Heritage on wheels
MARCUS DAM
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An icon of a railway system, and a World Heritage Site — a ride on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is unforgettable.
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Chugging up the hills to an altitude of above 6812 feet, the DHR is India's first example of a hill passenger railway.
PHOTO: SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH
ON TOP OF THE WORLD: A slow ride that gives you an opportunity to relax and admire the view.
"Toy-train", is the word commonly used to describe the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) services in the hills of Darjeeling in West Bengal, which commenced 126 years ago. Some argue that the connotations of this term are disparaging. However, to mention this is not in the least to offend.
Slice of history
There could be a difference of opinion regarding terminology but there can be no denying that the object referred to is indeed an engineering marvel of the 19th century; an icon of a railway system that had been inscribed as a World Heritage Site in December 1999 by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee - the second in the world to have attained such a distinction, only after Semmering in Austria.
Chugging up the hills to an altitude of above 6812 feet, on two feet wide narrow gauge tracks for a distance of 87 km from New Jalpaiguri station to Darjeeling, the DHR is India's first example of a hill passenger railway.
The tiny four-wheeled B-class steam locomotive with its distinctive whistle hauls two coaches with wide windows, criss-crossing the highway, reversing on a `Z' layout only to move forward again to higher altitudes till it reaches its destination after having passed through Ghoom, considered one of the highest railway stations in the country. There are no major bridges to cross, no tunnels; steep gradients are negotiated by mere adhesion, as the train crosses what was once called the Hill Cart Road at 150 points, runs a loop full circle to finish some 20 feet higher at an altitude of more than 7000 feet at Batasia, passing through quaint, mist-wrapped railway stations along its way on National Highway 55A.
Railway authorities say that despite difficulties in getting some critical spares and drying up of the skills for maintenance, the DHR has still maintained 13 steam engines. Some locomotives are over 100 years old — the oldest being 117 years, the most recent 78 years. "Special care is taken to clean and paint them in the original blue to give them a pleasing appearance," they say.
Two diesel locomotives were added to the fleet in 2000 and when in use enable the addition of two more coaches to the train. Global tenders have been floated for the manufacture of five such horsepower engines.
The additions would be welcome but what makes the DHR distinctive is its shrill whistle, echoing across the hills, heard at every bend as the train puffs on, pushing through the fog.
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Simply unique
The DHR is the first railway in India to have been built exclusively with Indian capital. The section from Siliguri to Kurseong — a distance of 45 km — was opened on August 23, 1880 and the remaining distance to Darjeeling less than a year later — on July 4, 1881.
"An outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world" is one of the ways the DHR has been described by the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
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