Mountain Railways of India – Part II

Boarding 52588 Darjeeling Himalaya Railway - another 'toy train' in India

Narrow gauge (2ft-wide - even narrower than modern rapid transit!) and short wheelbase of the locomotive (hence the toy train) were used to allow for sharp radius in the line. These genius measures have avoided the need for heave engineering which would otherwise lead to construction of many bridges and tunnels as what had been done to the Kalka-Shimla line - another Indian toy train

Technique such as loops and reverses were used to overcome the difficulties of the mountain terrain through which the train passes

Note: Together with the Kalka-Shimla Railway and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway in Tamil Nadu, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway form the Mountain Railways of India which were inscribed the UNESCO World Heritage Site (Cultural Site) in 1999.