Darjeeling Toy Train

Darjeeling Toy Train

Subject – Art and Culture

Context – A section of people in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal are protesting against the Centre’s proposed monetisation of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR). They have staged protests at 10 stations of the heritage railway that connects New Jalpaiguri with Darjeeling, across 87.48 km.

Concept –

• Built in the British era between 1879 and 1881, the Darjeeling toy train was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
• The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal.
• Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km (55 mi) long.
• It climbs from about 100 m (328 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 m (7,218 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.

Mountain Railways of India

There are four fully functional and operational railways networks in mountains and hilly terrains in India —

• the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway located in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal;
• the Nilgiris Mountain Railways located in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu;
• the Kalka Shimla Railway located in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh; and
• the Matheran Railway located in Maharashtra.