Mountain railways of India
Encyclopedia
The Mountain Railways of India refer to the five railway lines built in the mountains of India
in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, during the British Raj
, which are run even today by the Indian Railways. Three out of these five railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
(1881), the Kalka-Shimla Railway
(1898) and the Kangra Valley Railway
(1924), are located in the rugged hill regions of the Himalayas
of Northern India and the other two are much further south in the Western Ghats
; the Nilgiri Mountain Railway
in Southern India, and the Matheran Hill Railway
in Maharashtra
. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway have been collectively designated as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
entitled "Mountain Railways of India". These five railways in India are part of around twenty similar lines of narrow gauge
and metre gauge
found in the world.
All the five railway lines are still operational and connect to important hill resorts, from foot hills, winding through rugged and scenic mountainous terrains. Given the terrain that they were constructed on, in the British colonial period they were considered, "outstanding examples of the interchange of values on development in technology" and engineering marvels.
for establishing control over the Himalayas and other mountain ranges of India. It was in 1844 that Sir John Lawrence, the then Viceroy of India, had mooted the idea of phased colonization of hills, particularly as military garrisons. The British, in a proposal termed simply as ‘Hill Railway’, considered establishing geographically and culturally rich stations across the country. The hill stations chosen for this purpose were Shimla
, the then capital of British India, Darjeeling, known for its tea gardens and scenic views of the Himalayas in the state of West Bengal
, the Kangra Valley
in Himachal Pradesh
, the Ootacamund
in the Nilgiri mountains of Tamilnadu and the Matheran
hill station in the Western Ghats near Mumbai
were considered.
The pioneering effort to link mountainous terrain of enchanting beauty with a hill passenger railway commenced in 1878 with the building of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway line, when Franklin Prestage of the then Eastern Bengal Railway initiated plans for the building of a hill tramway along the alignment of the Hill Cart Road from Siliguri
to Darjeeling. Construction subsequently began, and in 1881 the line was commissioned up to Darjeeling.
The next project launched was of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in South India
, a proposal which initially was proposed in 1854. Work started in 1894, but the railway was not completed until 1908, as the hill terrain was very difficult, given its wide fluctuation in altitude between 326 metres (1,069.6 ft) and 2203 metres (7,227.7 ft) over a distance of 46 kilometres (28.6 mi). The building of the 96 kilometres (59.7 mi) Kalka Shimla Railway link commenced in 1898 to open up the remote hill regions to the rest of the country and was inaugurated by the British Viceroy Lord Curzon in November 1903. The Matheran–Narela toy train was commissioned in 1907; Matheran is a hill station 108 kilometres (67.1 mi) away from Mumbai. The Kangra line was built in 1929 in the picturesque Kangra valley.
The World Heritage UNESCO recognition to three of the five Mountain Railways of India has been stated as for being "outstanding examples of bold, ingenious engineering solutions for the problem of establishing an effective rail link through a rugged, mountainous terrain." The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was recognized first in 1999, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway followed suite as an extension to the site in 2005, and in 2008 the Kalka–Shimla Railway was further added as an extension; and the three together have been titled as Mountain Railways of India under Criteria : ii, iv under the region in the Asia-Pacific. The claims of the Matheran Railway, the fourth hill line, is pending acceptance by the international body.
The five Mountain Railway systems in India are:
. Highly regarded in India to this day, the railway line was built by the British Government
. Darjeeling was a major summer hill station and the centre of a flourishing tea-growing district. The elevation level along this line starting with about 100 metres (328.1 ft) at Siliguri
rose to about 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) at Darjeeling but attained highest elevation at Ghoom station of 2300 metres (7,545.9 ft). The Siliguri town was connected with Calcutta (now called Kolkata) in 1878 while an alternative journey to Darjeeling used to be performed by tongas (horse-driven carts) along a dust track. On the recommendations of a Committee appointed by Sir Ashley Eden
, the then Lt. Governor of the Government of West Bengal, and the request of Franklyn Prestage, the Agent of the Eastern Bengal Railway Company, work on the railway commenced in 1879 and was completed by July 1881. The railway line underwent several improvements over the years to ease the gradient of the line for convenience of manoeuvrability. By 1909–1910, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was carrying 174,000 passengers and 47,000 tonnnes of goods annually.
Important features incorporated in the line consisted of four loops (spiral
s) and four reverses (zigzags
). The introduction of the first bogie carriages service replaced the very basic four wheel carriages and extensive improvements were made to the track and stations after the earthquake of 1897 and underwent further modernization under the Northeast Frontier Railway
Zone of Indian Railway. It is still powered by a steam engine, although a modern diesel engine is used for the Darjeeling mail train.
In 1999, this mountain line in India was the first to be recognized by the UNESCO Committee at its 23rd session held at Marrakech
, Morocco
. It was then inscribed on the World Heritage List under the following criteria (ii) and (iv). An assurance recorded was that apart that from creating a buffer zone under the declared heritage site, the steam trains would be retained within the site.
The initial difficulties faced by the British engineer in charge of building this line from both ends of the tunnel was due to erosion in the precipitous hillside and negotiating a gradient within the limits of rail transport. It was then a remark by the engineer’s wife who suggested, “Darling if you can’t go ahead, why you don’t come back?” that created the inventive plan of climbing mountains adopting ‘Z’ reversing stations. In this plan, the train chugs forward up to the edge of the rock face, then reverses at a slanted angle up the hillside, again moves forward to a higher level above the original track. This helps to negotiate above the zone of land erosion. This layout of the extended line came to be popularly known as the ‘Z’ form. In the initial 40 years, there were four reversing stations and four complete loops. Another 'Z' reversing station was added much later to ease the gradient.
Another feature along this line is the pithy signage
s located at key vantage points along the route which proclaim to the passengers travelling by the train, and creates excitement to explore the locations, such as the ‘Agony Point’, the 'Sensation Corner' and so forth. The loop points or spirals constructed on precipitous hills are also view points, which provide spectacular views of the valley down below.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a single track, 46 kilometres (28.6 mi) long metre gauge single line. Coonoor
was initially the final hill station on the line in June 1899 but this was extended up to Fernhill
in September 1908 and up to Udagmandalam by October 15, 1908. It now connects the town of Mettupalayam with the hill station of Udagamandalam (Ootacamund
), in the Nilgiri hills, popularly known as the 'Blue Mountains' of Southern India. Both towns are in the state of Tamil Nadu. The only rack railway in India, it uses the alternate biting system (Abt) commonly termed as 'rack and pinion' rail system and is operated with special steam locomotives. This system is described in Sir Gulford L. Molesworth’s report of 1886, which says:
The trains that run on this line cover a distance of 46 kilometres (28.6 mi), travel through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 290 minutes (4.8 hours), and the downhill journey takes 215 minutes (3.6 hours).
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was inscribed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2005. The unique feature of this line, which is still fully operational, is its oldest and the steepest ‘rack and pinion technology’. As it now operates, the line has a metre gauge section for 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) up to the foothill station of Kallar from where the rack rail system begins and runs hugging the hills, passing through tunnels, 12 in number with the longest tunnel measuring 97 metres (318.2 ft), for 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) up the hills at a gradient of 1:12.5 up to Coonoor. Beyond Coonoor, up to the last station at Ooty or Oottacamund, the track has a ruling gradient of 1:23.
, the modern capital city of Himachal Pradesh,is located at 7234 feet (2,204.9 m), in the foothills of the Himalayas
. It was the summer capital of British India in 1864 and it was also the headquarters of the British Army
in India. Kalka
is a town in the Panchkula
district of Haryana
.
Prior to construction of the railway communication, connection with the outside world was via a village cartway. The railway line was constructed by the Delhi–Ambala–Kalka Railway Company commencing in 1898 in the Siwalik Hills
ranges. However, several plans with alternative routes were surveyed between 1884 and 1898, and the contract to build this line was finally awarded to Delhi–Ambala–Kalka Railway Company. The 95.66 kilometres (59.4 mi) long, narrow gauge line was opened for traffic on November 9, 1903.
The line has 103 tunnels and 864 bridges (multi-arched gallery type, like the Roman
aqueducts), except for one bridge of 18.29 metres (60 ft) length with plate girder span and steel truss. The ruling gradient
is 1:33 or 3%, with 919 curves, the sharpest
being 48 degrees (a radius of 37.47 metres (122.9 ft) and climbs from 656 metres (2,152.2 ft) and terminates at an elevation of 2076 metres (6,811 ft) at Shimla. The Barog Tunnel (No. 33) is the longest tunnel on the line at 1144 metres (3,753.3 ft) in length between Dagshai
and Solan
(270 metres (885.8 ft) below the road) and is named after the engineer who had commenced digging the tunnel from both sides of the mountain but could not complete it and hence committed suicide (he was buried near the site of the tunnel). His Indian counterpart, known by the name Bhalku, who helped H. S. Harrington to build another tunnel about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) away from the abandoned tunnel, was honoured with a medal and turban as an appreciation for his contribution to building tunnels, by the then Viceroy of India.
The route from Kalka to Shimla involves journey through the Koti tunnel 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) long, the Dharampur main station, 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) from Kalka, three loops at Taksal
, Gumman and Dharampur to attain flatter gradients, Taradevi, Prospect Hill to Jatogh, Inverarm to the terminus at old Dovedell chambers at Shimla. Other important stations on this route, distance wise from Kalka include Dagshai–38.4 kilometres (23.9 mi), at an elevation of 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft) and Solan. Special luxury trains called the Shivalik Express and Shivalik Palace Saloon operate during the summer months to cater for heavy traffic from tourism, apart from several passenger and cargo (potato, in particular) trains, in addition to catering to the requirements of the armed services.
This line was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2008, joining the Nilgiri and Darjeeling lines.
in Maharashtra, was built between 1901 and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy and was financed by his father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy
of the Adamjee Group
. The railway line, a 610mm (2 ft) gauge line, covers a distance of 20 kilometres (12.4 mi), over large swathes of forest territory connecting Neral
to Matheran
in the Western Ghats
hills near Karjat
and Mumbai. The plan, formulated in 1900, began construction in 1904 and the line was opened to traffic by 1907. Originally, the tracks were laid with 30 lb/yard rails but now use heavier 42 lb/yard rails. Ruling gradient is 1:20 (5%) with tight curves and speeds are limited to 20 kilometres per hour (12.4 mph). The line, which generally used to be closed during the monsoons because of the danger of landslides, has, since the 1980s, been kept operational throughout the year. This railway line is administered by the Central Railways..
The unique feature of this line is the horseshoe embankment, which was built to avoid a reversion station, seen when the train curves markedly. Important stations and special features include this, the initial Neral Station, the Herdal Hill section, the Bhekra Khud steep gradient, the only tunnel on the route, popularly known as the "One Kiss Tunnel" (time to pass through this is just sufficient to exchange a kiss with one's partner), a "Water Pipe" station (now non functional due to change over to diesel locomotive), Mountain Berry with two sharp 'Zig Zags', Panorama Point and finally terminating at Matheran Bazaar. The Broad gauge line between Mumbai and Poona runs close to this line and the road also crosses the railway line at two locations.
and Joginder Nagar, a valley known for its natural beauty and ancient Hindu
shrines. The line, which is part of the Northern Railway and is made with a gauge, was planned in May 1926 and commissioned in 1929 and is popularly known as the “Kangra Toy Train”. The highest point on this line is at Ahju station at an elevation of 1210 metres (3,969.8 ft). 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
. Though the gradient of the line is generally gentle, the critical reach with steep slopes is at the 142 kilometres (88.2 mi) stretch, which is of 210 metres (689 ft) width with 1:19 slope with approach slopes of 1:31 and 1:25. The terminus stretch between Baijnath and Jogindernagar
is 1:25. The train journey on this line provides beautiful views of peaks of the Dhauladhar
mountain range, particularly in the stretch between Kangra and Mangwal
, and also the ruins of the Kangra Fort
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, which are run even today by the Indian Railways. Three out of these five railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a narrow gauge railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways....
(1881), the Kalka-Shimla Railway
Kalka-Shimla Railway
The Kalka–Shimla Railway is a narrow gauge railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. It is known for breathtaking views of the hills and surrounding villages.- History :...
(1898) and the Kangra Valley Railway
Kangra Valley Railway
The Kangra Valley Railway lies in the sub-Himalayan region and covers a distance of . from Pathankot to Jogindernagar. The Kangra valley railway comes under the Firozpur division of Northern Railway...
(1924), are located in the rugged hill regions of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
of Northern India and the other two are much further south in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
; the Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway Company. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division...
in Southern India, and the Matheran Hill Railway
Matheran Hill Railway
Matheran Hill Railway is a heritage railway in Maharashtra, India. It was built between 1901 and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy, financed by his father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy of the Adamjee Group at the cost of Rs.16,00,000...
in Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway have been collectively designated as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
entitled "Mountain Railways of India". These five railways in India are part of around twenty similar lines of narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
and metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
found in the world.
All the five railway lines are still operational and connect to important hill resorts, from foot hills, winding through rugged and scenic mountainous terrains. Given the terrain that they were constructed on, in the British colonial period they were considered, "outstanding examples of the interchange of values on development in technology" and engineering marvels.
History
The mountain railways in the hills emerged as a result of the delayed interest evinced during the British RajBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
for establishing control over the Himalayas and other mountain ranges of India. It was in 1844 that Sir John Lawrence, the then Viceroy of India, had mooted the idea of phased colonization of hills, particularly as military garrisons. The British, in a proposal termed simply as ‘Hill Railway’, considered establishing geographically and culturally rich stations across the country. The hill stations chosen for this purpose were Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, the then capital of British India, Darjeeling, known for its tea gardens and scenic views of the Himalayas in the state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, the Kangra Valley
Kangra Valley
Kangra Valley is situated in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is a popular tourist destination, with the peak season around March and April.Dharamsala, the headquarters of Kangra district, lies on the southern spur of Dhauladhar in the valley .-Geography:...
in Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, the Ootacamund
Ootacamund
Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...
in the Nilgiri mountains of Tamilnadu and the Matheran
Matheran
- Getting to Matheran :Matheran is located about 100 km from Mumbai, 120 km from Pune. and 320 km from Surat. It lies on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail link and the nearest train station is at Neral, approximately 11 km from Matheran. From Neral, one can either rent a taxi to the...
hill station in the Western Ghats near Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
were considered.
The pioneering effort to link mountainous terrain of enchanting beauty with a hill passenger railway commenced in 1878 with the building of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway line, when Franklin Prestage of the then Eastern Bengal Railway initiated plans for the building of a hill tramway along the alignment of the Hill Cart Road from Siliguri
Siliguri
Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...
to Darjeeling. Construction subsequently began, and in 1881 the line was commissioned up to Darjeeling.
The next project launched was of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, a proposal which initially was proposed in 1854. Work started in 1894, but the railway was not completed until 1908, as the hill terrain was very difficult, given its wide fluctuation in altitude between 326 metres (1,069.6 ft) and 2203 metres (7,227.7 ft) over a distance of 46 kilometres (28.6 mi). The building of the 96 kilometres (59.7 mi) Kalka Shimla Railway link commenced in 1898 to open up the remote hill regions to the rest of the country and was inaugurated by the British Viceroy Lord Curzon in November 1903. The Matheran–Narela toy train was commissioned in 1907; Matheran is a hill station 108 kilometres (67.1 mi) away from Mumbai. The Kangra line was built in 1929 in the picturesque Kangra valley.
The World Heritage UNESCO recognition to three of the five Mountain Railways of India has been stated as for being "outstanding examples of bold, ingenious engineering solutions for the problem of establishing an effective rail link through a rugged, mountainous terrain." The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was recognized first in 1999, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway followed suite as an extension to the site in 2005, and in 2008 the Kalka–Shimla Railway was further added as an extension; and the three together have been titled as Mountain Railways of India under Criteria : ii, iv under the region in the Asia-Pacific. The claims of the Matheran Railway, the fourth hill line, is pending acceptance by the international body.
The five Mountain Railway systems in India are:
- Darjeeling Himalayan Railway - 88 kilometres (54.7 mi) (1881)
- Nilgiri Mountain Railway - 46 kilometres (28.6 mi) (1908)
- Kalka-Shimla Railway - 95.66 kilometres (59.4 mi)
- Matheran Hill Railway - 20 kilometres (12.4 mi)
- Kangra Valley Railway - 164 kilometres (101.9 mi)
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), given the epithet, the "Toy Train", is a 610 mm (2 ft) narrow–gauge railway that runs for 88 kilometres (54.7 mi) from Siliguri to Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, operated by the Indian RailwaysIndian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
. Highly regarded in India to this day, the railway line was built by the British Government
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Darjeeling was a major summer hill station and the centre of a flourishing tea-growing district. The elevation level along this line starting with about 100 metres (328.1 ft) at Siliguri
Siliguri
Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...
rose to about 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) at Darjeeling but attained highest elevation at Ghoom station of 2300 metres (7,545.9 ft). The Siliguri town was connected with Calcutta (now called Kolkata) in 1878 while an alternative journey to Darjeeling used to be performed by tongas (horse-driven carts) along a dust track. On the recommendations of a Committee appointed by Sir Ashley Eden
Ashley Eden
The Hon. Sir Ashley Eden KCSI CIE was an official and diplomat in British India.Eden was the third son of Robert John Eden, 3rd Lord Auckland and bishop of Bath and Wells. His uncle was George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland...
, the then Lt. Governor of the Government of West Bengal, and the request of Franklyn Prestage, the Agent of the Eastern Bengal Railway Company, work on the railway commenced in 1879 and was completed by July 1881. The railway line underwent several improvements over the years to ease the gradient of the line for convenience of manoeuvrability. By 1909–1910, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was carrying 174,000 passengers and 47,000 tonnnes of goods annually.
Important features incorporated in the line consisted of four loops (spiral
Spiral (railway)
A spiral is a technique employed by railways to ascend steep hills.A railway spiral rises on a steady curve until it has completed a loop, passing over itself as it gains height, allowing the railway to gain vertical elevation in a relatively short horizontal distance...
s) and four reverses (zigzags
Zig Zag (railway)
A railway zig zag, also called a switchback, is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. For a short distance , the direction of travel is reversed, before the original direction is resumed.A location on railways constructed e.g...
). The introduction of the first bogie carriages service replaced the very basic four wheel carriages and extensive improvements were made to the track and stations after the earthquake of 1897 and underwent further modernization under the Northeast Frontier Railway
Northeast Frontier Railway
The Northeast Frontier Railway abbreviated as N F Railway is one of the 16 railway zones in India. Headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati in the state of Assam it is responsible for rail operations in the entire Northeast and parts of West Bengal and Bihar...
Zone of Indian Railway. It is still powered by a steam engine, although a modern diesel engine is used for the Darjeeling mail train.
In 1999, this mountain line in India was the first to be recognized by the UNESCO Committee at its 23rd session held at Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. It was then inscribed on the World Heritage List under the following criteria (ii) and (iv). An assurance recorded was that apart that from creating a buffer zone under the declared heritage site, the steam trains would be retained within the site.
Criterion (ii): The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is an outstanding example of the influence of an innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multi-cultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world.
Criterion (iv): The development of railways in the 19th century has a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. This process is illustrated in an exceptional and seminal fashion by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
The initial difficulties faced by the British engineer in charge of building this line from both ends of the tunnel was due to erosion in the precipitous hillside and negotiating a gradient within the limits of rail transport. It was then a remark by the engineer’s wife who suggested, “Darling if you can’t go ahead, why you don’t come back?” that created the inventive plan of climbing mountains adopting ‘Z’ reversing stations. In this plan, the train chugs forward up to the edge of the rock face, then reverses at a slanted angle up the hillside, again moves forward to a higher level above the original track. This helps to negotiate above the zone of land erosion. This layout of the extended line came to be popularly known as the ‘Z’ form. In the initial 40 years, there were four reversing stations and four complete loops. Another 'Z' reversing station was added much later to ease the gradient.
Another feature along this line is the pithy signage
Signage
Signage is any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. This is typically manifested in the form of wayfinding information in places such as streets or inside/outside of buildings.-History:...
s located at key vantage points along the route which proclaim to the passengers travelling by the train, and creates excitement to explore the locations, such as the ‘Agony Point’, the 'Sensation Corner' and so forth. The loop points or spirals constructed on precipitous hills are also view points, which provide spectacular views of the valley down below.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Coonoor
Coonoor is a town and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea....
was initially the final hill station on the line in June 1899 but this was extended up to Fernhill
Fernhill
Fernhill is a residential district in the Scottish town of Rutherglen in Lanarkshire. It is situated south of the River Clyde. Built largely in the 1950s and 60s as a slum clearance area for Rutherglen, Fernhill could be considered as a smaller equivalent to the infamous Castlemilk estate which...
in September 1908 and up to Udagmandalam by October 15, 1908. It now connects the town of Mettupalayam with the hill station of Udagamandalam (Ootacamund
Ootacamund
Ootacamund , is a town, a municipality and the district capital of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Ootacamund is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills...
), in the Nilgiri hills, popularly known as the 'Blue Mountains' of Southern India. Both towns are in the state of Tamil Nadu. The only rack railway in India, it uses the alternate biting system (Abt) commonly termed as 'rack and pinion' rail system and is operated with special steam locomotives. This system is described in Sir Gulford L. Molesworth’s report of 1886, which says:
Two distinct functions – 1st that of traction by adhesion as in an ordinary loco; 2nd that of traction by pinions acting on the track 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 shutting whilst the later for descending steep gradients. One of the hand breaks 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 places where the rack is laid.
The trains that run on this line cover a distance of 46 kilometres (28.6 mi), travel through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 290 minutes (4.8 hours), and the downhill journey takes 215 minutes (3.6 hours).
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was inscribed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2005. The unique feature of this line, which is still fully operational, is its oldest and the steepest ‘rack and pinion technology’. As it now operates, the line has a metre gauge section for 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) up to the foothill station of Kallar from where the rack rail system begins and runs hugging the hills, passing through tunnels, 12 in number with the longest tunnel measuring 97 metres (318.2 ft), for 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) up the hills at a gradient of 1:12.5 up to Coonoor. Beyond Coonoor, up to the last station at Ooty or Oottacamund, the track has a ruling gradient of 1:23.
Kalka-Shimla Railway
ShimlaShimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, the modern capital city of Himachal Pradesh,is located at 7234 feet (2,204.9 m), in the foothills of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. It was the summer capital of British India in 1864 and it was also the headquarters of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in India. Kalka
Kalka
Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana, India. The name of the town is derived from the goddess Kali. The town is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is a gateway to the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh. It is on the National Highway 22 between Chandigarh and Shimla,...
is a town in the Panchkula
Panchkula
Panchkula is a planned city in Panchkula district, Haryana, India. It is a satellite city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It also shares seamless border with Mohali district in Punjab. The prestigious Chandimandir Cantonment Headquarters of the Indian Army Western Command, is also located in...
district of Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
.
Prior to construction of the railway communication, connection with the outside world was via a village cartway. The railway line was constructed by the Delhi–Ambala–Kalka Railway Company commencing in 1898 in the Siwalik Hills
Siwalik Hills
The Sivalik hills is a mountain range of the outer Himalayas also known as Manak Parbat in ancient times. Shivalik literally means 'tresses of Shiva’. This range is about long enclosing an area that starts almost from the Indus and ends close to the Brahmaputra, with a gap of about between the...
ranges. However, several plans with alternative routes were surveyed between 1884 and 1898, and the contract to build this line was finally awarded to Delhi–Ambala–Kalka Railway Company. The 95.66 kilometres (59.4 mi) long, narrow gauge line was opened for traffic on November 9, 1903.
The line has 103 tunnels and 864 bridges (multi-arched gallery type, like the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
aqueducts), except for one bridge of 18.29 metres (60 ft) length with plate girder span and steel truss. The ruling gradient
Ruling gradient
The term "ruling grade" is usually used as a synonym for "steepest climb" between two points on a railroad. But if the steepest climb is, say, a quarter-mile of 2% upgrade preceded and followed by 1.5% grade the "ruling grade" can only be defined arbitrarily....
is 1:33 or 3%, with 919 curves, the sharpest
Minimum railway curve radius
The minimum railway curve radius, the shortest design radius, has an important bearing on constructions costs and operating costs and, in combination with superelevation in the case of train tracks, determines the maximum safe speed of a curve. Superelevation is not a factor on tramway tracks...
being 48 degrees (a radius of 37.47 metres (122.9 ft) and climbs from 656 metres (2,152.2 ft) and terminates at an elevation of 2076 metres (6,811 ft) at Shimla. The Barog Tunnel (No. 33) is the longest tunnel on the line at 1144 metres (3,753.3 ft) in length between Dagshai
Dagshai
Dagshai is one of the oldest cantonment towns in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is situated on top of a 5689 feet high hillock. That stands sphinx like astride the Kalka-Shimla Highway at a point about 11 Km from Solan...
and Solan
Solan
Solan is a town and a municipal council in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located south of state capital Shimla. The place is named after the Hindu goddess Shoolini devi. Solan was the capital of erstwhile princely state, Bhagat...
(270 metres (885.8 ft) below the road) and is named after the engineer who had commenced digging the tunnel from both sides of the mountain but could not complete it and hence committed suicide (he was buried near the site of the tunnel). His Indian counterpart, known by the name Bhalku, who helped H. S. Harrington to build another tunnel about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) away from the abandoned tunnel, was honoured with a medal and turban as an appreciation for his contribution to building tunnels, by the then Viceroy of India.
The route from Kalka to Shimla involves journey through the Koti tunnel 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) long, the Dharampur main station, 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) from Kalka, three loops at Taksal
Taksal
Taksal is a village in Himachal Pradesh, India.Lying in the foothills of the Himalayas , it lies just above Parwanoo and is a beautiful place with great natural scenic beauty....
, Gumman and Dharampur to attain flatter gradients, Taradevi, Prospect Hill to Jatogh, Inverarm to the terminus at old Dovedell chambers at Shimla. Other important stations on this route, distance wise from Kalka include Dagshai–38.4 kilometres (23.9 mi), at an elevation of 1600 metres (5,249.3 ft) and Solan. Special luxury trains called the Shivalik Express and Shivalik Palace Saloon operate during the summer months to cater for heavy traffic from tourism, apart from several passenger and cargo (potato, in particular) trains, in addition to catering to the requirements of the armed services.
This line was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2008, joining the Nilgiri and Darjeeling lines.
Matheran Hill Railway
Matheran Hill Railway, a heritage railwayHeritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
in Maharashtra, was built between 1901 and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy and was financed by his father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy
Adamjee Peerbhoy
Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy was, by the turn of the 20th century, one of India's largest cotton manufacturers and wealthiest men. At one point he employed more than 15,000 workers in his cotton mills and supplied the canvas used for the tents and khaki uniforms of the British soldiers during the Second...
of the Adamjee Group
Adamjee Group
Adamjee Group is a conglomerate based primarily in Pakistan.The group was founded by Sir Adamjee Haji Dawood who also played a vital role in the birth of the state of Pakistan by acting as a financial advisor and supporter to Quaid-e-Azam Mohomed Ali Jinnah- the founding father of Pakistan...
. The railway line, a 610mm (2 ft) gauge line, covers a distance of 20 kilometres (12.4 mi), over large swathes of forest territory connecting Neral
Neral, India
Neral is a town in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is 83 km from Mumbai in the Karjat tehsil.It is best known as a railroad junction, with trains arriving from Mumbai and from Pune, India. to the nearby and very popular hill station of Matheran. A narrow-gauge rail line, 21...
to Matheran
Matheran
- Getting to Matheran :Matheran is located about 100 km from Mumbai, 120 km from Pune. and 320 km from Surat. It lies on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail link and the nearest train station is at Neral, approximately 11 km from Matheran. From Neral, one can either rent a taxi to the...
in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
hills near Karjat
Karjat
Karjat is a city, a Municipal Council, a Tahsil and a sub-district in Raigad district, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai in the Indian state of Maharashtra.-Geography:...
and Mumbai. The plan, formulated in 1900, began construction in 1904 and the line was opened to traffic by 1907. Originally, the tracks were laid with 30 lb/yard rails but now use heavier 42 lb/yard rails. Ruling gradient is 1:20 (5%) with tight curves and speeds are limited to 20 kilometres per hour (12.4 mph). The line, which generally used to be closed during the monsoons because of the danger of landslides, has, since the 1980s, been kept operational throughout the year. This railway line is administered by the Central Railways..
The unique feature of this line is the horseshoe embankment, which was built to avoid a reversion station, seen when the train curves markedly. Important stations and special features include this, the initial Neral Station, the Herdal Hill section, the Bhekra Khud steep gradient, the only tunnel on the route, popularly known as the "One Kiss Tunnel" (time to pass through this is just sufficient to exchange a kiss with one's partner), a "Water Pipe" station (now non functional due to change over to diesel locomotive), Mountain Berry with two sharp 'Zig Zags', Panorama Point and finally terminating at Matheran Bazaar. The Broad gauge line between Mumbai and Poona runs close to this line and the road also crosses the railway line at two locations.
Kangra Valley Railway
The Kangra Valley Railway lies in the sub-Himalayan region and covers a distance of 163 kilometres (101.3 mi) between PathankotPathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...
and Joginder Nagar, a valley known for its natural beauty and ancient Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
shrines. The line, which is part of the Northern Railway and is made with a gauge, was planned in May 1926 and commissioned in 1929 and is popularly known as the “Kangra Toy Train”. The highest point on this line is at Ahju station at an elevation of 1210 metres (3,969.8 ft). 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
Banganga River
The Banganga is a river of northern India. It is an important tributary of the Beas River. It flows through the Kangra Valley of Himachel Pradesh. The river originates from the southern slope of the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas.-References:...
. Though the gradient of the line is generally gentle, the critical reach with steep slopes is at the 142 kilometres (88.2 mi) stretch, which is of 210 metres (689 ft) width with 1:19 slope with approach slopes of 1:31 and 1:25. The terminus stretch between Baijnath and Jogindernagar
Jogindernagar
Joginder Nagar or Jogindar Nagar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Named after Raja Joginder Sen, Joginder Nagar is terminal point of 163 km long Kangra Valley Narrow gauge railhead...
is 1:25. The train journey on this line provides beautiful views of peaks of the Dhauladhar
Dhauladhar
The Dhauladhar range is a southern branch of the main Outer Himalayan chain of mountains. It rises spectacularly from the Indian plains to the north of Kangra and Mandi...
mountain range, particularly in the stretch between Kangra and Mangwal
Mangwal
Mangwal is a village and union council, an administrative subdivision, of Chakwal District in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, it is part of Chakwal Tehsil and is located at 33°6'30N 72°49'32E....
, and also the ruins of the Kangra Fort
Kangra Fort
The Kangra Fort , , is located 20 kilometers from the town of Dharamsala on the outskirts of the town of Kangra, India. The fort was first mentioned in Alexander the Great's war records, referring to the 4th century BC.-History:...
.