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Presenting the pictures taken from my recent trip to Dhanbad by the 12381 Poorva SF Express. The train had been given a fantastic run from HWH itself and had arrived at DHN at around 11:40 nearly 15-20 mins before time. The train which had a HOG enabled HWH WAP-7 doing the hauling departed right time from HWH at 8:15 AM. With very less slow downs in the HWH-BWN Chord line the train arrived on time at BWN. Post BWN this train was mildly trolled upto ASN. Slowdowns were becoming more prominent, but the high speed sections still ensured that 12381 arrived and departed ASN on time.
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ASN however the run was amazing. No slowdowns except at STN for the switch-over into the Grand Chord line. The controlling was excellent and we breezed through ASN-DHN in 40 mins flat. Just to make this clear, runs like this are very rare, in-fact the last run that I had experienced similar to this one happened way back in 2013 on the HWH-JSM SF express...
ASN-DHN is normally completed by good SFs in 50 mins but 40 mins runs are very rare....
I was apprehensive that since this train was before time, it would probably be held up at Pradhankanta or in the DHN outer, however to my surprise, neither happened and this train marched in way before time causing a slight commotion amongst the passenger on the DHN platform who were expecting a normal time arrival...
A Before time arrival in Indian Railways is so rare, even with slacks and buffer times, that it ends up causing more harm than good...
Ultimately a grey-haired, big bellied RPF was forced to intervened and as waddled like a duck through the platform exclaiming, " Gaadi Before ayi hai, abhi 20-25 min rukegi afra tafri mat machaiye. Paani waigera bhar lijiye "
I deboarded the train and took to the stairs adjacent to the platform and took some pictures.....
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Pictures 1,2 & 3 :- The Station premises photographed from the outside. While DHN has always been a beautiful station, the recent improvements have only enhanced it's beauty.
Pictures 4-7 :- The Poorva and the idle parked rake of the YPR-DHN one way special rake can be seen parked in the background between the loop lines present between platforms 3 & 4. (Many a thanks to Sanket and Aniket for pointing it out )
Pictures 8-18 :- Random shots of the foot overbridge, the Poorva train board, Black Diamond with it's link HOG HWH WAP-7 on platform number 2 etc.
There was a old spare LHB rake parked behind the Steam Loco Shed, a composite rakes consisting of mostly ER & ECR spare rakes, with a dead BKSC ALCO attached to it....
Camera used :- Moto G5
Date of journey :- 12/08/2018