to Mumbai train travel / stations have to ask other commuters which side the platform would arrive. Although in most cases the sides on which the platforms appear are fixed, in certain cases the trains do arrive at platforms other than the ones they usually do. This sometimes results in a shift of the platform side. A sudden surge of people from one side to the other ensues, and this is a big hassle in a crowded train. Commuters hanging out the doorway are usually the ones to spot that the train is changing its tracks, and hence also notice the shift in platforms. They announce this to fellow commuters, who then head to the other door.

Some years ago the local rakes (especially the MRVC ones) have been fitted with a LED display that displays the next station as well as the final destination of the train. However, it was only recently that I noticed that these displays also show an arrow indicating the platform direction. I also double checked to make sure that these arrows are not present in all the indicators. It maybe a part of a trial or part of a new rollout.

Here are two photographs (sorry for the poor quality - mobile cam) from a recent train trip. Note that the indicator for Diva is on the left, whereas Kopar (a relatively new station) is on the right.

 

Hope this is installed in all the locals, and that it functions correctly.

IRCTC website timings changed for online railway reservation

It seems that sometime in July / August 2010 IRCTC has changed the timings for its online railway reservation system. Whereas earlier, the reservation was not allowed from 23:30 night to the next day early morning, the reservation is now closed only for a period of 1 hour (from 23:30 to 00:30).

The 90th day reservation timings are different: That is, if a ticket is booked on the 90th day (the first day advance reservation begins) from the travel date, the reservation only begins at 8 a.m. This is only for the 90th day advance booking.

The new timings are especially convenient for people wanting to book tickets from another timezone (read NRIs), but I think it would put the people booking at the reservation counters at a huge disadvantage. The counters open only at 8 a.m.

I recently tried booking a ticket during the peak Christmas vacation. 37 seconds after 8:00, I was already wait listed.

Mumbai Suburban Railway ATVM fails test of public

Okay, the title is probably a bit harsh. But, wanted to just say that I observed at a few stations that the ATVM kiosk screen was completely smashed up, and the ATVMs were non-functional. Kanjur Marg and even Matunga (CR) had  their screens completely destroyed. Fortunately, I came across these non-functional ATVMs only at the smaller stations, where the ticket queues are also smaller.

Wonder who smashed the screens. The general Indian public certainly has an apathy towards things that they cannot use. The standard Mera kya jaata hai attitude.


I have even  observed a few guys who just keep touching / hammering the screen even though they do not have a card. They perhaps think it would give them some information such as the fares between stations. But that ignorance is certainly not a reason to smash the ATVMs.

Will certainly post photos the next time I observe this.

Update (11-Oct-2010): Here's a smashed and out-of-service ATVM. This one at Kanjurmarg railway station on the Central Railway. As usual, sorry for the poor quality (mobile cam).

Train related pics from Sweden

Finally, I managed to get some pics of trains / sites in Sweden. Here they are:

Stockholm Centralen station	A long-distance SJ train passes over a high viaduct close to Södertälje Syd
An empty SL local train rake waits at Södertälje Centrum for departure to Gnesta	The 08:05 SL local arrives at Södertälje Centrum to take daily commuters to Märsta via Stockholm Centralen. Commuters unhurriedly board the SL local at Södertälje Centrum
A very sleek-looking SL local arrives from the Stockholm side to Södertälje Centrum	A close-up of the SL local

Work, work, and more work...

Its a pity that work is taking away all the time. At the workplace, I have a lovely view of 2 railway lines passing a few kilometres away. One is used for the local Sotckholm (SL) traffic, whereas the other line, is on a high viaduct (remember Konkan railway?), and caters to the long distance traffic (SJ). Numerous trains pass around each day, including goods trains carrying ship containers. There are even double decker trains with a dull grey livery. Every now and then, a WAG7 like locomotive hauls some passenger trains. At other times, a WDS4-type shunter (similar to the ones at CLA and BA), is seen hauling a small goods train.

Its a pity that its been 4 weeks at the workplace, and I have not a picture of a train / loco to share. Hopefully, in the next few weeks...

Near death on the tracks

This incident took place a few years ago, but it keeps coming back to my mind.

It was a time when I used to visit quite frequently on Saturday mornings a shrine on the banks of the Banganga tank at Walkeshwar. The usual routine was to reach the shrine at about 9 a.m., and return to Grant Road station by 10 a.m. to catch a local train elsewhere.

One such morning as I was waiting on platform 3 to catch a fast local from Grant Road to Dadar, an old lady suddenly started crossing the tracks from platform 4 towards platform 3. As she reached platform 3, it was obvious that she could not jump and get on to platform 3 (since the platform is a good 4 feet high from the track level). She seemed to be a regular since she came quite close to platform 3 confidently. When she reached the platform 3 side, she did what many do in Mumbai...held out her hand...anyone on the platform then usually obliges and hoists / pulls up the person onto the platform. The idea is that the person on the track level usually just needs a hoist - an initial pull - the person, of course, needs to put his / her own efforts to push themselves up. That way, even if a heavy person is asking for help, it not too much of an effort for the person on the platform to hoist the guy.

When she held out her a hand, I was closest to her on platform 3. As a result, I offered my hand to her to pull her up. It was not the first time I was doing such a thing. However, for some strange reason, as I started pulling the old lady up, she just started dangling in mid-air. To my horror, the fast local had just entered the far end of the platform 3, and in a few seconds would be directly where the old lady was struggling to get onto the platform. For a split-second, my heart skipped a few beats. My mind was puzzled with decisions. Should I let her go? Should I jump onto the tracks and take her to the place in between tracks of platforms 3 and 4?

Fortunately, another man on platform 3 who had noticed this, approached quickly, and helped grasp her other hand, and we both managed to pull her up seconds before the train came to the spot where she stood.

I was relieved, but shaken. It was then that I decided that thenceforth I would not help anyone else to clamber onto the platforms. If a tragedy had occurred, obviously it would have played heavily on my mind, and it would be one decision that I would always have come to regret for the rest of my life.

Using the GO Mumbai Smart Card on the suburban railways

Update (2011-06-03): This post is no longer valid as the railways have now withdrawn the usage of the GO Mumbai (B.E.S.T.) Smart Card on the railways.  The railway ATVM card continues to  see popular  usage.
 
This post is a follow-up to the others related to the Mumbai Smart Card (see other posts here, here, and here). I see from the hits on this blog that some people are searching for information on how to use the SmartCard on the suburban railway section. Though this is a bit late (I was busy), here is the information about how to use the SmartCard on the suburban lines. Please do read the cons as well (scroll below) before deciding to use this.

The B.E.S.T. SmartCard (also known as the "GO Mumbai SmartCard") can be used on Mumbai Suburban railway lines too. However, there are some things that are important in this regard. I will first explain the way the card is supposed to be used. Then, I will list down the cons in using it this way. (Oh! this style of writing, I picked up while writing my technical reports and thesis...it'll take me sometime to get rid of it).

At the outset, let me tell you that the "GO Mumbai SmartCard" is NOT the same as the "ATVM (Automatic Ticket Vending Machine) Card" also used on the suburban railways.

The steps in using the Card for suburban rail travel are:

• Get yourself a Card, if you do not yet have one. The SmartCard issued by the B.E.S.T. will also do; the same card can be used for travel on the B.E.S.T. buses as well as the suburban railways.
• Fill the Card with some denomination from any "GO Mumbai" outlet ("Go Mumbai" outlets are stalls present at prominent railway stations or at major B.E.S.T. bus depots). If the SmartCard is already being used for the bus travel, then the Card will be "partitioned" to hold the railway data separate from the bus data. That is, the bus routes will not be overwritten, and can still be used.
• Now, to use the Card during suburban railway travel one needs to do the following (note that the usage of the Card on the buses do not change - the below steps are only for the rail travel):
  
• At the station where the train will be boarded, locate the "Card Swipe" machine. Usually, there are 2 machines: one for First Class, the other for Second (normal) Class. Place the SmartCard on the panel on the machine. The machine will automatically deduct from the Card the maximum travel fare applicable from that station, and also record on the Card the boarding station.
  If there is not enough money in the Card, the display will show a message.
  
• These machines are usually near the entrance to the platforms (not near the usual ticketing counters, but closer to the platforms).
  
• The train can then be boarded without buying a ticket.
  
• At the destination station, place the Card at the "Card Swipe" machine. The "Card Swipe" machine then "adjusts" the fare - that is, if excess fare was deducted, it will be refunded back to the Card.
• The ticket checkers are being given SmartCard readers so that they can check if the passenger had really swiped the Card.

Okay, that's the semi-official version. Now, here are the cons (also, reasons why I do not use the SmartCard for suburban railway travel):

1. The shocking news: This is valid only on Central Railway suburban section yet. Though, officially, its supposed to be applicable to both, the Western Railways have not yet officially recognized the SmartCard. Be ready to pay a hefty fine if you travel on the Westernl line with this Card. See this article for more details.
   
2. The pain: Knowing well how our railways and these machines would be maintained, there can be several problems. First, the machines might not work at all. If the machine at the source station does not work, at least you would know, and buy a ticket instead. On the other hand, if the machine at the destination station does not work, then you would have paid the maximum possible fare already. Now, it is unlikely that someone would run about trying to find how to get the refund of the fare.
3. Different machines might deduct fares differently for the same route. The problem here is that of keeping the fare system updated. Unlike the ATVMs, these Swipe machines are probably not centrally maintained. As a result, some of the machines may not have "up-to-date" fares or may even have incorrect fares.
   

24032007 KYN DLS : More miscellaneous pics...

More pics from last year's visit to the Kalyan Diesel Loco Shed.

• The shock absorber springs on the bogie of a WDM2 - notice a set of springs inside the outer set.
  

• Parts of a stripped-down WDM2:
  

• The radiator fan.

• BHEL-manufactured generators

• Cylinder Heads inside the engine
  

• The "bull gear" over the axle of a stripped-down WDM2. The drive turns the gear that ,in turn, turns the axle.
  

• The drive of a stripped-down WDM2:

• The "Sanding Box" of a WDM2. (A Sanding Box holds sand that can be used in case the rails are very slippery; the sand can be released by the press of a button in the cab; the sand comes out of the sand pipe positioned so that the sand falls just ahead of the wheels)
• A CLA (Kurla) WDS4 shunter awaits its duties at the KYN DLS.

• Siblings from the same stable: a WDM2 and a Shakti WDG3A
  

24032007 KYN DLS : Miscellaneous pics...

I realised that I had only posted some pics from the visit to the Kalyan DLS (Diesel Loco Shed). Here are some more. These pics are those of the 13307 KYN WDG3A "Shakti" being serviced at the KYN Diesel Loco Shed.

• The builder's plate on the Shakti:
  

• The control stand:

• The shock absorbers:

• The LED markers on the Shakti:

• A SHF (Short Hood Forward) view from inside the Shakti:

ping KJMT01

The expected has happened. For the past several occasions, both the ATVMs (Automatic Ticket Vending Machines) at the Kanjurmarg (KJMG) station are non-functional. Not only at KJMG, but also at several other stations. On most occasions, the display of the ATVMs do not display anything; at other times, the touch-screen refuses to respond. However, yesterday I was surprised to find a "terminal (X windows)" window opened on both the ATVMs at KJMG. Someone was running a "ping" to some class A IP addresses. Aha, they run some kind of Unix, most likely some distro of Linux. The prompt at the machines displayed "user@KJMT01", and "user@KJMT02" respectively. Guess the machines are cleverly named using station codes. (I think "KJMG" is station code for Kanjurmarg; I wonder what "KJMT" is...)

However, that does not absolve the railways to keep the ATVMs non-functional. Wonder if, and how long before, they are trashed, and like many other schemes, become history. I want my money back!

The Mumbai Suburban Railway Smart Card (aka ATVM Card)

(If you came to this page wanting to know how to use the Go Mumbai Smart Card on the suburban railways, try this link instead.)

Yesterday, I happened to go to Churchgate station. I decided to buy the Mumbai Suburban Railway Smart Card (aka ATVM Card). I had read about it earlier, and also seen others use it. I thought it might be useful to own a card. Here are the details you need to know (some photographs of the Smart Card / Receipt / Ticket are at the end of this post):

• Unlike the B.E.S.T. Smart Card, the railway smart card allows the card holder to purchase tickets from a machine called "Automated Ticket Vending Machine" (ATVM).
• The ATVMs have been installed at some (not all yet) stations; I've seen ATVMs at some stations that are yet to be made functional. One can be sure that the major stations have multiple functional ATVMs.
• The card is "loaded" with an initial amount (or when it is refilled). The fare of the tickets purchased is deducted from the amount on the card.
• This scheme works on both the Central and Western suburban railway stations. It is valid only for the Mumbai suburban section.

To purchase the card, the procedure is simple:

• Go to any ticket counter that is marked (some board near the counter tells you which one) to sell the Smart Card.
• The Smart Card can be loaded / refilled in multiples of Rs. 50, upto Rs. 500
• Initially, the Smart Card itself has a deposit of Rs. 50 (which is refundable under some reasonable conditions mentioned at the back of the Smart Card).
• (Probably) To attract customers to this scheme, the railways are offering a 5% bonus amount on every charge of the card. For example, if you load the card with Rs. 100, your card would actually be loaded with Rs. 105.

To buy tickets using the Smart Card:

• Go to an ATVM. Place the card on the sensor on the ATVM. The ATVM has a touch-screen interface.
  
• Select the language (Hindi, Marathi, English).
• Choose the destination (zone)...and the station from the railway route map.
• Choose the number of adults and children.
• Select "Print" to print the tickets.
• The tickets are dispensed through the ATVM slot.

Here are some initial observations:

• Not all stations have the ATVMs installed. I landed up at Matunga (C. R.) only to find that the ATVMs were still kept in packed plastic covers.
• The card can be used by anyone. So, one of the benefits is that it could be shared by family members. The downside is that if the card is stolen / lost, it could be misused by whoever gets it.
  
• The time printed on the ATVM-issued ticket is the current time of the ATVM. One is supposed to commence the journey within 1 hour of this time. This is unlike the card tickets issued at the counter. The time is usually rounded up to the next hour. So, if you buy a regular card ticket at 10:05, the time printed on the card ticket would be 11:00. That gives one extra time to commence the journey.
• The user interface of the ATVM is not the best. It took me sometime to figure out how to get the interface in the English language. Second, I could not easily locate Matunga Road (as opposed to Matunga); the map is divided into zones, probably selecting the right zone is enough. It gave me a list of stations after selecting the zone, from which one has to select the destination. The other parts of the interface are also a bit confusing for the new user.
• It is not clear how the ATVM is supposed to "save time" in the long run. In the short run, of course, only those who have the cards line up for the ATVM. Thus, the ATVM queues could be expected to be much, much smaller than the ones at the ticket counters. In the long run, however, if many had these cards, the ATVM queues would probably be longer since it takes quite a while to conduct a transaction at the ATVM.

Here are the images for the front and back of the Smart Card:

The back-side has some "rules" for the refund.

The receipt provided along with the Smart Card that one is supposed to carefully preserve!




A ticket purchased using the Smart Card (Mumbai CST to Matunga).

24032007 KYN DLS: About

The KYN DLS is about 10 to 12 years old and is home to about 64 locos. The largest (diesel?) sheds, as per the DLS employee are the ones at NKJ (New Katni Junction) and Tughlaqabad (TKD).


The WDM2 has a rating of 2600 hp, whereas the WDG3 (Shaktis) are usually 3100 hp.