I want to share my memory trip with this train, which used to be very frequent from 2001 onwards:
1. My first trip was in 2001, I think from Renukut to Delhi. This train used to travel till Old Delhi during those days. The train would arrive sharp at 10:30 PM at Renukut and arrive 1:30 Pm at DLI. It was considered a premium train with stoppages only at Allahabad and Kanpur.
2. I remember once travelling from Delhi to Renukut and it overtook Sampoorna Kranti at Tundla. SK was with WAM 4...
more... loco and JSJ with WAP 1/4. People came out of coach and said "this is a newly launched train by Nitish Kumar (he was the Rail Minister that time). It has no stoppage till Patna"
3. JSJ would run at tremendous speed and arrive at Allahabad at 4 AM sharp with loco change to Diesel till Ranchi.
4. I knew that their is a loco change to electric at allahabad but could not witness as it used to arrive at 5 AM, but I would run till the end of the rack at Kanpur, PF-1 to check the loco and feel very happy to see WAP 1 loco (those days it was an honor to get WAP 1, else most trains used to run with WAM 4)
5. I remember that Chilly chicken and Roti was a famous delicacy served in this train
6. It always enjoyed high patronage till Renukut. Yes, it also used to overtake Shaktipunj express usually at Chopan
7. Often coming to Renukut at night 10:30 PM, their wud be uttermost chaos as AC coach wud be attached in the beginning or at the end of the rack. If at the end of the rack, coaches wud be out of platform. and least to say the doors wud be closed at night. I remember one such incident as we had to run till the end, get down the platform at Renukut and climb to the adjoining 3AC coach as door of our coach was not opened.
8. This train was favorite of many college people and young people going for exams to Allahabad or Delhi. Every coach will have young girls/boys travelling from Ranchi, Barkakana, Daltonganj, Renukut to big cities for education and exams.
9. Later I used to travel till Barkakana or Ramgarh and travel onwards to Hazaribagh. Garwa Road to Hatia electrification work was on full swing.
I always loved this train as it was my frequent train from Renukut till Delhi. Possibly I travelled almost 15-20 times in this train till 2005-06. I hope that it shud be back to its previous glory.