Throw back to the time when Bombay consisted of 7 islands.

Akshay, The board says V.T. (Main). This must be a slow local to Bombay V.T. clicked just at the point where the slow line via Mumbra and Diva branches off from the fast line via the Parsik tunnel.

These 4 pages of this atlas give a concise and almost complete description of Indian Railways during British times. I would love to get my hands on that atlas for sure.

Sometimes we marvel at the luxury of the trains of the British era. But then we tend to forget that Indians were not allowed to travel in these private coaches, which were meant primarily for Europeans. Even if they could, most Indians in those days could not have afforded it.

Am I missing something here? How could Ajmer have a direct train to Bombay in 1908? Or was it the Delhi - Ahmadabad Mail with a connection with the Kathiawar Mail at Ahmadabad?

Jimmy, was this Bangalore portion attached to 7/ 8 Madras Bangalore Mail at Jalarapet?

Or could it be the arriving Boat Mail with an arrival timing of 7.55 am

The departure timing of the Boat Mail also seems to have changed. In 1931 it used to leave Egmore at 9 pm.

1) The 1931 and 1944 Bradshaws show that the Indo Ceylon Express took the direct route from Trichinopoly via Karaikkudi and Manamadurai. Did it go via Madurai previously as shown in the picture, and what could have been the reason - the line via Karaikkudi must have been laid between 1909 and 1931.

2 So, there were two name changes : Mettupalaiyam Mail to Blue Mountain Express to Nilagiri Express.

Correct Trayambak, Madura is Madurai, just as Trichinopoly is Tiruchhirapalli.