A Deccani Affair: Mumbai Hyderabad Journey Highlights

A trip to Hyderabad in July 2019 to capture the last of the twin Alco hauled trains operating on the Secunderabad-Nalgonda-Guntur stretch prior to electrification. We start from Bombay on an early morning aboard the LTT Visakhapatnam Express. Upon our departure from LTT and joining the CR mainline tracks towards Kalyan, we are subject to a brutal overtake by the Mumbai Pune Intercity, which blasts past with twin Kalyan WAP7s (one at each end of the train). Our train, powered by a Kalyan WDP4D power through the suburbs and catch up with the Intercity, probably due to the a speed restriction for the latter, when the acceleration of the twin WAP7s become evident - the train simply notches up and screams away into the distance.

Post Kalyan, we cruise towards the Western Ghats and ascend into the Deccan Plateau through the Bhor Ghats, shrouded in the monsoon clouds, meeting the Pragati Express near Monkey Hill. The progress is steady through the day as we cut across central Maharashtra, crossing briefly into Karnataka near Gulbarga. At Wadi, we swap our EMD for a Vijayawada WAP4, and subsequently head eastwards towards Secunderabad.

Next day, I traveled around the Telengana/Andhra capital, sighting twin Alco hauled trains at Borabanda, and later in the day at Ghatkesar. Notable crossings and sightings include:

1. Nagpur Duronto
2. Hubli LTT Express
3. CST Pune Intercity
4. Pragati Express
5. Pune Shatabdi
6. Udyan Express
7. Chennai CST Express
8. Nagercoil CST Express
9. Secunderabad Rajkot Express
10. Hussainsagar Express
11. Bhavnagar Kakinada Express (twin Maula Ali Alco)
12. Palnadu Express (twin Kazipet Alco)
13. Visakha Express (twin Kazipet Alco)
14. Narayanadri Express (twin Kazipet Alco)
15. Godavari Express
16. Satavahana Express