India possesses a number of “Hill Railways” built by the British to aid government officials and others in their escape from the major cities to the nearest Hill Country. It is possible that the Niligri Hill rack railway from Metupayalam to Ooty might soon be added to the WHS list but the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) from New Jaipalguri/Siliguri to Darjeeling is already inscribed. The World’s industrial heritage is certainly not over-represented on the WHS list and I only know of 3 railway related sites (The DHR plus Semmering in Austria and the Mumbai Railway Station).

The DHR was built between 1879 and 1881. It climbs from 398ft to 7407ft in 47 miles before dropping slightly to Darjeeling after 51 miles (apologies to those who only understand “metric” but we are talking about a British built railway!). It is an excellent trip even for those who are not “railway buffs”.

Its gauge is 2 ft and, unlike the Niligri railway, has no rack or cog to help with traction. One of the delights of the journey by steam was seeing the man sitting on the front dropping sand from a box onto the line in order to assist traction (see photo)!

The ascent is achieved both by a relatively steep gradient but also by “tricks” such as a complete spiral. At this point the more energetic passengers jump off the train, climb up the bank and await the train’s return after completing the circle! Another technique is a “reverse” whereby the train zig-zags its way up a particularly steep section. The scenery on the route up is superb and Darjeeling itself is a worthwhile destination in its own right.

In some of the towns the line runs down the middle of the main street and the life of the town comes into the railway as trade takes place during extended stops! When we did the trip in 1972 the steam locos were still in operation and there were frequent stops between stations to attend to minor (or even major?!) mechanical matters, give time to build up steam, take on water etc. It is hardly surprising that the whole journey from New Jaipalguri to Darjeeling took over over 8 hours (The journey by road takes around 3.5 hours)

Unfortunately regular full-journey steam journeys are currently a “thing of the past”. This seems to be the way of things - the Kalka- Simla railway has been electrified as has (partially) the Niligri railway which is pulled by diesel from Coonoor to Ooty. Perhaps if the Niligri railway gets WHS status this will help preserve the Steam Locos – though, ironically, the DHR received its WHS inscription in 1999 around the same time as plans were being made to phase out steam. I have indeed seen reports of plans to replace the Niligiri steam locos by diesel so, if you want the full experience – go now!!!

The latest information re the DHR I have been able to find on the Web (March 2005) is at http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/steam/trains/india040.htm

This states that, apart from chartered steam trains for groups of enthusiasts, the only steam journeys now are short journeys out of Darjeeling. The attempt to produce an oil-fired steam loco appears to have failed (Though “The Hindu” of Mar 4 2005 reports of modifications and another trial!).

Travelling by steam on the DHR was a great experience. Even if steam is no longer available I would still recommend the trip but inevitably some of the experience/romance will have vanished. Sic transit gloria mundi!