I was a bit surprised to see the Toy Train in the itinerary of the trip, because I only had very vague memories of it or the regular train between Siliguri and Darjeeling that we saw along the road to Darjeeling in 2000 in very bad light. I wasn't expecting much, but I got a lot in terms of views and driving pleasure.
The Darjeeling - Siliguri route has been extended to New Jalpaiguri and the route is a little under 90km but it overcomes more than 2000m of elevation gain (Ghoom on the route is some 200m higher than Darjeeling). The train takes 6.5-10 hours on this route. It is a narrow-gauge railway with a track width of 610 mm and this is called toy train in English, whereas the German word Spielzeugeisenbahn would only be used for toys, but a toy that is no longer in demand.
Planning for the railway dates back to 1878. The plan was approved in 1879 and by 1881 the railway line was complete. The route runs mostly along the roadside of the Hill Cart Road, leads over 554 bridges, and has twelve stations - more information at [1].
"The railway has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999." "When the Darjeeling Railway was not continuously navigable for a long time, UNESCO threatened to withdraw the World Heritage Site if it was not repaired immediately."
The passenger trains between Darjeeling and Ghoom are pulled by steam locomotives, or the steam locomotive drives ahead and a diesel locomotive pushes the train from behind. Of the 34 locomotives originally built up to 1927, 12 were still available in 2005, but only a few of these are operational, the others are used as a spare parts store. But I could also see that spare parts are manufactured or repaired in their own workshop.
The inner-city route sometimes leads only a few centimeters past houses and market stalls. People constantly walk across the track and at times the rails cross the road, but the train runs slowly and the very loud horn is used extensively. The steam locomotive also spreads quite a lot of soot.
We arrived at the train station in Darjeeling much earlier than necessary for the start of the journey. And so we were able to see the hustle and bustle at the station, the shunting, the people and also the museum train. The steam locomotives are located across the street from the station and you can sometimes see how parts are repaired there or what material is available for repairs. Early on, one of the locomotives was put under steam. Every locomotive, including the diesel locomotives, blew their horns (felt as) all the time. The steam locomotives produce a lot of smoke and therefore a lot of soot. You couldn't do that at all in Germany, for example. With so much noise and dirt, there would already be a class action lawsuit by the population against the railway company. But it might be possible there because otherwise the world cultural heritage would be lost.
You drive very slowly on the route, which is also necessary because a lot of people cross the street and the train sometimes changes from the route on the left to the right side. The cars then have to stop, as does the bus service. In Ghoom there is also a museum dedicated to the railway. When you come back after the ride, there are very nice spots that are open where you can see the next train for yourself. It was very interesting how someone sat on the coal tender and handed down the coal to fire the engine.
Overall it was a worthwhile ride. It was a lot of fun. And you learned something about the past. About things that have become completely foreign to us today in trains that travel at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour.
Links and Annotations:
[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darjeeling_Himalayan_Railway
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