Darjeeling Train - Chugging Away to Glory

The story of mountain railways of India is one of organizational brilliance. These railways have managed to dominate the terrain with aggression, initiative and control.

Darjeeling Delights: It's listed in the Guinness Railway Book as "among the world's most spectacular narrow gauge railways." Every year, troops of rail fans, stream-engine buffs and every other manner of train-o-maniacs find their way here to chase locomotives, walk along the right-of-way and expose reams of film in wild abandon. Indeed, Indian tourists are about the only groups that see the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) as primarily a form of transport to the hill station. To the rest of the world, the DHR, as it's called, is a kind of epitome of our collective technological experience. The first 7.5 minutes of the DHR from Siliguri to Sukhna give absolutely no indication of the delights ahead.

A short watering stop at Sukhna and the line enters a magical Neverland. The ascent begins almost immediately as the railway plunges into a thick deciduous forest, silent and enchanted at the 11.5 milestone, the line loops around the hillock and crosses over itself! The train climbs continuously, stops for a moment for water at the 12.5 milestone, then chugs on, veering to the south and looping over itself for a second time. Shortly thereafter, the main road to Darjeeling appears and the two now travel together. At the 16th milestone, the line loops over itself for a third time.

Those who have travelled much by rail will perceive in the DHR a certain maturity, a certain resolution. With the intention of rising 7,000 feet in 40 minutes, it can hardly choose the sof option, to snake through the valleys or bypass obstacles. Yet, not for a moment does the DHR come in direct conflict with the mountain. It seems to have an intrinsic comprehension of the character of the Himalayas. It does not take on the might of the mountain, it does not tunnel, burrow, slash or mutilate. There is no conflict, no violence and no aggression. It is almost as if it bends the mountain to its own purpose drawing strength from it and turning it to mutual benefit.

The line loops under itself once more at Batasia before squealing to a halt at Darjeeling station. As with all of the DHR, Darjeeling station is the focus of a great deal of human activity; vendors are present in profusion, doing brisk business.

To the dispassionate observer, the DHR is quite literally the arterial blood-line of the people, a profound reference point. It is in the movement of trains that time is measured. It is the omnipresent benevolence of the DHR that does not merely sustain the local but gives them life. To the uninitiated, the steam locomotives that operate on these lines are mere anachronisms, resembling at best dachshunds with rucksacks. To the engineering buff, however, the class B locomotives, or the Darjeeling tanks as they are affectionately called are beautiful machines, poetry in motion.

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Manju Farswan has published 2 articles. Article submitted on November 08, 2013. Word count: 499

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