Lesser Known Facts About the Mountain and Railways of India

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is located in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal (Northeast India), the Nilgiri Mountain Railways is located in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu (South India), and the Kalka Shimla Railway is located in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh (Northwest India). All three railways are still active and completely functional.

The Indian Mountain Railways are excellent examples of hill railways. They were built between 1881 and 1908 and used bold and inventive engineering solutions to solve the difficulty of constructing a viable rail link over a beautiful hilly environment. They are still in use as living specimens of engineering in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

World Heritage Site:

Mountain Railways of India is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising three railways: the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka–Shimla Railway. The Matheran Hill Railway, the fourth railway, is on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

The Mountain Railways of India are a World Heritage Site because they are “excellent instances of bold, innovative engineering solutions for the problem of constructing an effective train link through tough, mountainous terrain,” according to UNESCO.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, designed and completed by the British in 1880, swiftly opened up north Bengal’s sleepy hill economy. It was surrounded by villages, tea estates, and residential schools.

The renowned Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, often known as the ‘Toy Train,’ will be preserved for future generations. A ‘Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan’ (CCMP) for the vintage British-era rail heritage has been developed by UNESCO and the Indian Railway.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway:

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, sometimes known as “the Toy Train,” is a 610 mm (2 ft) narrow-gauge railway that connects Siliguri and Darjeeling over a distance of 88 kilometres (55 miles). The latter is a popular summer hill station in West Bengal, as well as the heart of a thriving tea-growing region. Indian Railways operates the route, which begins at 100 metres (330 feet) in Siliguri and ends at around 2,200 metres (7,200 feet) in Darjeeling. Ghoom station, at 2,300 metres, has the highest elevation (7,500 ft).

The town of Siliguri, which marks the beginning of the railway route, was connected to Calcutta (now Kolkata) by rail in 1878, but the additional travel to Darjeeling necessitated the use of tongas (horse-drawn carts) via a dust track.

Nilgiri Mountain Railway:

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a metre gauge single-line railway that runs for 46 kilometres (29 miles). It connects Mettupalayam and Udagamandalam, a hill station in the state of Tamil Nadu (Ootacamund). The route passes through the Nilgiri Hills, also known as the Blue Mountains of Southern India, and runs through the state of Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri is India’s sole rack railway, and it employs the Abt rack system. Special steam locomotives are required for the ABT system. The railway has 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and 250 bridges, resulting in a 290-minute (4.8-hour) uphill travel and a 215-minute (4.8-hour) downward excursion (3.6 h).

The line now runs for 7.2 kilometres (4.5 miles) up to Kallar, when the rack rail part begins. At Coonoor railway station, the rack rail part comes to an end. This section’s longest tunnel is 97 metres long (318 ft). The track has a ruling gradient of 1:23 from Coonoor to the last station, with a gradient of 1:12.5 up to Coonoor. 

Kalka–Shimla Railway:

Between Kalka and Shimla is the Kalka–Shimla Railway. The railway is 95.66 kilometres (59.44 miles) long, with a small 2 ft 6-inch gauge (762 mm). Shimla is the modern capital of Himachal Pradesh[8][13] It is located in the Himalayan foothills at an elevation of 2,205 m (7,234 ft). In 1864, it was designated as the summer capital of British India, as well as the headquarters of the British Army in India.

The only method to get to Shimla before the railway was by village cartway. The Delhi–Ambala–Kalka Railway Company began construction of the line in the Siwalik Hills in 1898 and finished it in 1903.

There are 103 tunnels and 864 bridges on the Kalka–Shimla Railway. Many of the bridges are multi-arched, evoking Ancient Roman aqueducts, and one reaches 18.29 metres (60.0 feet) and is built of plate girders and steel trusses.

Conclusion:

India’s mountain railways are narrow-gauge railway lines that go through the country’s mountains. Three of these, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka–Shimla Railway, are all part of the “Mountain Railways of India” UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Matheran Hill Railway, the fourth railway, is on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites. All four railways are narrow-gauge, and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway is India’s only rack railway.