The mighty Himalayas are an apt crown for India. The glory of the Himalayan range is unmatched and can best be appreciated by seeing them with one own’s eyes. The Indian Railways have made awe-inspiring contribution by bringing the mountain range closer to us through the following mountain railways: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Kangra Valley Railway, Kalka Shimla Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Matheran Light Railway.

The first three Railways connect the foothills of the Himalayas with exotic hill stations, the fourth connects Mettupalayam on the foothills of the Nilgiris to the beautiful hill station of Ootacamund in the South and the fifth runs on the Western Ghats.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a marvel of sorts in what one would call non-engineering. It uses neither rack mechanism nor cable as other mountain railways do, but moves only on adhesion. It was the genius and vision of Franklin Prestage which conceived of such a mechanism and executed it to perfection. During its 87.48 kilometres’ journey from Siliguri to Darjeeling, the “toy train” as it is aptly and affectionately referred to, loops gracefully around those recalcitrant humps, much like a spiral and chugs its way up to Ghum, its highest point at 7407 feet. It seems to be gentle persuasion all the way. The only other mountain railway in the world that reaches a higher altitude is in the Andes where Cusco station is located at 14,000 feet, but the mechanism used there is different.

Innovative engineering is only one facet of the inimitable DHR. Perhaps, no other railway system in the world is as ineluctably interwoven with the lives of the peoples it serves. DHR has been part of the Darjeeling landscape for over a hundred years and is central to the hill economy of the region. The railway was instrumental in attracting people from neighbouring Sikkim, Nepal, West Bengal and even as far away as Tibet, making Kurseong, a wayside town, a true entrepot of eclectic cultures.

Before the DHR was built, travellers used ponies which used to take several days through the meandering Hill Cart Road. Now quaint little stations with even quainter names dot the route — Tindharia, Sukna, Rangtong, Chunbati and Ghum. The journey is as leisurely, but not at all strenuous unlike a pony ride. Each stretch offers a unique panorama. The Sukna-Tindharia stretch of the foothills traverses through the Singalela range where the train takes its first loop. The Terai forest unfolds as you near Rangtong. Here you experience your first reversing zigzag. Then it takes its next loop at Chunbati gaining height and voila! You have a magnificent view of the Mahanandi valley on your right. At Tindharia, it halts long enough for you to stretch your legs, stroll and tuck into a snack and a steaming cup of tea before you resume your journey towards Agony Point — the aptly named loop just after Tindharia which churns the contents of your stomach. Soon you’re heading for another reverse, the last one at 3400 feet just after Gayabari station where monkeys seem to be absorbed in their conference. All it takes is a cone of peanuts to distract their concentration and abruptly terminate the solemn congregation. As the train winds its way, a massive scar on the hillside comes into view. You learn it is Pagla Jhora or Mad Torrent which in its fury washes away road and track, houses and shops every few years cutting off Darjeeling for days during the monsoons. The Mahanandi station gives you a glimpse of the source of the river.

After Kurseong, it’s tea gardens all the way. Margaret’s Hope, stretches for miles in front of you and you marvel at the deftness with which the hill women pick the tea leaves and drop it into the massive baskets on their backs. Their movements seem choreographed to perfection. But they have time to pause and flash a smile at you as you chug along. After pausing at Tung station for water, the train climbs to Sonada station built in the 1880s. From here, you head for the clouds — Ghum, enveloped eternally in a mist. As you near Ghum, its colourful monastery comes into view. After Ghum, the train runs up along a small ridge to reach the most spectacular engineering feat on the line — the Batasia Loop — with a breathtaking view of the Kanchenjunga as a backdrop. At Batasia, there is a memorial to the Gorkhas. After its laborious climb, the train takes its last drink of water before teetering precariously on the hillside to reach its final destination, the Darjeeling station.

The steamy hiss of the engine, the strident whistle and the clatter of the carriages as the toy train winds its way up the hill blend seamlessly with the cacophony of hill traffic especially because the railway and the hill road chase each other all the way from Siliguri to Darjeeling. At times the narrow gauge railway track and the road seem to move in tandem, a picture of perfect harmony. Many times — in fact 150 times in the entire stretch — they cross each other. Every now and then they play hide and seek like two feuding lovers. But they are never too far away from each other at any point.

But then, the Railways did wake up and so did UNESCO which recently 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 Zimmering in the Austrian Alps, DHR is the second railway system in the world to be accorded the World Heritage status.

A ride on the DHR is not for the hurried and hassled traveller who is impatient to reach his destination. Its for those who believe the journey is the destination. Much like a toy train strung together from matchboxes, the DHR balances on two-feet tracks moving at a maximum speed of 15 kilometers an hour. It takes all of nine hours to reach Darjeeling from Siliguri and the entire ride for a princely sum of Rs 30! Imaginatively named coaches such as Shivalik, Kanchenjunga, etc with wide windows offer picture postcard views of rhododendron slopes. Kanchenjunga in all her snowy glory, beckons you tantalisingly from every turn the train takes. In fact, there are so many turns and twists in the track that it seems as though the train is turning its head to check up on its rear from time to time. The train passes through bazaars so close that you can virtually lean out and help yourself to the merchandise in the shops. It hugs the hillsides, giving you a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the hill people. It seems to be a constant wonder for the locals who stop in their tracks to watch it go-by just as their parents and grandparents must have done it in their time. Even as traffic on the narrow hill roads get snarled from time to time, the DHR gets right of way as it passes regally through the townships.
 

The Kangra Valley Railway

No one could have thought of making a finer selection of territory for building a new mountain railway in India than the Kangra Valley. Few places can match this scenic region in the sub-Himalayas. You will stumble across a land that has cast its magic spell upon those who planned the railway and those who built the line. The result is there for all to see — an achievement that in every way makes one proud of the fine record that the history of Indian Railways has always had.

We must remember, the Kangra Valley is not one place in particular. It happens to be the name given to the entire region that lies between the Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas to the north and the last straggling foothills to the south. So, roughly speaking, we are talking about a slim rectangular belt running 90 miles in length and 30 miles in breadth through the mountains. To the north, the peaks rear skyward: first a low chain of ridges followed by an extensive line averaging between 7000 and 9000 feet. Directly behind those are massifs rising from 13,000 to well over 16,000 feet. Then the snows.

As you approach Palampur, the ever-present background of snowy chain peaks, 15,000 and 16,000 feet in height is barely ten miles away from you. From here onwards, the line runs parallel to the Dhauladhar Range and much nearer to it than any other Railways in India that ever comes so close to the eternal snows.

Just before Baijnath, the line enters a stretch of country far superior to the journey by road. Here, the train threads its way among the pines of the Bhir gorge.

Not many miles further up the line is the Bathu Khad which is spanned by a long viaduct constructed on a graceful curve with the rails about 100 feet above the bed of the nullah. Between this point and Kangra are the only two tunnels: at mile 53 is the Dhudni tunnel, 250 feet long. Four miles further is the Daulatpur tunnel, 1000 feet in length.

Through all this portion of the journey, the scenery is very rugged but extremely interesting especially along the last few miles to Kangra whose ancient Rajput fort — now in ruins after the 1905 earthquake — is visible from beyond the second tunnel. The line does not pass through Kangra town itself but is separated from it by a gigantic cleft in the hills at the bottom of which runs the picturesque Ban Ganga river.

Kalka-Shimla Railway

The idea of a railway line to Shimla dates back to the introduction of Railways in India. In the Delhi Gazette, a correspondent in November 1847 sketched the route of a railway to Shimla with estimates of the traffic returns etc. in appropriate style. He wrote: “We might then see these cooler regions become the permanent seat of a government daily invigorated by a temperature adapted to refresh an European constitution and keep the mental powers in a state of health alike beneficial both to the rulers and the ruled.”

Survey for a railway line to Shimla featured in the Administrative Reports of the Indian Railways year after year. It is interesting to note that the Shimla line was the most surveyed line. The earliest survey was made in 1884 followed by another survey in 1885. Based on these two surveys, a project report was submitted in 1887 to the Government of India for an adhesion line, 68 miles in length and with a ruling gradient of 1 in 33. After the commencement of Delhi-Ambala-Kalka line, fresh surveys were made. Lengthy debates followed and finally an adhesion line was chosen in preference to the rack system.

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 sceptic 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 plates and deodar timber sleepers, nine to a rail. The track 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.

The scenery along the whole route is of most magnificent character. Flanked by towering hills, the line, like twin threads of silver, clings perilously to the sides of steep cliffs or ventures boldly over graceful bridges where hundreds of feet below, the little mountain streams gush and sparkle in the sunlight. On leaving Kalka, 2100 feet high above mean sea level, the rail line enters the foothills, commencing its picturesque climb immediately on its departure from Kalka station. The first great difficulty met with was the huge landslide on the seventh mile of the cart road which extends from the hill summit down to Khushallia river 1500 feet below. It was impossible to find a good alignment passing either below or above the slip, and construction along the face of the landslide was out of question. The only alternative was to burrow under the hill. A tunnel, nearly half mile long, was constructed in the solid wall behind the disturbed surface strata and is known as “Koti tunnel”. The main station Dharampur, is at a height of 4900 feet and is 20 miles from Kalka. The gradient here is very steep and to achieve flatter gradients required by the Railway, the line develops into three picturesque loops at Taksal, Gumman and Dharampur respectively. After leaving Dharampur, the railway gains on the road by taking short cuts and tunnels so that up to Taradevi, the distance by rail from Kalka is one-fourth mile less than the distance by road in spite of railway ‘handicaps’. From Taradevi, the rail line goes round Prospect Hill to Jatogh, winding in a series of graceful curves round the Summer Hill and burrows under Inverarm Hill to emerge below the road on the south side of Inverarm at its 59th mile and so on to the terminus near the old Dovedell Chambers. At Dagshai, mile 24, the railway line is 5200 feet above sea level whence it falls to 4900 feet at Solan and to 4667 feet at Kandaghat where the final ascent towards Shimla begins. Between Dagshai and Solan, the railway pierces the Barogh Hill through a tunnel 3752 feet long and situated 900 feet below the road.

Throughout its length of 60 miles, the line runs in a continuous succession of reverse curves up to 120 feet radius along the valleys and spurs, flanking mountains rising to 6800 feet above sea level at Shimla Railway Station, the steepest gradients being three in hundred. The Kalka-Shimla Railway with its extraordinary feat of engineering skill, more than any other cause, contributed to the speedy development of Shimla.

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 one 60 feet plate girder span in a pine wood near the old engineer bungalow at Dharampur and a steel trestle viaduct 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 cut overs 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. In addition to three passenger and one Rail Motor Car Service mentioned in the timetable, two special trains each way run between Summerhigh and Shimla. These special trains cater to military requirements. Deserving special mention are the recently introduced luxurious Shivalik Express and the super-luxurious Shivalik Palace saloon for tourists.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Coonoor is situated 6,000 feet above sea level at the south-east corner of the Nilgiri Plateau and at the head of the principal pass from the plains. Up this ghat runs a road 21 miles long and a rack railway 16 3/4 miles from Mettupalaiyam in Coimbatore District. The place was constituted a municipality in 1866. Coonoor remained a terminus for the Nilgiri line for eight years. The extension from Coonoor to Ootacamund was constructed by the Government of India and the line was opened up to Fernhill on September 15, 1908, and up to Ootacamund, a month later. Rack system was discarded for this extension though the ruling gradient is as severe as 1 in 23. The Ooty terminus was named Udagamandalam, the Tamil word for Ootacamund.

The main feature of this line is the unique rack system and the equally unique and complicated locomotives. To quote from Sir Guilford L. Molesworth’s report of 1886: “The locomotive used for working on the Abt System has two distinct functions: first, that of traction by adhesion as in an ordinary loco and second, that of traction by pinions acting upon the rack bars. The brakes are four in number — two hand brakes action by friction and two acting by preventing the free escape of air from cylinder and thus using compressed air in retarding the progress of the engine. The former are used for shunting whilst the latter for descending steep gradients. One of the hand brakes acts on the tyres of the wheels in the ordinary manner and the second acts on grooved surfaces of the pinion axle but can be used in those place where the rack is laid. Even after hundred years, the brake system on Nilgiri locomotives is as intricate and cumbersome as it was in 1886. The train journey from Chennai to Mettupalaiyam (327 miles) then took just over 17 hours and cost Rs 20 first class and another 20 rupees to cover the remaining 33 miles up the steep mountain road to Coonoor and Ootacamund by the ‘Nilgiri Carrying Company’s Mail and Express Tonga Service’ while heavy baggage had to be sent by bullock cart. The only alternative was to hire a pony and arrange for luggage to be taken up by individual baggage carriers using the shorter but even steeper old road to Coonoor.

Nowadays, the traveller from Ootacamund leaves Chennai Central station on the evening Nilgiri Express at 9 p.m. and arrives at Mettupalaiyam at 7.10 a.m. after a 10 hour journey. There he merely crosses the platform to join the metre gauge train which leaves at 7.25 a.m. and reaches Udagamandalam at 11.40 a.m. in less than 15 hours. The Nilgiri Railway (NMR) is a feat of engineering unique in the East. The line is a metre gauge, practically level for the first four and a half miles, to Kallar at the immediate foot of the hills. As soon as the train leaves Kallar, the rack rail appears and the long climb begins. In the next 12 miles to Coonoor, the line rises 4363 feet curving almost continuously as it clings to the mountainside, crossing lofty viaducts or tunnels through the hard rock. In this distance there are nine tunnels, the longest being 317 feet in length. The gradient posts read one in twelve and a half with monotonous consistency.