And is 83 Varanasi-Delhi Express today's Shivganga??

Is 161 today's Tata-Jammu Tawi(8101/2).And is 63 Avadh Express today's Muzaffarpur/Gorakhpur-Bandra(T) Avadh(9037/8/9/40)

Thanks mani sir for sharing with us!!! Its strange 27 BRC Exp had only one halt took almost 8 hrs for 392 kms. Today its take 395 mins for 392 kms with borivali, Surat, bharuch n Vishvamitri halt.

Karan, it had a composite 1AC-AC Chair Car coach. This disappeared when IR had this brainwave to put the train in the same slot as the Sarvodaya. That is when the rot started. Check this out - http://www.irfca.org/gallery/Misc/NewsClippings/BCT_JAT_superfast_2.jpg.html .

Jammu Tawi had 1AC those days? Wow! When was it taken away?

Rightly said Mani. I agree with you. My passion for trains started with seeing Twin WDM2 hauled Bct Raj doing 120kph at Umargam in 1992. Diesel at 120kph is furious and brilliant too. You are correct that classy liveries will never come back. Take an example of Karnavati express today. No uniform livery.

Arzan, I agree that the speeds are better now. But what about those classy liveries...will they ever come back? How about the sight of a double-headed Rajdhani blasting past you with a red-n-white rake? Of course, in 1977, Rajdhani was an 8-coach train with a single RTM WDM2...became double-headed in 1982.

I am sorry those days, Swaraj used to be 18 coaches. Today it's 24 coaches long. Saphale to Surat is 145kph fit by RDSO. It can be seen in RDSO website.

Thanks Mani for uploading this. Frontier Mail TT was 30 minutes slower than what it is today. 24 coach Swaraj express had less halts those times but today it takes 5hrs 40 minutes with additional halts of Borivli, Bharuch and Vapi too. In terms of running speed, even today it is faster or as fast as trains performing more than 30 years. Wait for 5 months, AC power will rule entire Mumbai WR and trains will get speeded up by 15 minutes. Rajdhani and AK Raj end to end WAP7 and Saphale to Surat is 14kph fit by RDSO. The future is going to be the best.

The 72 Fast Passenger was the one I took in 1970 on a school trip to Varanasi, Nepal, Patna and Gaya. This train took us from Varanasi to Muzaffarpur, from where our chartered coach was attached to another Passenger to Sagauli, and then finally to a third one to Raxaul. On the return journey, we were attached to a Raxaul - Sagauli Passenger, and then another Passenger which went upto Pahlezaghat. From here we crossed the Ganga on a steamer to Mahendru Ghat (Patna).