The Darjeeling Railway had been completed from Kolkata to Siliguri by 1878, almost to the base of the Himalayas, and a Tonga service took travelers thence up the hill portion of the journey. After some time, the idea for inception of the laying of a steam tramway along the road from Siliguri to Darjeeling arose.
On the way to promote awareness, interest and support for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, India- The Darjeeling Railway Society is dedicated an International group and was founded in 1997 by a small band of concerned people, who decided to be active and form a focus for all those who are interested in the line and are concerned for its future, aware of the railway uncertain state. The Darjeeling Himalayan railway is a marvel of sorts in what one would call non-engineering. It uses neither rack mechanism nor cable as other mountain railways do, but moves only on adhesion. Kangra Valley Railway
The Kangra valley railway is an example of how railway engineers can create a work in harmony with nature. They have done your work without destroying the grandeur of the mountain, and at the same time, revealing to the traveler, an enchanted fairyland.. Few places can match from this sub-Himalayas scenic region. The Kangra valley is not one place in
particular. The entire region lies
between the Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas to the north and
last to the south. This range is 90 miles in length and 30 miles
in breadth through the mountains. To the north, the peaks rear
skyward: first a low chain of ridges followed by an extensive line
averaging between 7,000 and 9,000 feet. Directly behind those are
massifs rising from 13,000 to well over 16,000 feet. Mode of
taking the railway through the maze of hills and valleys would
have spoilt its picture postcard perfect ness. This unique line
has just two tunnels, one of which is only 250 feet and the other
1,000 feet in length. The traveler must remember this is a total
distance of 103 miles. Kalka-Shimla Railway
A contract was signed between the secretary of state and the Delhi-Ambala-Kalka railway company On June 29, 1898 for construction and working of a two feet gauge line from Kalka to Shimla. According to the contract, the rail line was to be built without any guarantee from the government. The land was provided free of charge. The contract with DUK was revised on November 15, 1901 and two feet by six inches gauge was adopted for Kalka-Shimla Railway.
For traffic the line measuring 59.44 miles from Kalka to
Shimla was opened on November 9, 1903. The whole route is of most
magnificent character along the scenery. Deserving special mention
are the recently introduced luxurious Shivalik Express and the
super-luxurious Shivalik Palace saloon for tourists.Throughout its length of 60 miles, the line runs in a continuous succession of reverse curves up to 120 feet radius along the valleys and spurs, flanking mountains rising to 6,800 feet above sea level at Shimla railway with its extraordinary feat of engineering skill, more than any other cause, contributed to the speedy development of Shimla. An interesting feature this train is the almost complete absence of Girder bridges. Multi arched galleries like ancient roman aqueducts being the commonest means of carrying the line over the ravines between the hill spurs. Flanked by towering hills, the line, like twin threads of silver, clings perilously to the sides of steep cliffs or ventures boldly over graceful bridges where hundreds of feet below, the little mountain streams gush and sparkle in the sunlight.
