our first train booking experience

If you are on for a challenge, try booking a train in India. We're wanting to go to Hampi. Two days before our departure we try booking our tickets but we' re told that there are no availabilities. However, a total of 10 tickets per class (there 6 different classes in Indian trains) called TATKAL free up at 8am the day before the departure. We are very determined to get 2 of them so we get up at 6 and make our way to the station to get there at 8. Yes it takes 2 hours to get to the station from are hosts, who only live 10- 15km away. The traffic is chaotic in India but we'll keep this topic for another section. We arrive at central station at 8.15 and go straight to the foreign ticket office, which is a small booth behind the standard counter where you can you can see millions of hands and faces stuck against a metal cage yelling incomprehensible words to the ticketing officer who hands them over tickets against a few ruppies. Our ticketing officer tells us that unfortunately nothing is available.....The TATKAL tickets have gone and we are worried that we'll never manage to leave Chennai. We start nodding our heads from side to side which is a standard way in India to say yes / no / Maybe / whatever etc, etc...The agent tells us that there may be an option via Bengalore which adds another 200km but we 're prepared to go for it. Then, he suddenly says that the original option is available! We still don't understand why. However, we ask him to book them immediately. As I am writing this, we're sitting on the Tirupathi express which left spot on time and will reach Tirupathi so that we can change for the Haripriya express which will take us overnight to Hospet. We're not too sure why they are called express trains as we have to do a 12 hour journey by train to do 600 kms!