The Toy Train
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Story and photos from a visit to this great little railway in July 2000
Story and photos by Kerry Whitfield.
 

 

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The driver attends the firebox of the afternoon Darjeeling to Kurseong train as it waits at Ghum for the arrival of the NJP to Darjeeling on the 5th July 2000

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Departing Darjeeling with the morning tourist train to Ghum

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Loading coal at Darjeeling

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Darjeeling to Kurseong train heading into Ghum on the 4th July 2000

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The afternoon Darjeeling to Kurseong train at

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Yours truly at the Darjeeling loco shed

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Kurseong Tourist Lodge


Lonely Planet guide to India 
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Calcutta street scene

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Calcutta tram

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Sudder street, Calcutta

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Calcutta


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My British Airlines flight from London touched down on Calcutta airport 1500hrs on Saturday 1st July, 2000. I had a good view of the city as we approached the tarmac. I was admiring the tidy rice paddies below when the flight crew announced that Malaria was evident throughout India.  They advised taking Malaria tablets. My last vaccination "shot" was back in 1981 and that was for Tetanus. I had no Malaria tablets.

I stepped off the plane into 41C and 90% humidity, great weather for mosquitoes I thought. Although the plane was less than one third full,  immigration took well over an hour. All the information in each passport had to be recorded using ancient IBM dumb terminals. With the passport in one hand, the information was entered using one finger on the other hand.

Once through immigration and customs I headed for the money exchange booth. No ATM machines at this airport. The money exchange  accepts Visa cards and travelers checks. The process to change a T/C took about 20 minutes as there is a major amount of paper work that goes with the process. A cash advance on a Visa would probably take longer.

Cashed up, I went to the Official Pre-Paid Taxi Booth. This pre-paid system saves any arguments with taxi drivers who like to charge up to 3 or 4 times the normal fare. I'd booked a room at the Fairlawn Hotel in Scudder street. This hotel is a leftover from the days of the Raj and is run by an ex British Army major Edward Smith and his wife Violet. They've run the hotel since before the days of independence. The tariff includes 3 meals a day, great curries.

With a population of 13 million it's an interesting and colorful city.  There's an eye opening sight around every corner. Calcutta was once the gem of the British Empire. Unfortunately it is still  known throughout the world for its poverty. Thanks to Mother Teresa and others, the days hunger and people dying in the streets are a thing of the past.  While there don't miss a visit to the Victoria Memorial on the Maidan,  check out the tramway system, ride in a man-hauled rickshaw, walk across the Howrah bridge in peak hour and visit the famous black hole. A good place to start is with the Government of India Tourist Office. They run daily (except Monday) full day tours for 100 Rps. (US$2.40). Tel 282 5813. Located at 4 Shakespeare Sarani.

I booked a berth, A/C 1st class sleeper on the Darjeeling Mail to New Jalpaiguri, known as NJP where you make the connection with the toy train which departs NJP at 9 a.m. The Darjeeling Mail leaves from Sealdah station on platform 8 at  7.15 p.m nightly. I walked around to the station the night before to see the train leave. Sealdah station is very crowded, so go down there the night before to get orientated or give yourself plenty of time. (Calcutta to NJP on the mail takes 11 h 45 min to cover the 573 kms)

The daily NJP to Darjeeling trains were dieselised earlier this year (2000) although as of July 2000 they were still experiencing problems with the new diesel locos. While I was in Darjeeling on the 3rd July 2000 the daily train from NJP was cancelled due to the diesel failing. The next day the train arrived from NJP steam hauled. I boarded the steam hauled  train the next morning for NJP,  it was delayed for 4 hours due to the diesel hauled NJP to Darjeeling bound service derailing. I was told the diesels are too powerful and  run off the tracks on the sharp curves.

Although the NJP to Darjeeling service is diesel you can still get plenty of steam action with the afternoon Darjeeling to Kurseong and the morning Kurserng to Darjeeling services. But how long these will remain steam hauled is anyone's guess. It's a long trip in those small 2nd class carriages with hard seats from NJP right through to Darjeeling. A good plan is to break the journey at Kurseong and stay overnight in a hotel there and continue your journey on the steam hauled local train into Darjeeling the next morning. A good hotel in Kurseong is the clean and comfortable, Kurseong Tourist Lodge. Its located at the Darjeeling end of town, you can walk it in 10 minutes, buses and jeeps run frequently and the fare is about 10 rps. The morning train to Darjeeling departs at 6.40 a.m.

While in Darjeeling I stayed at the Dekeling Hotel, about 10 minutes walk from the station. It's central to town and restaurants, is spotlessly clean, great mountain and town views. The hotel is run by a friendly and helpful Tibetan family. I used the Lonely Planet guide to India.

The timetable below is taken from the Newmans Indian Bradshaw, June 2000, railway timetable. I'm told that trains 1D and 4D only run in the dry season. Also a daily tourist (steam) train leaves Darjeeling at 11am running to Ghum and back to Darjeeling. It's an all 1st class train and the fare is Rps 200 return. The return fare aboard the normal trains is Rps 6 return. The afternoon 10D, Darjeeling to Kurseong is listed in the timetable to depart at 14.30 but departure was always around 1600 hrs.
Kms Up
1D
Pass
2nd

3D
Pass
2nd

9D
Pass
2nd
Stations Dn
4D
Pass
2nd

2D
Pass
2nd

10D
Pass
2nd
7.30 9.00 NJP 16.20 17.30
57 12.17 13.47 Kurseong       11.00 12.22
12.27 13.57 6.40 Kurseong       10.55 12.00 17.45
82 15.01 16.33 9.05 Ghum   9.00 9.65 15.08
88 15.50 17.15 9.45 Darjeeling        8.25 9.10 14.30
 

 

Web page, photography and information by Kerry Whitfield. Photography using a Kodak DC260 digital camera.

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The 11 a.m. tourist train departs Darjeeling for Ghum on the 4th July 2000

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The afternoon train Darjeeling to Kurseong takes a breather at its first water stop

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The track sanders adjust their sandbox as the morning Kuseng to Darjeeling heads out of Kurseong on the 4th July 2000
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The now diesel hauled NJP to Darjeeling train on its last leg of the journey into Darjeeling. 3rd July 2000

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After going over the pits for an inspection, the morning train from Kurseong is backed into the station to allow for the departure of the 11a.m. tourist train to Ghum

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Possibly one of the last great railway adventures. Fare NJP to Darjeeling is 50 cents U.S. 

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View over Darjeeling from the Dekeling Hotel

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Kurseong


India's Last Steam Trains
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Dining room and reception of the Fairlawn hotel in Sudder street Calcutta

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Calcutta tram

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The waiter and yours truly in the dining room at the Fairlawn Hotel in Calcutta

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Calcutta