u/Meta_Zephyr

>Akola to Shivni Shivapur (8.8 km).

>Jamnagar to Hapa (8.5 km).

>Rajkot to Bhaktinagar (6 km, by far the shortest).

I know it's kinda weird question but I am curious to know. What about y'all?

So my first ever train journey was not just a single train journey but I had to change it.

My actual first train journey was in Porbandar-Mumbai(Now Dadar WR) Saurashtra express then on the same day, another train was Ahmedabad-Howrah express.

That time, I was just an infant, like 4 months old.

What about y'all?

Source for image 1 by Pankaj Mishra: http://64.38.144.116/blog/post/1718553

Source for image 2 by _V_K_:https://indiarailinfo.com/blog/post/4622660

Used to be really common in Western Railway's major routes back then when it comes to hauling premium trains.

Due to rise of the new gen HOG-fitted WAP-7, the older non-HOG WAP-5, along with WAP-4 have been reduced to haul either long distance ICF trains or just some small passenger trains.

>What the hell is Science express?

For starters, Science express was a mobile science exhibition train that traveled across India for spreading science education to the public. It was such a great train by combining education with the vast reach of Indian railways which made science more engaging, accessible, and relevant, especially in those places with limited access & in rural areas.

>What the train's inside consists of?

•Interactive science exhibits.

•Climate change displays.

•Biodiversity & environment sections.

•Educational panels for students.

>Who were the target audience?

The targeted people were the students & teachers. However, non-students were able to see it too.

>Who owned it?

It was a joint initiative among Indian railways, Department of Science & Technology (DST) & Govt of India.

>Lifetime run:

This project started back in October 2007 & the last time it ran till 2017. As per wiki, this exhibition held the record of being the largest, the longest running and the most visited exhibition as noted in the Limca Book of Records.

>About this pic:

So back in 2016 of May 1st(During my vacations), I visited Science express & I still remember it vividly on how great the train's interiors were & as a railfan, it looked even more appealing to me. And yes that kid in pic was me when I was 12 that time.

I recently recovered a lot of my old photos back from 2015/16 & this was one of them. I had a few more but sadly a lot of em were corrupted now & this is the only one that's pristine.

It's been 9 years since they last ran the Science express & I've just seen it at Akola only from outside. Since then, they never ran it & never heard of it again. Why don't they start this train back? It would be a great thing if they start it back & even if I'm no longer a school student, I would still love to pay a visit.

This pic is from Hapa(Industrial village near Jamnagar) & this train was in it's final stretch of it's journey.

Does anyone remember it? If yes, how was your experience?