The Indian rail network is impressive in many ways. Covering a wide expanse, quite inexpensive and always heavily booked, coaches vary from 1st class with air-con, to 2nd class with open windows, to the utterly chaotic, overly stuffed and unbearable 3rd class. Here are some tips:
Don't try to sit on the roof of the train: those were the trains you saw in the movie 'Gandhi'. Feel free to try it on the Indian buses though.
Reconsider your desire to see the 'real' India by traveling with 'real' Indians from really basic 2nd class. Think about it more when traveling 13 hours across the baking hot Rajasthani desert, with no air-con and all windows shut due to duststorms.
The world's largest employer, the Indian train system has 1.6million workers: apparently none are assigned to cleaning though. One game is to see how long you can ignore the dust, dirt, grime and old food remnants that coat most surfaces.
Train toilets: better not to go. Ever. In any class. Ever.
No matter how hard you wish, none of the trains will take you back to Canada. Really. I tried.
