The Darjeeling Railway
Darjeeling RailwayThe Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is one of the engineering feats of the world. Although the steepness of the gradients on this narrow-gauge line is eclipsed in other parts of the world, and the 7,407 ft. altitude of the summit at Ghoom station is less than half the height of some of the summits in the Andes, the achievement of the engineers who built the line more than half a century ago is a noteworthy one in the history of railways.
Darjeeling RailwayThe Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is one of the engineering feats of the world. Although the steepness of the gradients on this narrow-gauge line is eclipsed in other parts of the world, and the 7,407 ft. altitude of the summit at Ghoom station is less than half the height of some of the summits in the Andes, the achievement of the engineers who built the line more than half a century ago is a noteworthy one in the history of railways.
This little railway has a gauge of 2 ft. and a length of fifty-one miles, with steep gradients and amazing loops. It climbs from the plains, which are most oppressive in the hot weather to the coolness of the "hills," as the British residents in India call the lower slopes of the Himalayas on which are situated the towns, or "stations," to which they go periodically to preserve their health.
It is at Siliguri that the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway begins its remarkable journey to Darjeeling. Before the railway was built, a first-class road, built by the Government at a cost of £6,000 a mile, wound upwards to Darjeeling. In March, 1878, a scheme for the construction of the railway was drawn up, and estimates and plans were submitted to the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, who gave it his support. The money for the enterprise was subscribed almost entirely in India. The Government undertook to maintain the cart-road, the route of which was to be followed by the railway, and guaranteed that the gross receipts of the railway should not fall below a certain figure.
The building of the railway aroused great interest in India. Work began in May, 1879, and in March, 1880, the Viceroy of India, Lord Lytton, travelled on a train as far as the eighteenth mile, which was then the limit of the line. In the following August the line was opened for passenger and goods traffic as far as Kurseong, 4,864 ft. above the sea and thirty-two miles from Siliguri. In July, 1881, the line was opened throughout to Darjeeling station.
Darjeeling RailwaySiliguri lies 398 ft. above sea-level. The summit at Ghoom, forty-seven miles from Siliguri, has an altitude of 7,407 ft., that of Darjeeling being 6,812 ft. As the line had to rise over 7,000 ft. in less than fifty miles, steep gradients and sharp curves were unavoidable. The surveyors plotted banks ranging from 1 in 19 to 1 in 36 and curves of 50 ft. radius. Later, however, these were reduced, the sharpest curve being 69 ft., the steepest short gradient being 1 in 23, and the steepest average gradient about 1 in 29.
The fact that it was decided to work the line by adhesion on the narrow gauge of 2 ft. restricted the weight of the trains, but there is nothing of a "toy railway" about the construction of the line or about the amount of passenger and goods traffic, that it carries. Steel rails weighing 41 lb. per yard were laid on wooden sleepers.
For the first seven miles from Siliguri station the gradient was easy, the ascent to Sookna station (533 ft.) being at 1 in 281. The heaviest piece of work in this section was the erection of a steel bridge, 700 ft. long, in seven 100 ft. spans, across the Mahanuddy River. This river has its source in the line of mountains ahead of the traveller known as the Mahaldirum Range, with an altitude of about 7,000 ft. The river at this point forms a boundary between the Terai, the jungle tract at the foot of the Himalayas, and the district of Julpaiguri. It is a tributary of the Ganges. The train passes streams and tea gardens on the way to Sookna. When the jungle was being cleared the area was fatal to many Europeans, a number of whom died from fever.
It is at Sookna that the real ascent begin. After passing the ninth mile-post, the train encounters the first sharp curves. Then a fine view opens out to the south, displaying a vast horizon, and the passenger notices how rapidly he is rising above the plain. Passing through giant bamboo's and screwpines, the train reaches the first spiral, or loop. The engineers had to conquer an altitude of 871 ft. in the four and three-quarter miles from Sookna to Rungtong station (1,404 ft.), which is at the twelfth mile. Four and a half miles from Sookna the sudden ascent made a spiral unavoidable. The track described a sharp spiral through a deep cutting to gain the higher level. Four years or so after this had been constructed the rains of 1883 caused a slip of rocks and earth which fell into the cutting, completely filling it. This misfortune was turned to good account. The engineers had discussed re-alining the section to reduce the gradient, and when the landslip compelled them to repair the line they eased the gradient, making a new track some distance below the original road.
A World Heritage Site :
The wake up call came and recently UNESCO declared DHR as a World Heritage Site. The world heritage site status puts DHR in the same exalted league as the hermitage in St. Petersburg, our very own Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, Hampi in South India and other such man-made marvels. A heritage site is one that is worthy of preservation and a legacy that is worth bequeathing to posterity. After simmering in the Austrian Alps, DHR is the second railway system in the world to be accorded the World Heritage status.
Bringing Darjeeling On Tourist Map :
Earlier, the very same DHR had put Darjeeling on the world tea map. If the exquisitely flavoured premium Darjeling tea is sipped in the fashionable salons of Paris today, then it is DHR that has played a small role in making this happen. In its earlier avatars of open carriages, it had ferried tea from the misty slopes to the railheads on the plains to be transshipped to faraway destinations. There is an enchanting sepia tinted photograph of the DHR ferrying wooden tea chests down the hill in the Chum museum, which has just opened. It houses other exquisite DHR memorabilia such as the signaling lanterns in use since the 19th century, whistles, plaques and badges and some priceless old photographs.
Kangra Valley Railway - Hill Trains in India
Knagra Valley RailwayThe exotic Kangra Valley lying between the Dhaula Dhar and the Shivalik foothills in the state of Himachal Pradesh is the conglomeration of valleys and plateaus of the Himalayas. Renowned for its natural beauty, the valley attracts thousands of tourists every year.
The Kangra Queen runs between Pathankot and Palampur and takes 4 hrs & 25 minutes with two stoppages at Jwalamukhi and Kangra. There are many other local trains on the same route with more stoppages.
Kangra Valley Railways is a reminder that despite difficult terrain, railway engineers can create a work which exists in harmony with the natural beauty of the locale. In April 1929, the 100 mile line constructed in rough terrain and hostile weather was opened for traffic. There are 20 crossings stations, 7 passenger halts and 971 bridges on this line.
Starting from Pathankot, the line runs parallel to the road for the first 16 miles. Ahuj, at 1210 metres is the highest point. From Mangwal to Kangra, travellers have the privilege of being exposed to a memorable view of the grandeur of the majestic Himalayas. As Palampur reaches, the snow capped peaks cast a mesmerising spell on the passengers. From there, the line runs parallel to the Dhaula Dhar range. Near Baijnath the train makes its way through the gorgeous pines. The line does not pass through the Kangra town as it is separated from it by a big cleft in the hill.
Kalka Shimla Railway -Hill Trains in India
The Kalka-Shimla Railway built to connect, the summer capital of India in 1903 at an altitude of 2076 meters offers a panoramic feast to experience the grandeur of the picturesque Himalayas from the shivalik foot hills at Kalka to several important points such as Dharampur, Solan, Kandaghat, Taradevi, Barog, Salogra, Summerhill, Shimla and beyond up to the silvery snow line near the towering peaks.
On June 29, 1898, a contract was signed between the secretary of state and the Delhi-Ambala-Kalka railway company for construction and working of a two feet gauge line from Kalka to Shimla. As per the contract, the rail line was to be built without any pecuniary aid or guarantee from the government. The land was, however, provided free of charge.
The military authorities were skeptic about the narrower gauge of two feet chosen for Kalka-Shimla Railway. They recommended a standard two feet by six inches gauge for mountain and light strategic railways. The government of India yielded to the military requirements and on November 15, 1901, the contract with DUK was revised and two feet by six inches gauge was adopted for Kalka-Shimla Railway. This meant change of gauge for a portion of the line built in the year 1901.
In the beginning, the line was laid with 41-1/4 lb flat footed steel rails 21 feet long on steel bearing Paltes and Deodar timber sleepers, nine to a rail. The tack was stone ballasted throughout and fenced only along the Kalka camping ground and through the outskirts of the town of Kalka.
The line measuring 59.44 miles from Kalka to Shimla was opened for traffic on November 9, 1903. Because of peculiar working conditions-high capital cost coupled with high maintenance cost-Kalka Shimla railway was allowed to charge higher rates and fare compared to the then prevailing rates for other lines in the plains. By 1904, a total of Rs. 1,65,25,000 was spent by DUK and it was a serious financial crisis. On representation of the company, the secretary of state decided to purchase the line, the purchase was affected from January 1, 1906.
An interesting feature of the Kalka-Shimla Railway is the almost complete absence of Girder bridges. Multi arched galleries like ancient roman aqueducts being the commonest means of carrying the line over the ravines between the hill spurs. There is only on 60 feet plate girder span in a Pinewood near the old engineer bungalow at Dharampur and a steel trestle via duct, which replaced a stone gallery in 1935 in the 869 bridges representing about 3 percent of the line. The entire section has been built with steep gradient through the Shivalik ranges.
Another special feature of the Kalka-Shimla Railway is that as many as 27 cutovers serve as different gradient crossings. There are 20 intermediate stations, and all have crossing facilities. The line also has about 107 tunnels, which, besides representing the engineering feat, also generate a lot of interest in the travellers. During summer months, passenger traffic is heavy whereas in winter months, potato traffic keeps the line busy.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway - Hill Trains in India
Nilgiri Mountain RailwayThe Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is a 46 Km long 1000 mm gauge railway connecting Mettupalayam (1069 ft) to Ooty (7228 ft). Its first section upto Coonoor was completed in 1899 by the Nilgiri Railway Company and was extended to Ooty in 1903. In those days it served as a popular getaway from the sweltering heat of the plains for the British in India. Even today it is a popular hill resort attracting hoards of tourists.
Nilgiri Mountail Railway is the steepest one in Asia ( the steepest gradient is about 1in12). In combination with this gradient there are curves as sharp as 18 degrees! To overcome this incline it uses a unique ABT(Alternate Biting System) commonly known as `rack and pinion' rail system and curiously the name of the inventor is also Michael Abt! In this system, between the two conventional rails, there are two rack bars, out of step with each other, on which the pinions of the locos & coaches 'climb' in a similar manner as a person climbing a ladder using his feet alternately.Against the convention of the engine leading the train on level lines, here the engine is pushing the train from behind when ascending and is in front stopping it from running amuck when going downhill. The main incline between Mettupalayam to Coonoor is a continuous gradient where the rack system is used. After Coonoor until Ooty the gradient is relatively eased (this section is now worked by YDM4 diesel locos).
Steam locomotives have been the motive power here since the inception of the line in 1899. Presently all traffic on the rack section is in the able hands of eight X class locomotives built by SLM of Switzerland.These are compound locomotives having four cylinders instead of the conventional two. The main cylinders use high-pressure steam and drive the wheels of the loco whereas the smaller cylinders using low-pressure steam drive the rack system. The youngest X class loco is over 50 years old and the oldest is 80 years old against the average of 25 years working life of a steam loco.
Matheran Light Railway - Hill Trains in India
Matheran Light RailwayAbdul Hussain, son of the business tycoon, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy of Mumbai, has started the construction of Matheran railway in 1904 and the two feet gauge line finally opened to traffic in 1907.Neral is the starting station of this line, falls nearly midway on the Mumbai-Pune route of the central railway. Starting from Neral, the narrow gauge two feet line runs parallel to the main broad gauge line leaving the road to the west of Hardal hill, then turning sharply east. The ascent commences and road and rail meet at the end of the third mile near Jummapatti station. They part company again to meet a mile further just beyond the steep slope of Bhekra Khud.
A narrow stretch of level ground terminates in the abrupt rise underlying Mount Barry. To avoid a reversion station, a large horseshoe embankment was constructed. Round this the line runs for a mile in the north direction till it turns back through the only tunnel on the route.
The line now lies under Mount Barry, and to negotiate the rise here, the line zigzags sharply backwards and forwards twice passing through two deep cuttings. The line pursues its may more decorously and reaches out more or less straight for panorama point after skirting it and then returns by Simpson's tank and terminates close to the Matheran Bazaar.
The railway is 12-1/2 miles long and has a gauge of only two feet. The permanent way originally consisted of rail 30 lb to a yard with a ruling gradient of 1 in 20. Speed is limited to 12 miles per hour only. Construction of line was done by local labours.
As a precautionary measure against frequent slides, the line used to close during the monsoons (July-August).
