Khandala railway station of the Central Railway is a very pretty station about a hundred and twenty kilometres from Mumbai city. It is located on the Mumbai - Pune railway route and on a section known as the Bhor Ghat. The ghat section is between Karjat and Lonavala stations and the track climbs almost 2000 feet in 30 kilometres. Khandala is located towards the top of the ghat, near Lonavala. The incline of the ghat is quite steep and all the trains going up the ghat require banker locomotives to be attached at Karjat. The heavy goods trains get braker locomotives while going down the ghat as well. Infact there is a very steep gradient just on the Mumbai side of Khandala station, which can be seen in the video as well.
So few days back on Saturday, I spent about two hours and fifteen minutes of the lovely monsoon morning at Khandala station, taking videos and photographs of trains passing through the station. In that time I got to see eleven passenger trains, two goods trains, and two sets of bankers at Khandala. A total of fifteen consists which makes it almost seven per hour which is amazing for the ghat section. The best part was I got to capture the trains in all kinds of weather. Some very clear videos are there, some in total fogged up conditions, and some in very heavy rainshowers as well. Here is a description of the trains that I saw in those two hours…
07:50 am
The Nanded Panvel Express begins its descent down the ghat from platform number 2. I just missed the locomotive because I arrived just a few seconds too late. This was my first spotting.
07:55 am
Few minutes later, a goods train which had halted on platform 3, begins to roll down the ghat. This trains regular locomotives were twin WDG-4 engines, but it also had 3 Kalyan WAG-7 locomotives attached to it for extra braking power while descending the ghat.
08:00 am
Another goods train struggles to climb up the steep gradient before Khandala in fog, hauled by 2 Valsad WAG-5 locomotives in the front and pushed up by 3 Kalyan WAG-7 bankers. This passed through platform 1.
08:10 am
The Mumbai Pune Indrayani Express climbs up the ghat, closely following the goods train, pulled by a Pune WDM-3D locomotive and banked by 3 WAG-7 engines from Kalyan.
08:25 am
The Pune Mumbai Deccan Queen arrives for her mandatory brake testing halt at Khandala behind a Kalyan WCAM-2. In few seconds, before the Deccan Queen can even depart, the fog comes down again.
08:40 am
A set of 3 WAG-7 bankers follow the Deccan Queen down the ghat.
08:45 am
The Ernakulam Pune Express goes up the ghat. It was hauled by an Ernakulam WDM-3A and had a dead Pune WDG-4 behind it and was pushed by 2 WCAM-3 bankers.
09:00 am
A Kalyan WCAM-2 brings the Pune Mumbai Pragati Express for its brake testing halt on platform 3 in heavy rainshowers.
09:10 am
The Secunderabad Mumbai LTT Duronto Express arrives for its brake testing halt. It had a Gooty WDP-4D locomotive and more than Duronto, it was almost full of Rajdhani coaches. The biggest irony was that behind the guard’s van, it was towing 2 extra Duronto coaches which were not occupied.
09:15 am
The Mumbai Pune Intercity Express which recently got upgraded to LHB coaches, climbs up the ghat at Khandala hauled by a Kalyan WCAM-2 and banked by 3 WAG-7 locomotives. It was still raining heavily at that time.
09:20 am
A set of 6 WAG-7 locomotives (probably 2 sets of 3 attached together) arrive and depart from Khandala after testing their brakes.
09:25 am
The Kolhapur Mumbai Sahyadri Express arrives for its scheduled halt at Khandala behind a Kalyan WCAM-2 engine. A minute later it begins its dangerous descent down the ghat through the heavy fog that is coming down again.
09:30 am
Through the dense fog, climbs the Mumbai LTT to Vishakapatnam Express behind a Kalyan WDG-4 locomotive and pushed by twin WCAM-3 bankers.
09:50 am
The Tiruchchirappalli Sri Ganganagar Humsafar Express majestically emerges from the fog and slows down to a halt behind a Vadodara WAP-4E engine. After a brief halt, it begins to roll down the ghat towards Karjat.
09:55 am
As I was making my way over the foot over bridge, I managed to take a few shots of the Mumbai Pune Deccan Express that arrived for its scheduled halt pulled by a Kalyan WCAM-2 engine. I took some last photographs and then decided to end my session.
Overall, it was a great morning for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the hours I spent there watching trains. Even though I was alone and the station was deserted, I never got bored. It was a really great experience spending the monsoon morning there in the fog, clouds and heavy rains. Khandala is a real great place for railfanning and you can get nice videos and photographs.
Date of video: 11th August, 2018