The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway part two

Tindharia to Darjeeling

Part two of this Driver's eye view of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.  The famous Indian 2 foot gauge line runs for 55 miles from New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal up to Darjeeling in the foothills of the Himalayas. We ride aboard a steam tour train into its second day, starting roughly half way up the line at Tindharia.

The sunny weather, coupled with state of the art cameras, provide a spectacular view of this unique hill railway. Our iconic B class steam engine climbs relentlessly through the magnificent scenery over gradients as steep as 1 in 18! Following the Hill Cart Road most of the way, we cross it dozens of times to ease the gradient or lessen a curve. We run on the very edge of the mountains, squeeze through the narrowest of ledges and pass through towns and villages to Kurseong, one of the largest on the line.

After reversing out of Kurseong station, we jump forwards to Tung. (Unfortunately this section was lost due to a technical fault though it can now be viewed separately as a download).  From Tung the climb continues to Ghum, the summit of the line at 7,407 feet above sea level. Then our diminutive DHR steam train descends for the next couple of miles into the town of Darjeeling, famous for it's tea plantations and summer home of the English Raj.