Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 610 mm (2 ft) gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal.[1] Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km (55 mi) long. It climbs from about 100 m (330 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 m (7,200 ft) at Darjeeling, using six zig zags and five loops to gain altitude. Six diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled service, with daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum – India’s highest railway station – and the steam-hauled Red Panda service from Darjeeling to Kurseong. Steam-enthusiast specials are hauled by vintage British-built B-Class steam locomotives. The railway’s headquarters are at Kurseong.
On 5 December 1999, UNESCO declared the DHR a World Heritage Site.[2] Two more railway lines were later added, and the site became known as one of the mountain railways of India.
History
Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected with Calcutta (now Kolkata) by a metre gauge railway in 1878. Between Siliguri and Darjeeling, Tonga services ran on a cart road – the present-day Hill Cart Road.[3] Franklin Prestage, an agent of the Eastern Bengal Railway, approached the government with a proposal to lay a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling.[3] Ashley Eden, lieutenant governor of Bengal, formed a committee to assess the project’s feasibility. The proposal was accepted in 1879 after a positive report by the committee,[3] and construction began that year.
Gillanders, Arbuthnot and Company was hired to construct the line, and by March 1880 track was laid as far as Tindharia, and Lord Lytton, the first viceroy to visit Darjeeling, rode to Tindharia on the train.[3] The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong opened on 23 August 1880, and from Siliguri to Darjeeling on 4 July 1881.[4] The company’s name was changed to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company.
Although the railway originally followed Hill Cart Road, the steepness of the road was more than the locomotives could handle in some areas. In 1882, four loops and four zig-zags were built between Sukna and Gayabari to ease the gradient.[5] The line was extended by a quarter-mile to Darjeeling Bazar in 1886.[4] The Darjeeling station was renovated in 1891 and Kurseong got a new station building and storage shed in 1896,[5] but the railway was affected by an 1897 earthquake and a major cyclone in 1899.[5]
In 1910, the DHR carried 174,000 passengers and 47,000 tons of goods.[5] The first bogie carriages entered service, replacing basic four-wheel carriages. DHR extension lines were built to Kishanganj in 1914 and Gielkhola in 1915.[4] At Tindharia, the railway works were relocated from behind the locomotive shed to a larger site.[5]
The Batasia Loop was constructed in 1919, creating easier gradients on the ascent from Darjeeling.[5] The DHR began facing competition from buses operating on the Hill Cart Road which took less time than the railway to reach Darjeeling. In 1934, a major earthquake in Bihar shook all of Northeast India. Many buildings in Darjeeling were heavily damaged and the railway was also affected, although it soon recovered and played a vital role in transporting repair materials.[5] During World War II, the DHR transported military personnel and supplies to the camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.[5]
Operators
Large, two-story stone building
Elysia Place in Kurseong, the railway’s headquarters
The DHR and its assets, including the stations, line and vehicles, is owned by the government of India and entrusted to the Ministry of Railways. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented the railway in a comprehensive register, and handles its day-to-day maintenance and management. Several programs, divisions and departments of Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. It is protected by the 1989 Railway Act and the stipulations governing public property.[7] It is now headed by the director, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.