The Darjeeling Toy Train

Rattling through tunnels
And clicking by way stations,
Curving through hills, past timber,
Out into the open places

With the Taj Mahal it needs little else to draw the crowds but with Darjeeling Toy Train.it's only the train N YOU.

Hours of stare at the tea kettle on the stove inspired James Watt to invent the steam engine. Since then trains have caught man's fancy. Trains came to India in the early part of the last century. Among the very first and most novel is the famous Toy Train of Darjeeling. It is 117 years old having made its maiden trip in September, 1881. Officially known as Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the train got inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list in 1999. Every morning you will hear a reluctant chugging sound and will find something emerging out from the dense white mist..before you put your senses to actual work, you find the Toy train puffing furiously with a piercing whistle of triumph-the train in which you always wished to travel.

The Lovingly Train
The Toy Train is a 2 ft gauge railway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. It is one of the most important means of conveyance along the steep inclines of the Himalayan region. The travellers visiting Darjeeling are awed by the railway line which is an engineering feat and one of the wonders of the world. There are three tiny compartments , the middle with curtains and ornate ceilings- for the first class travellers- and a tiny steam engine are what constitute Darjeeling's toy train.
Scenes to Capture
The scenic beauty which one gets to admire along the rail line is certainly a joy forever. The railway track twists in and out of ravines from the Sal trees to the tall cotton trees. One can enjoy the great sight of fig trees, oak, chestnut trees, the birch, the maple tree and the orchids.

The De Facto
Location - West Bengal
Opened In - 1881
Length - 86 km long
Elevation - 100 m in Siliguri to about 200 m in Darjeeling.
Best Time To Visit - March-May or September- November
Entrance Tariff - Rs. 200

Did You Know?

• It is the second railway in the world to be selected as a world heritage site.
• A photographic Profile of 1962-1998 is a book written on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
• The Toy Train till today is powered by a steam engine.
• The Toy Train has 14 locomotives and 44 coaches.
• In 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the original site.