View source for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

{{Short description|Narrow gauge mountain railway in north India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox heritage railway
 | name               = Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
 | other_name         = 
 | logo               = 
 | logo_width         = 
 | logo_alt           = 
 | image              = DarjeelingTrainFruitshopCrop.JPG
 | image_name         =
 | image_width        = 250px
 | image_alt          = Small black steam engine
 | caption            = Passing a fruit shop in Darjeeling
 | color              = 
 | locale             = 
 | terminus           = [[Darjeeling]]
 | longitude          = 
 | latitude           = 
 | map                = 
 | map_caption        = 
 | map_alt            = 
 | mapsize            = 
 | connections        = 
 | linename           = 
 | builtby            = [[Franklin Prestage]]
 | originalopen       = {{start date and age|1881}}
 | originalgauge      = {{RailGauge|610mm|lk=on}}
 | originalrack       = 
 | originalelec       = 
 | owned              = [[Indian Railways]]
 | operator           = [[Northeast Frontier Railway]]
 | marks              = 
 | stations           = 17
 | length             = 83.9 km
 | preservedgauge     = 
 | preservedrack      = 
 | preservedelec      = 
 | era                = 
 | com-years          = 
 | com-events         = 
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 | com-years9         = 
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 | closed             = 
 | years              = 
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 | headquarters       = Elysia Place, [[Kurseong]]
 | website            = {{URL|http://dhr.in.net/}}
 | routemap           = [[File:DHR Route Map.jpg|300px]]
 | routemap_name      = Route map
 | routemap_state     = 
 | embedded           = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child         = yes
| part_of       = [[Mountain railways of India|Mountain Railways of India]]
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii)(iv)}}(ii)(iv)
| ID            = 113645
| coordinates   = {{coord|26|40|48|N|88|27|36|E|format=dms|display=title, inline}}
| year          = 1999
| extension     = 2005, 2008
| area          = {{convert|5.34|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
| buffer_zone   = {{convert|70|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
| locmapin      = India
| map_caption   = 
}}
}}

The '''Darjeeling Himalayan Railway''', also known as the '''DHR''' or the '''Toy Train''', is a {{RailGauge|610mm|lk=on}} [[narrow-gauge|gauge]] railway that runs between [[New Jalpaiguri]] and [[Darjeeling]] in the [[India]]n state of [[West Bengal]].<ref>[https://dhr.indianrailways.gov.in/ The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830181330/https://dhr.indianrailways.gov.in/ |date=30 August 2021 }} ''dhr.indianrailways.gov.in''. Retrieved 30 August 2021</ref> Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about {{cvt|88|km|mi}} long.<ref>{{Cite web |title=West Bengal Tourism |url=https://www.wbtourism.gov.in/Heritage%20Tourism/details?template_id=1&id=63fca17bcec836803000e1ad#:~:text=Built%20between%201879%20and%201881,%20it%20has,at%20New%20Jalpaiguri%20to%20about%202,200%20m |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609120237/https://www.wbtourism.gov.in/Heritage%20Tourism/details?template_id=1&id=63fca17bcec836803000e1ad#:~:text=Built%20between%201879%20and%201881,%20it%20has,at%20New%20Jalpaiguri%20to%20about%202,200%20m |archive-date=9 June 2023 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=www.wbtourism.gov.in |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> It climbs from about {{cvt|100|m|ft}} above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about {{cvt|2200|m|ft}} at Darjeeling, using six [[Zig zag (railway)|zig zags]] and three [[Spiral (railway)|loops]] (originally five) to gain altitude.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discovering through UNESCO World Heritage Site Darjeeling Himalayan Railway leaves one in awe of India |url=https://ddnews.gov.in/en/discovering-through-unesco-world-heritage-site-darjeeling-himalayan-railway-leaves-one-in-awe-of-india/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=ddnews.gov.in}}</ref> Ghum station is situated at an altitude of {{convert|7,407|ft|m|order=flip}}. Six [[diesel locomotive]]s handle most of the scheduled service, with daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to [[Ghum, West Bengal|Ghum]] – India's highest railway station – and the steam-hauled ''Red Panda'' service from Darjeeling to [[Kurseong]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discovering through UNESCO World Heritage Site Darjeeling Himalayan Railway leaves one in awe of India |url=https://ddnews.gov.in/en/discovering-through-unesco-world-heritage-site-darjeeling-himalayan-railway-leaves-one-in-awe-of-india/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=ddnews.gov.in}}</ref> Steam-enthusiast specials are hauled by vintage British-built [[DHR B Class|B-Class]] [[steam locomotive]]s. The railway's headquarters are at Kurseong.

On 5 December 1999, [[UNESCO]] declared the DHR a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="heritageunesco">{{cite web|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/944|title=Mountain Railways of India|access-date=30 April 2006}}</ref> Two more railway lines were later added, and the site became known as one of the [[mountain railways of India]].

==History==
[[Siliguri]], at the base of the [[Himalayas]], was connected with [[Calcutta]] (now Kolkata) by a [[metre gauge]] railway in 1878.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Darjeeling Himalayan Railways- The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 2 ft gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. |url=https://natureloverhomestay.com/darjeeling-himalayan-railway.php |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=natureloverhomestay.com}}</ref>Between Siliguri and Darjeeling, [[Tanga (carriage)|Tanga]] services ran on a cart road – the present-day [[Hill Cart Road]].<ref name=darjnews>{{cite web|url=http://www.darjeelingnews.net/darjeeling_himalayan_railway.html|title=DHR History|access-date=24 February 2007|work=darjeelingnews.net|publisher=Darjeelingnews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031213231046/http://darjeelingnews.net/darjeeling_himalayan_railway.html|archive-date=13 December 2003|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Franklin Prestage]], an agent of the [[Eastern Bengal Railway]], approached the government with a proposal to lay a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling.<ref name=darjnews/> [[Ashley Eden]], lieutenant governor of [[Bengal]], formed a committee to assess the project's feasibility. The proposal was accepted in 1879 after a positive report by the committee,<ref name=darjnews/> and construction began that year.

[[Gillanders, Arbuthnot and Company]] was hired to construct the line and, by March 1880, track was laid as far as [[Tindharia]], and [[Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton|Lord Lytton]], the first [[Governor-General of India|viceroy]] to visit Darjeeling, rode to Tindharia on the train.<ref name=darjnews/> Colonel F.S. Taylor, R.E., Consulting Engineer to the Government of India for Guaranteed Railways, and Franklin Prestage inspected the line and authorised the stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong open for traffic from 16 August 1880.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Colonel F.S. Taylor | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/18800816/031/0003 |newspaper=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) |location=India |date=16 August 1880 |access-date=25 November 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> It opened a few days later on 23 August 1880. The stretch from Siliguri to Darjeeling opened on 4 July 1881.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Opening of the Darjeeling Tramway | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002850/18810708/151/0006 |newspaper=Times of India |location=India |date=8 July 1881 |access-date=25 November 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref><ref name=DHRofc>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhr.in/|title=DHR and Its Development|access-date=24 February 2007|work=About DHR,dhr.in|publisher=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, NF Railway, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810155445/http://www.dhr.in/|archive-date=10 August 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The company's name was changed to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Darjeeling Tramway | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/18810714/046/0005 |newspaper=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) |location=India |date=14 July 1881 |access-date=25 November 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref>

Although the railway originally followed Hill Cart Road, the steepness of the road was more than the locomotives could handle in some areas. In 1882, four loops and four zig-zags were built between [[Sukna, Darjeeling|Sukna]] and [[Gayabari]] to ease the gradient<ref name=DHRsoc>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhrs.org/home.htm|title=A Brief History of the DHR|access-date=24 February 2007|last=Whittle|first=Paul|author2=Terry Martin|work=History and A Trip Up the Line|publisher=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208124714/http://www.dhrs.org/home.htm|archive-date=8 February 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> to a uniform 1 in 28.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Darjeeling and Calcutta | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/18810714/046/0005 |newspaper=Times of India |location=India |date=7 April 1883 |access-date=25 November 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> The line was extended by a quarter-mile to Darjeeling Bazar in 1886.<ref name=DHRofc/> The Darjeeling station was renovated in 1891 and Kurseong got a new station building and storage shed in 1896,<ref name=DHRsoc/> but the railway was affected by an 1897 earthquake and a major cyclone in 1899.<ref name=DHRsoc/> In 1902, heavy rains caused many landslips along the route and the Teesta bridge was washed away.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Recent Landslips on the Darjeeling and Himalayan Railway | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003197/19020821/054/0021 |newspaper=Indian Daily News |location=India |date=21 August 1902 |access-date=25 November 2023 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> Services were maintained with transhipments at the breaks.

In 1910, the DHR carried 174,000 passengers and 47,000 tons of goods.<ref name=DHRsoc/> The first [[bogie]] carriages entered service, replacing basic four-wheel carriages. DHR extension lines were built to [[Kishanganj]] in 1914 and [[Gielkhola]] in 1915.<ref name=DHRofc/> At Tindharia, the railway works were relocated from behind the locomotive shed to a larger site.<ref name=DHRsoc/>

The [[Batasia Loop]] was constructed in 1919, creating easier gradients on the ascent from Darjeeling.<ref name=DHRsoc/> The DHR began facing competition from buses operating on the Hill Cart Road which took less time than the railway to reach Darjeeling. In 1934, a major earthquake in [[Bihar]] shook all of Northeast India. Many buildings in Darjeeling were heavily damaged and the railway was also affected, although it soon recovered and played a vital role in transporting repair materials.<ref name=DHRsoc/> During [[World War II]], the DHR transported military personnel and supplies to the camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.<ref name=DHRsoc/>

In 1951, the railway was purchased by the Indian government and absorbed into the government railway organisation<ref name=DHRsoc/> before it was managed by the [[Assam Railway]]. Assam Railway (including the DHR) became part of the [[North Eastern Railway zone]] in 1952,<ref name=DHRsoc/> and part of [[Indian Railways]]' [[Northeast Frontier Railway zone]] six years later.<ref name=DHRsoc/> In 1962, the railway was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly {{cvt|6|km}} to [[New Jalpaiguri]] (NJP) to meet the new broad-gauge line there.<ref name=DHRsoc/> The extension began freight service that year, and passenger service in 1964. The locomotive shed and carriage depot at Siliguri Junction were moved to NJP.

The railway was closed for 18 months during the [[Gorkhaland#History|Gorkhaland]] hostilities in 1988 and 1989.<ref name=DHRsoc/> It was declared a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 1999.<ref name=heritageunesco/>

Following the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19 pandemic]] in the country, the service was stopped for 18 months from March 2020 to August 2021. On 25 August 2021, the service was restarted from [[New Jalpaiguri]] to [[Darjeeling]] with the new vistadome coaches for the tourists.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Darjeeling Toy Trains to be back on track from today, after more than a year|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/darjeeling-toy-trains-to-be-back-on-track-from-today-after-more-than-a-year-101629848857399.html|date=25 August 2021|website=Hindustan Times}}</ref>
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Through the Ilrai -sic for Terai- by D.H.R. -Darjeeling Hill Railway-.jpg|alt=Single-track line through a forest|1880 line through the [[Terai]]
File:Darjeeling Railway 1895.jpg|alt=Europeans on an outdoor station platform|The railway in 1895
File:The Choonbatty Loop 1895.jpg|alt=Over-under rail loop|The Choonbatty [[Spiral (railway)|loop]] in 1895
File:Darjeeling Hill Railway 1905.jpg|alt=Inclines and mountains|Darjeeling reversing station around 1905
File:Agony point 1921.jpg|alt=Another over-under loop|The Agony Point loop in 1921
File:Darjeeling Hill Train in the 1930s.jpg|alt=Steam passenger train rounding a curve|1930s train
File:Darjeeling toy train in shed. 1979.jpg|alt=Steam locomotive in a shed|Locomove in shed, 1979
</gallery>

==Operators==
[[File:Elysia Place.jpg|thumb|alt=Large, two-story stone building|Elysia Place in [[Kurseong]], the railway's headquarters]]

The DHR and its assets, including the stations, line and vehicles, is owned by the [[government of India]] and entrusted to the [[Ministry of Railways (India)|Ministry of Railways]]. The Northeast Frontier Railway documented the railway in a comprehensive register, and handles its day-to-day maintenance and management. Several programs, divisions and departments of Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the DHR. It is protected by the 1989 Railway Act and the stipulations governing public property.<ref name=rct1989>{{cite web|work=Rct.indianrail.gov.in|title=1989 Railway Act|url=http://www.rct.indianrail.gov.in/railway_act_1989.pdf|access-date=5 October 2012|archive-date=6 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806031847/https://rct.indianrail.gov.in/railway_act_1989.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is now headed by the director, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

==Rolling stock==
{{see also|List of rolling stock of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway}}

==={{anchor|Current}}Present===
====Steam====
All the steam locomotives currently in use on the railway are {{whyte|0-4-0|ST}} [[DHR B Class|B-Class]], built by [[Sharp, Stewart and Company]] and later the [[North British Locomotive Company]] between 1889 and 1925. A total of 34 were built but, by 2005, only 12 were still in use or being repaired by the railway.

In 2002, No. 787 was rebuilt for oil firing on the same principle as that used on [[Nilgiri Mountain Railway]] No. 37395. A diesel-powered generator was fitted to operate the [[Oil burner (engine)|oil burner]] and an electrically driven feed pump, and a diesel-powered compressor was fitted to power the braking system. The locomotive was also fitted with a [[feedwater heater]]. The rebuild dramatically changed its appearance. Trials of the refitted locomotive were disappointing, and it never entered regular service; in early 2011, it was in the Tindharia Works awaiting re-conversion to coal-firing. In early 2019, B787 was restored cosmetically and is now displayed on a plinth outside Siliguri Junction station.

In March 2001, No. 794 was transferred to the [[Matheran Hill Railway]] for a "joy train"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-seltrain.html|title=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway|work=Hill Railways|publisher=Indian Railways Fan Club|access-date=3 September 2008}}</ref> (a steam-hauled tourist train) on that railway. It entered service there in May 2002.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Toy Train Darjeeling West Bengal India (3).JPG|alt=Blue locomotive and two passenger carriages|First construction locomotive called 'Baby Sivok'
File:Darjeeling Himalayan Railway - aka Beeches Light Railway (geograph 4111631).jpg|alt=Larger blue locomotive|B-Class locomotive
File:Steam Train Darjeeling.JPG|alt=Two men behind a steam locomotive|Loading coal into a locomotive
File:Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Workshop.jpg|alt=Men standing around a steam locomotive in a shed|Daily maintenance
</gallery>

====Diesel====
{{Multiple image
|total_width=360
|image1=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Diesel Locomotive.jpg
|width1=7421 
|height1=5942
|caption1=Diesel locomotive
|alt1=Blue diesel train at a station
|image2=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Diesel Locomotive Engine Room.jpg
|width2=6016 
|height2=4,000
|caption2=Diesel control panel
|alt2=Green control panel, with many gauges}}
Six diesel locomotives are in use: Nos. 600–605 of the NDM-6 class, built in 1997.  Three additional NDM-6 locomotives were expected to enter operational service during 2025.<ref name="banerjee-20250129">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/darjeeling-himalayan-railway-to-launch-three-diesel-locos-this-summer/cid/2080209|title=DHR to launch three diesel locos this summer|date=2025-01-29|access-date=2025-05-29|work=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph]]|location=India|first=Bireswar|last=Banerjee|quote=locos are being built at the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) workshop at New Bongaigaon in neighbouring Assam … "…three new diesel engines … will be introduced on the DHR tracks by the end of March [2025]" Priyanshu, the director of the DHR … "Initially, it was decided that these locos would be manufactured at the DHR's own workshop … project was shifted to New Bongaigaon … sum of ₹15 crore is being spent to make these locos," the official said.}}</ref>

===Past===
[[File:DHR Class D.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Boxy-looking steam locomotive|Garratt Class-D steam locomotive]]
The DHR purchased the third [[Garratt locomotive]] built, a [[DHR D Class|D Class]] {{whyte|0-4-0+0-4-0|T}}, in 1910. Only one DHR steam locomotive has been taken out of India: [[DHR 778]] (originally No. 19). After many years out of use at the [[Hesston Steam Museum]], it was sold to [[Adrian Shooter]] in the UK and restored to working order. It was based for nearly 20 years at the privately owned [[Beeches Light Railway]] in [[Oxfordshire]], and visited the [[Ffestiniog Railway]], the [[Launceston Steam Railway]] and the [[Leighton Buzzard Light Railway]] during this time. In 2023, it was sold at auction to a newly formed trust who will keep it at the [[Statfold Barn Railway]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/06/darjeeling-tank-locomotive-trust-secures-steam-locomotive-no-19.html | title=Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust secures steam locomotive No. 19 }}</ref> and after the next overhaul plan to take the locomotive to other 2&nbsp;ft gauge railways.

==Route==
{{Darjeeling Hill Railway}}
[[File:Stations in DHR.jpg|thumb|alt=White board with blue lettering|Railway distance chart]]
The line follows Hill Cart Road, which is part of [[National Highway 110 (India)|National Highway 110]]. The track is on the roadside for long stretches, and both track and road might be blocked by a [[rockslide]]. Since a length of the road is flanked with buildings, the railway line often resembles urban tramway tracks. To warn pedestrians and drivers of an approaching train, engines are equipped with very loud [[Train horn|horns]] and [[Train whistle|whistles]] which train drivers sound almost constantly.

A major difficulty faced by the DHR was the steepness of the terrain. [[Spiral (railway)|Loops]] and [[Zig zag (railway)|zig-zags]] were incorporated along the route to achieve a comfortable [[Grade (slope)|gradient]]. When the train moves forward, reverses and then moves forward again (climbing a slope while doing so), it gains altitude along the side of the hill.

===Stations===
*[[New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station|New Jalpaiguri]] (NJP): New Jalpaiguri was the terminus of the 1964 southern extension to meet the new {{Track gauge|1676mm|lk=on}} [[broad gauge]] line to [[Assam]].
*[[Siliguri Town railway station|Siliguri Town]]: The line's original southern terminus
*[[Siliguri Junction]]: Siliguri Junction became a major station when a new line was built to Assam during the early 1950s. From NJP to Siliguri Junction, the {{Track gauge|1676mm|lk=on}} [[broad gauge]] line runs parallel to the DHR.
*[[Sukna Train Station|Sukna]]: This station begins a change in the landscape, from flat plains to the wooded lower slopes of the mountains. The [[Grade (slope)|gradient]] of the railway changes dramatically. Loop 1, in the woods above Sukna, was removed after flood damage in 1991 and the site is obscured by the forest.
*Rangtong: A short distance above Rangtong is a water tank, better positioned than at the station in terms of water supply and distance from other water tanks. Loop 2 was removed in 1942 after flood damage. A new reverse, No. 1, was added for the longest reverse run. Loop No. 3, at Chunbatti, is now the lowest loop. Reverses No. 2 and 3 are between Chunbatti and Tindharia.
*Tindharia: Workshops are below the station. An office for engineers and a large locomotive shed are on a separate site. Above the station are three sidings, used to inspect the carriage while the locomotive is changed before the train continues towards Darjeeling.
*Loop 4: Known as Agony Point, the loop has the line's tightest curve.
*{{rws|Gayabari}}
*Reverse No. 6: The last reverse on the climb
*Mahanadi
*Kurseong: Although a shed and several sidings are adjacent to the main line, the station proper is a dead end. Darjeeling-bound trains must back out of the station (across a busy road junction) to continue the climb. The station houses a one-room DHR museum with several exhibits, artifacts and vintage photos. At the centre of the room, a wooden showcase contains several old newspaper articles about the railway.<ref>{{cite web|title=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Museum Kurseong|url=https://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_00014b.htm|publisher=Darjeeling Tourism|access-date=24 February 2017}}</ref> After the station, the railway passes a busy shopping area.
*Tung
*Sonada
*Rongbull
*Jorebungalow: A storage point for tea bound for [[Kolkata]], it connects Darjeeling to the rest of India.
*[[Ghum railway station|Ghum]]: [[Ghum, West Bengal|Ghum]], the line's summit, is India's highest station. The station building includes a first-floor museum, with larger exhibits in the old goods yard.
*[[Batasia Loop]]: The loop is {{convert|5|km|abbr=on}} from Darjeeling, below Ghum. There is a memorial to the [[Gorkha regiments (India)|Gorkha]] soldiers of the [[Indian Army]] who sacrificed their lives after Indian independence in 1947. The loop has a panoramic view of Darjeeling, with [[Kangchenjunga]] and other snow-capped mountains in the background.
*[[Darjeeling railway station|Darjeeling]]: The terminus of the line


==Incidents and accidents==
*On 10 January 2017 a Darjeeling train derailed due to a faulty track, and 10 people were injured.<ref>{{cite web|title=Train Derails Near Darjeeling, 10 Injured|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/train-derails-near-darjeeling-10-injured-1647316}}</ref>
*On 7 May 2019 a train struck a car and derailed. No one was killed or injured.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ghoom-Darjeeling train derails a ..|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/ghoom-darjeeling-train-derails-after-hitting-car-on-tracks/articleshow/69209146.cms}}</ref>
* On 9 October 2019 a passenger on the train fell off it while taking a selfie. The person died from serious head injuries from the fall.<ref>{{cite web|title=Selfie oblivion: Tourist dies after falling from Darjeeling train while taking photos|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/selfie-oblivion-tourist-dies-after-falling-from-darjeeling-train-while-taking-photos/story-bT4mnCpZtfUw6IK5vJ9DvL.html}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Darjeeling Station.jpg|Darjeeling Station
File:New Jalpaiguri Jn Railway Station 412.jpg|alt=Station with a blue-green roof|New Jalpaiguri
File:Siliguri Railway Station.JPG|alt=Front of a station, with parked cars and motorcycles|Siliguri Junction
File:RongTong station.jpg|alt=Small station|Rangtong
File:Sukna Railway Station.JPG|alt=Pink-brick station building|Sukna
File:Tindharia Hill Station,Hill Cart Rd, Cart Road, West Bengal 734223.jpg|alt=Station building on a hillside|Tindharia
File:Mahanadi railway station in Darjeeling district 06.jpg|alt=Mahanadi
File:Sonada station.jpg|alt=Station platform with a green building|Sonada
File:Tu ng.jpg|alt=Station with a corrugated-metal roof|Tung
File:Ghum Railway station.jpg|alt=Larger station, with pillars|Ghum
File:Darjeeling Railway Station.jpg|alt=Modern, multi-platform station|Darjeeling
</gallery>

==In popular culture==
{{wide image|Darjeeling Himalayan Railway panorama.jpg|1000px|A panoramic view of the Darjeeling railway station}}
The [[Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland|Earl of Ronaldshay]] described a journey on the railway in the early 1920s:

<blockquote>Siliguri is palpably a place of meeting ... The discovery that here the metre gauge system ends and the two-foot gauge of the Darjeeling-Himalayan railway begins, confirms what all these things hint at ... One steps into a railway carriage which might easily be mistaken for a toy, and the whimsical idea seizes hold of one that one has accidentally stumbled into Lilliput. With a noisy fuss out of all proportion to its size the engine gives a jerk – and starts ... No special mechanical device such as a rack is employed – unless, indeed, one can so describe the squat and stolid hill-man who sits perched over the forward buffers of the engine and scatters sand on the rails when the wheels of the engine lose their grip of the metals and race, with the noise of a giant spring running down when the control has been removed. Sometimes we cross our own track after completing the circuit of a cone, at others we zigzag backwards and forwards; but always we climb at a steady gradient – so steady that if one embarks in a trolley at [[Ghum, West Bengal|Ghum]], the highest point on the line, the initial push supplies all the energy necessary to carry one to the bottom.<ref>The Earl of Ronaldshay, ''Lands of the Thunderbolt. Sikhim, Chumbi and Bhutan'' (London: Constable & Company), 1923, pp 10–12</ref></blockquote>

The trip to Darjeeling by rail has changed little since that time, and remains popular with travelers and rail enthusiasts. Like [[tea]] and the [[Ghurka]] culture, the DHR has become an essential feature of the landscape and an enduring part of Darjeeling's identity.<ref name=BBCdocumentary>{{cite web|title=The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfY_1U5E9Iw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/OfY_1U5E9Iw |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|work=Indian HillRailways|publisher=BBC|access-date=14 August 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Film===
Several films have depicted the railway. Protagonist [[Rajesh Khanna]] sings "[[Mere Sapno Ki Rani]]" to heroine [[Sharmila Tagore]], who is on the train, in the 1969 film ''[[Aradhana (1969 film)|Aradhana]]''.<ref name=aradhana1>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscripts/travelogue.asp?dest=Darjeeling|title=Darjeeling: Where the journey is the destination|access-date=9 March 2007|last=Mahalingam|first=Sudha|date=March 2001|work=Travelogues. Outlook Traveller|publisher=Outlook Publishing (India) Private Limited|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210182920/http://www.outlooktraveller.com/aspscripts/travelogue.asp?dest=Darjeeling|archive-date=10 December 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=aradhana2>{{cite web|url=http://www.indialine.com/travel/trains/darjeeling-toy-train.html|title=Darjeeling Toy Train|access-date=9 March 2007|work=Train Tourism in India|publisher=IndiaLine|archive-date=7 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507123327/http://www.indialine.com/travel/trains/darjeeling-toy-train.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other films which include the railway are ''[[Barfi!]]'', ''[[Parineeta (2005 film)|Parineeta]]'' and ''[[Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman]]''. An [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphized]] version of one of the B-Class locomotives appears briefly in Disney's [[Planes (film)|''Planes'' (2013)]] when an airplane flies through a tunnel and nearly collides with the train.<ref>{{Citation |title=Planes Into The Himalaya'S |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o78swYY3WI |language=en |access-date=2023-02-23}}</ref>

===Television===
The [[BBC]] series "[[The World About Us]]" made a documentary episode about the Indian Railways in 1975, titled "The Romance of Indian Railways".<ref>{{ cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0120460|title=The Romance of Indian Railways (segment on Darjeeling starts at 37min, 46seconds)|publisher=BBC Two }}</ref> The documentary included a section on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, with colour footage of the original steam trains in use.

The [[BBC]] made a series of three documentaries<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qzzlm#synopsis|title=Indian Hill Railways|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 February 2010}}</ref> on the mountain railways of India, which was first broadcast in February 2010. The first episode covers the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the second the [[Nilgiri Mountain Railway]], and the third the [[Kalka–Shimla Railway]]. The documentaries, directed by [[Tarun Bhartiya]], Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly, were produced by Gerry Troyna. The documentary on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was directed by Tarun Bhartiya. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/documentary-on-hill-railways-of-india-bags-uk-award/636391/|title=Documentary on Hill railways of India bags UK award|publisher=Express India|access-date=19 September 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010101221/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/documentary-on-hill-railways-of-india-bags-uk-award/636391/|archive-date=10 October 2012}}</ref>

==Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society==
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS) is a preservation and support group, founded in 1998 and with a membership of over 750 people across twenty countries. Until his death in December 2022, the President of the DHRS was the British railway executive [[Adrian Shooter]].<ref name=DHRSintro>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhrs.org/|title=Welcome to the DHRS|access-date=9 March 2007|publisher=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228110928/http://www.dhrs.org/home.htm|archive-date=28 February 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dhrs.org/|website=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society|first=Adrian|last=Shooter|title=Adrian Shooter CBE 1948‒2022|type=final words|date=14 December 2022|quote=By the time you read this...}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Darjeeling Mail]]
*[[Chowrasta (Darjeeling)|Chowrasta Darjeeling]]
*Toy trains in India
**[[Kalka–Shimla Railway]]
**[[Nilgiri Mountain Railway]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

=={{anchor|Notes}}Further reading==
*{{cite book|editor-last1=Badawy|editor-first1=Emile D.|editor-last2=Crow|editor-first2=Lindsay|title=The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: A photographic profile – 1962–1998|date=1999|publisher=Train Hobby Publications|location=Studfield, Vic, Australia|isbn=1876249250}}
*{{cite magazine |last1=Bawcutt |first1=P.J. |last2=Hughes |first2=H.C. |title=Frontier Railway of the Himalayas |magazine=Railway Magazine |date=June 1966 |pages=320–324 |volume=112 |issue=782 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Barrie|first1=David|last2=Charlesworth|first2=David|title=Going Loopy|series=Darjeeling Mail extra, no. 2|date=2005|publisher=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society|location=Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK|isbn=0954160223}}
*{{cite book|last=Cable|first=Bob|title=Darjeeling Revisited: A journey on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway|series=Narrow Gauge Branch Lines series|date=2011|publisher=Middleton Press|location=Midhurst, West Sussex, UK|isbn=9781908174093}}
*{{cite magazine |last1=Krieg|first1=Allan D|title=The Darjeeling Himalayan: take a ride into the clouds on a two-foot gauge railway with which many of our GIs have become familiar while in India |magazine=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]|date=January 1946|volume=6|issue=3|pages=42–49|issn=0041-0934|oclc=31296210}}
*{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Terry|title=Halfway to Heaven|date=2000|publisher=RailRomances|location=Chester, Cheshire, UK|isbn=1900622033}}
*{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Terry|title=The Iron Sherpa: the story of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, 1879-2006|volume=1|date=2006|publisher=RailRomances|location=Chester, Cheshire, UK|isbn=1900622106}}
*{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Terry|title=The Iron Sherpa: the history of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway|volume=2|date=2010|publisher=RailRomances|location=Chester, Cheshire, UK|isbn=9781900622127}}
*{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=J Burlington|last2=Lasell|first2=Eldridge L|last3=Lasell|first3=David|last4=Lasell|first4=Diane L|last5=Lasell Iltis|first5=Sarah|last6=Iltis|first6=Ron|title=•The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: an illustrated guide to the railway & Darjeeling.|date=c. 1911|publisher=Hood & Co|location=Middlesbrough, England|oclc=43293759}}
*{{cite book|last1=Thomas|first1=John|title=Himalayan Journey|date=2010|publisher=British Overseas Railways Historical Trust|location=London|isbn=9781901613032}}
*{{cite book|last1=Thornton Jones|first1=Frank|title=Darjeeling Christmas, 1945: the Darjeeling photographs of Frank Thornton Jones|series=Darjeeling Mail extra, no. 1|date=2003|publisher=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society|location=Nottinghamshire|isbn=0954160215}}
*{{cite book|last1=Wallace|first1=Richard|title=The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: A Guide to the DHR, Darjeeling and its Tea|date=2009|publisher=Friends of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway|location=Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK|isbn=9780954160234|edition=2nd}}
* {{Wallace-HRIS |chapter=Chapter 5: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway |pages=111–146 |author-mask=7}}
*{{cite book|title=Darjeeling and its Mountain Railway.|date=2002|publisher=Nava Udyog|location=Kolkata, India|isbn=8185971951}} (Facsimile reprint. Originally published: Kurseong: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, 1921.)
*{{cite book|title=Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: World Heritage Area: bringing people and their heritage together.|series=National Rail Museum & UNESCO Stakeholder Workshop report, 11th–18th January 2002|date=2002|publisher=National Rail Museum|location=New Delhi|oclc=84649417}}
*{{cite book|title=The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: Illustrated Guide for Tourists|date=2004|publisher=Pagoda Tree Press|location=Bath, Somerset, UK|isbn=1904289037}} (Facsimile reprint of the 1st edition, originally published in 1896 by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company, Darjeeling, India.)
*Darjeeling's Wonderful Railway - A Visitors Guide: Published by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society {{ISBN|954160265-7}}
*Churchill, David (2018). The Incredible Darjeeling 'B' Class. Solihull, UK: Published by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society {{ISBN|978-0-9541602-8-9}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.dhrs.org Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society site]
* [http://etrain.info/in?STATION=DJ List of all trains at Darjeeling Railway Station]
* More pictures of Darjeeling and the railroad at [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718174614/http://digital.lib.uh.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOBOX3=darjeeling&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOFIELD2=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOFIELD3=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOFIELD4=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=%2Fp15195coll29&CISOOP1=all&CISOOP2=exact&CISOOP3=any&CISOOP4=none the University of Houston Digital Library]
* [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xsks9z Darjeeling Himalayan Railway] BBC video documentary
*[https://northbengaltourism.com/toy-train-darjeeling/ Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Information] North Bengal Tourism
*[https://darjeeling.travel/how-to-book-darjeeling-toy-train-rides/ Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Toy Train Joy Ride ] The Comprehensive Guide to Book DHR Toy Train Joy Ride
{{Darjeeling}}
{{Mountain railways of India}}
{{Class II railways according to Indian Railway Classification System}}
{{Railway lines in Eastern India}}
{{World Heritage Sites in India}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Darjeeling Himalayan Railway| Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]]
[[Category:2 ft gauge railways in India]]
[[Category:Darjeeling district]]
[[Category:Gorkhaland]]
[[Category:Mountain railways in India]]
[[Category:Street running]]
[[Category:Railway lines opened in 1880]]
[[Category:Tourism in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Darjeeling]]
[[Category:Transport in Darjeeling]]
[[Category:Transport in Siliguri]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in India]]
[[Category:Railways with Zig Zags]]
[[Category:Alipurduar railway division]]