Journey through Hills & Forests | VIZAG STEEL Samata Express | Vishakhapatnam to Raipur
Journey through Hills & Forests on board #VizagSteel #SamataExpress - #Vishakhapatnam to #Raipur
A compilation of a day-long journey from #Vishakhapatnam, in #AndhraPradesh, to #Raipur, the capital of #Chhattisgarh, through the forests and hill ranges of western and north-western #Odisha and southern #Chhattisgarh. This, shot on board twin Vishakhapatnam diesel led #12807 #VizagSteel #SamataExpress, takes you for a ride through the Eastern Ghats and numerous Forest Ranges and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Odisha.
The stretch from #Parvatipuram to #Titlagarh(via #Rayagada) is characterised by dense forests, rocky outcrops of the #EasternGhats and a handful of rivers through numerous twists and turns. Post Titlagarh, the landscape gradually changes from hills to barren lands as we approach the border of Chhattisgarh(erstwhile #MadhyaPradesh). River #Jonk, after Khariar Road, serves as the border between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Enjoy River #Mahanadi, River #Tel, River #Jonk and River #Gosthani along with plenty other small and seasonal streams along the way. Among all the forests and hills, treasure the #Laxmipur #Pottangi Range(around Parvatipuram), the Rayagada Forest Range and the #Rayagada #Kashipur Range(around Rayagada), the #Niyamagiri Range (around #Muniguda), the #Kotgarh Elephant Reserve (around #Ambodala), the #Dumerbahal Forest Range (post Titlagarh), the #Gandhamardhana Hill Reserve and the #Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary (around #Kantabanji). Being monsoon, the rivers are in full bloom and the forests are at their green best with clouds aiming for the hill tops.
Prominent crossings include the #Korba Vishakhapatnam Express, the #Santragachhi #Chennai AC Express, the Dhanbad/Tata #Alleppy Express, the #Tata #Yesvantpur Express, the #Koraput #Vishakhapatnam #Intercity, the #Sambalpur #Rayagada #Intercity, the #SamhaleshwariExpress and our down counterpart, the #SamtaExpress among other passenger trains. Among these, as many as four are hauled by #twindiesel locomotives from Vishakhapatnam or Bondamunda. Freights are a regularity in this section as visible from the frequent crossings.
However the two things that mainly stand out are functional #semaphores in the Titlagarh Raipur section and a broken bridge over River Nagavalli just after #SingapurRoad. This is a result of the flash floods that had occurred in that region in July.
Last but not the least, special thanks to my friend Siddharth Singh Rajput without whom this trip would not have been possible.
Please let me know your best moment from the video. Anything you didn't like? Please comment and let me know as well.
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