Mountain Railways of India

Mountain Railways of India Illustrated and edited by Aishwarya Kachalia

Indian Railways

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The history of Indian Railways dates back to over 160 years ago. On 16th April 1853, the first passenger train ran between Bori Bunder (Bombay) and Thane, a distance of 34 km. It was operated by three locomotives, named Sahib, Sultan and Sindh, and had thirteen carriages. The photo to the right, while capturing a scene from the early days of railways in India, features a train pulled by a single locomotive, and is widely- but incorrectly - believed to be that first service. Just a couple of years after that first train, the engineers of the Indian Railway took up the colossal task of building a track over Bhore Ghat. In 1864, the north got its first station - the Delhi Junction. The

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The oldest one of the city, it was a major station and junction and remains so till date. In 1880, The Darjeeling Steam Tramway (later the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) started its first section between Siliguri and Kurseong. The line was extended to Darjeeling in 1881.

The Line operated on Narrow Gauge, and was accorded World Heritage Status in 1999.

A mountain railway is a railway that operates in a mountainous region.

It may operate through the mountains by following mountain valleys and tunneling beneath mountain passes, or it

may climb a mountain to provide transport to and from the summit. Mountain railways often use narrow gauge tracks to allow for tight curves

in the track and reduce tunnel size and structure gauge, and hence construction cost and effort. Where mountain railways need to climb steep gradients, they may use steep grade railway technology, or even operate as funicular railways. The Mountain railways of India are the railway lines that were built in the mountainous regions of India. The term mainly includes the narrow-gauge railway lines in these regions but may also include some broad gauge railways. Three of the narrow gauge lines, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka–Shimla Railway, are collectively designated as a UNES-

CO World Heritage Site under the name “Mountain Railways of India”. The fourth railway, the Matheran Hill Railway, is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. All four are narrow-gauge railways, and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is also the only rack railway in India.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway received the honor first in 1999 by UNESCO followed by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in 2005. The Kalka–Shimla Railway received the designation in 2008. Three routes together have been titled the Mountain

The basis of UNESCO’s designation of the Mountain Railways of India as a World Heritage Site is

“outstanding examples of bold, ingenious engineering solutions for the problem of establishing an effective rail link through rugged, mountainous terrain.”

Darjeeling’s Toy Train Darjeeling is a land of expansive meadows, tea gardens, glorious Kanchenjunga, lush rolling hills, and the beautiful Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The small-gauge railway, which is often called “toy train” for its little size was started in 1881 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. It travels a distance of 78 kilometers between Darjeeling and New Jalpaiguri. The train goes through serpentine tracks, switchbacks, hairpin turns, tunnels, and bridges, making it a journey to remember. On the recommendations of a committee appointed by Sir Ashley Eden, work on the route began in 1879 and was completed by July 1881. The line underwent several improvements such as making its gradients more gradual over the years to increase its maneuverability. By 1909–1910, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was carrying roughly 174,000 passengers and 47,000 tons of goods annually.

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The ra Nilgiri n i a Mount tea n u o tain Railway estates, m i is a 46-kmand thick forNilgir long railway track in ests, and ends in the the mountainous terrain if spectacular Ooty. In 1854, the state of Tamil Nadu. The plans were made to build steam-driven train is a symbol a mountain railway from of a well maintained heritage Mettupalayam to the and one of the most thrilling Nilgiri Hills. toy trains in India. This sinHowever, it took the gle-track line runs towards the decision-makers 45 sky from 1,070 feet to 7,228 years to cut through feet, which was a remarkable the bureaucratic red achievement back then and tape and complete nothing sort of a masterpiece the construction. The today. Built in 1908 and deline was completed clared a UNESCO World Her- and opened for traffic itage Site in 2005, the train in June 1899. It was optakes you through rocky tererated first by the Marain, gorgeous ravines, lush dras Railway under an

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agreement with the government. The Madras Railway Company continued to manage the railway line on behalf of the government for a long time until the South Indian Railway company purchased it. In 1907, the railway received four Double Fairlie locomotives to work the line. These were part of a batch built by the Avonside Engine Company in 1879

and 1880 for service in Afghanistan, but had been in store since 1887. The Fairlies continued in use until at least 1914.

Track length: 46 km Route covered: Mettupalayam, Kellar, Coonoor, Wellington, Lovedale, Ootacamund

Kalka Shimla Railway

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mla Railway is not just an economical way to reach Shimla, but also taking journey one can take through the Himalayan mountains. The 54 km narrow gauge connects the plains to the summer capital of ritish Raj. Opened in 1903, UNESCO added Kalka-Shimla toy train s an extension to the World Heritage Site of Mountain railways of India. This beautiful little train passes through 103 tunnels and about 800 bridges and viaducts. This probably is one of the best train journeys you’ll ever take in your life. The railway was built under the direction of Herbert Septimus Harington between 1898 and 1903 to connect Shimla, the summer capital of India during the British Raj, with the rest of the Indian rail system. Its early locomotives were manufactured by Sharp, Stewart and Company. Larger locomotives were introduced, which were manufactured by the Hunslet Engine Company. Diesel and diesel-hydraulic locomotives began operation in 1955 and 1970, respectively. On 8 July 2008, UNESCO added the Kalka–Shimla railway to the mountain railways of India World Heritage Site. Track length: 96.54 km Route covered: Shimla, Summer Hill, Shoghi, Salogra, Solan Brewery, Barog, Kumarhatti Dagshai, Dharmpur, Kalka Junction.

Other Mountain Railways of India Matheran Hill Railway The Matheran Hill Railway is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway and covers a distance of 21 km (13 mi) between Neral and Matheran, in the Western Ghats. Its construction was led by Abdul Peerbhoy and financed by his father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, of the Adamjee Group. A unique feature of the line is its horseshoe embankments.

Notable features of the route include Neral Station, the first on the route; the Herdal Hill section; the steep grade of Bhekra Khud; the One Kiss Tunnel (the only tunnel on the route, which earned its nickname because the tunnel is just long enough to exchange a kiss with one’s partner); a water pipe station, which is no longer in operation; Mountain Berry, which features two sharp zigzags; Panorama Point; and finally, the end of the route at Matheran Bazaar.

Its ruling gradient is 1:20 (5%), and its tight curves require a speed limit of 20 km/h (12 mph).

Kangra Valley Railway

The Kangra Valley Railway is 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow-gauge railway and covers a distance of 163 km (101 mi) between Pathankot and Joginder Nagar, an area known for its nature and ancient Hindu shrines, in the sub-Himalayan region. The highest point on this line is at Ahju station at an elevation of 1,291 m (4,236 ft), and the terminus at Joginder Nagar is at 1,189 m (3,901 ft). The line, which is part of the Northern Railway, was planned in May 1926 and commissioned in 1929. The line has 971 uniquely designed bridges and two tunnels. Two particularly important bridge structures are the steel arch bridge over the Reond nalah and the girder bridge over the Banganga River. hough the gradient of the line is generally gentle, the critical reach with steep slopes is at the 142 km (88 mi) stretch, which is 210 m (690 ft) wide and has a slope of 1:19 and approach slopes of 1:31 and 1:25.

Jammu–Baramulla line The Jammu–Baramulla line is a 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) railway line being built in India to connect the state of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. The railway starts from Jammu and will travel to Baramulla.

The route crosses major earthquake zones and is subjected to extreme temperatures of cold and heat, as well as inhospitable terrain, making it a challenging engineering project. The railway line has been under construction since 2002, when it was declared a national project. It will link the state’s winter capital, Jammu, with the summer capital, Srinagar, and beyond until Baramulla. The railway line has been built from Jammu to Katra, and the line from Katra to Baniha.

"किसी लम्बे सफर की रातों में तुझे अलाव सा जलाता हूँ तू किसी रेल सी गुज़रती है मैं किसी पुल सा थरथराता हू"ँ

Refrences UNESCO heritage site whc.unesco.org Mountain Railways of India www.traveltriangle.com Matheran Toy train www.indianculture.gov.in