Take 08516/08515 on a weekend if you feel bored and it would be a memorable weekend for you. This train traverses the Kirandul-Dilmili, Jeypore Road-Koraput and Karakavalasa-Kottavalasa ghat sections with more than 50 tunnels and 75 bridges in the entire length from Kirandul to Kottavalasa. Grab a window seat and a camera.
Drinking water facility is available on pf 1 at ARK, pf 1 at KRPU and pf 1 at JDB along the route of the train. Food is only available at KRPU where the crossing of 08515/08516 occurs. Excellent for railfanning.
Don't...
more... expect cleanliness on this train, the toilets don't have water after 6 hours of departing the starting station. Punctuality is good because of the enormous slack due to the priority passage of goods trains on some single line sections.
Thrilling journey with ample WAG-9(HI) crossings on route, twist and turns as the train switches mountains and passes beside dams.
08515 is mostly before time at SCM, so it's made to spend anything between 20-40 minutes at SCMN loop.
SMLG was the highest broad gauge station of IR till 2004.