A stint with the Taj Express | My Encounter with WAP5 ( Part-2 )
For Part-1: /blog/post/3899499
Date:22 September 2018.
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After an eventful day, it was time to go back to New Delhi....
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And again it was the Taj Express that was destined to take me back as my ticket in Gatimaan didnt get confirmed. The taxi driver dropped us at the ever busy Agra Cantt. at 5:10 PM which meant that I had 1hr 40 mins for railfanning. A light shower made the evening stay at AGC much more pleasant. An overcast evening persuaded me to have a cup of coffee. As I was enjoying my coffee, the Jabalpur bound Shridham Express rushed onto PF.No.1 with ET WAP4 which was not willing to halt even for 2 mins. Now,it was time to spot the Gatimaan Express. I was desperate to come face to face with India's fastest train and capture atleast one photo of that train with GZB WAP5. And it happened. Just as I was strolling on PF.No.1, announcements started for the Gatimaan Express which would arrive on PF.No.2.
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At 5:35 PM, a twin tone honk was heard from the GWL end. And there came the white beast, WAP5 30014 honking, wary of the trespassers, hauling the Gatimaan Express, 10 minutes ahead of schedule. I wasted no time in making it to PF.No.2. It became all the more easy for me as Taj Express was scheduled to arrive on PF.No.3. As I neared the foot over bridge, the Goa Express from New Delhi arrived with TKD WAP7 30397. At the same time, GZB WAP7 30220 with 'P7' fonts pulled onto PF.No.3 with the JAT bound Jhelum Express alongside Gatimaan Express. At 5:48 PM, the GZB WAP5 underwent headlight checks. At 5:50 PM, Gatimaan Express left bang on time with the P5 exhibiting its twin tone honking again. The clock ticked on and the Goa Express was still standing. All of a sudden, the Bilaspur Rajdhani led by TKD WAP7 30620 skipped through the mainline. At the same time, the Jhelum Express also departed after a long halt. After 5 mins, the Goa Express also got clearance. The WAP7 honked funnily and quickly departed with the Goa Express not wasting more time.
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My coach was D1. So, I had to go all the way to GWL end. Thankfully, I got a bench to relax. There were two brand new WCR's LHB sleeper coaches on the siding between PF.No.2 & 3 waiting to go home. At around 6:15 PM, Gondwana Express led by BSL WAP4 arrived on PF.No.1. After 2 mins, Chennai bound Andaman Express arrived on PF.No.2 with WAP4. Gondwana Express got clearance first. But for reasons unknown, even after a long honk by WAP4, it halted for 10 mins after which it departed. Meanwhile, a WAG9 led freight train had arrived on the mainline. Andaman Express closely followed the Raigarh bound Gondwana Express. The Taj Express was late by 30-35 mins as per NTES. It was trailing the Punjab Mail which was also running late. At around, 6:45 PM, a WAP4 hauled Punjab Mail arrived on PF.No.3. The unreserved coaches were overflowing with people hanging outside and holding onto the doors as there was no room inside. Little did they realize that it could be quite dangerous for them to travel like that.
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It was 5 mins past 7 in the evening. AGC was brightly lit and a huge and impatient crowd was waiting for the Taj Express. A typical 3 phase honk was heard and a WAP5 came into sight. It was the same P5 30120, which hauled it that morning.To my utter shock, Taj Express arrived on PF.No.2 instead of PF.No.3(as it was announced). I ran with my luggage only to get pushed by a group of foreign tourists who came running to get into the AC chair car coach.
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I successfully squeezed myself into the coach, found my seat and pleaded the unreserved passenger to move out so that I can sit. I was startled as a man jumped from the luggage rack right on my legs. I slowly gathered myself and settled on my seat after keeping the luggage on its designated place. At 7:10 PM, we bid adeiu to Agra. It was a non-stop run till MTJ except for the scheduled halt at RKM. A MEMU from KOTA line joined us at MTJ outer. After a 2 min halt,we departed from MTJ. Another GZB WAP5 was waiting at MTJ for its next duty. Our WAP5 was in no mood to slowdown. The Taj Express ripped past wayside stations at 110 kmph. Somewhere before Palwal, we crossed Namma Rajdhani which overtook some other train. The raging WAP5 came to a stop at FDB.
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We were running slightly ahead of schedule. We stopped at TKD for less than half a minute. We crawled and stopped before OKA. A light WAG9 crossed us. Again we started,crawled and stopped at OKA. We halted there for 5 mins. We arrived at NZM at 10:10 PM where a live TKD WDP4D was waiting. The overflowing train became empty and silent all of a sudden. There were only 3-4 people left in our coach. We pulled out of NZM and switched onto the line from GZB after PGMD. And then it started. We crawled and crawled and crawled with screeching sound. It seemed endless,painful and irritating. We were moving at around 1-2kmph as per the speedometer app as if to stop anywhere and anytime. I am sure WAP5 also would have been angry.As we were nearing CSB, the big boss, 12622 Tamilnadu Express crossed us with a silent RPM WAP7 30444. And a WAP5 led LHB train crossed us on the GZB line. After this torturous crawling, we finally reached NDLS at 22:40 PM, delayed by 15 minutes on PF.No.14. Lucknow Mail was ready for departure with GZB WAP5 and Shram Shakti Express was also ready with CNB WAP4 250XX standing beyond the starter. The MMCT Duronto was shunted on PF.No.2 by a shiny BRC WAP7 3053X. The WAP7 gave a short honk as if to say goodbye. I too bid farewell to the P7 and also to NDLS.