{"id":136,"date":"2014-12-17T14:25:42","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T13:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cabophoto.com\/blog\/?p=136"},"modified":"2015-11-13T13:46:46","modified_gmt":"2015-11-13T12:46:46","slug":"at-full-steam-towards-the-himalayas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cabophoto.com\/blog\/at-full-steam-towards-the-himalayas\/","title":{"rendered":"At full steam towards the Himalayas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Conceived and built during the British\u00a0Raj<\/em>, India\u2019s railway lines are still the main arteries of the country\u2019s traffic system. In hectic, overcrowded train stations travelers fight for space inside (or even on the roof of) one of the seemingly endless trains. Photographs of Mumbai\u2019s\u00a0Church Gate Station<\/em>\u00a0and Kolkata\u2019s\u00a0Howrah Station<\/em>\u00a0are symbols of overpopulation and the collapse of transportation infrastructure. Yet India\u2019s railway system also offers an oasis of tranquility: the\u00a0Darjeeling Himalayan Railway<\/em>, affectionately called \u2018toy train\u2019 because of its diminutive track width of 2 ft., running from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. Today, visitors come to Darjeeling for the famous four Ts:\u00a0T<\/strong>ibetan temples,\u00a0T<\/strong>enzing Norgay (the sherpa who in 1953 together with Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to climb Mt. Everest and who later lived and worked here), the world-famous\u00a0t<\/strong>ea and the toy\u00a0t<\/strong>rain.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Majestic Kangchenjunga, seen from the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway's famous Batasia loop.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

It's\u00a05:30 a.m. in the small town of Kurseong, some 5,000 ft. up in the foothills of the Himalayas: a steam locomotive of the\u00a0Darjeeling Himalayan Railway<\/em>, the \u2018Mountaineer<\/em>\u2019, is being prepared for the 20 mile trip to Darjeeling in the\u00a0Loco Shed<\/em>. The \u2018Mountaineer<\/em>\u2019 was built in 1899 in Scottish Glasgow and has been chugging up the narrow tracks that link the plains of Bengal with the tea gardens of the foothills ever since. It\u2019s cold and drizzling; some workers stand around an open coal fire in the\u00a0Loco Shed<\/em>, still shivering. The locomotive has already been fired up; the air is saturated with the smell of coal, steam and oil. For the trip ahead about 4,000 lbs. of coal are needed. Four workers load it into the engine\u2019s reservoir using wicker baskets; nobody here seems to think of automation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Preparing a steam engine, the 'Mountaineer', for its morning run to Darjeeling.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Some 20 minutes later: Heren T\u2019khatri,\u00a0Chief Ticketing Officer<\/em>\u00a0of the\u00a0Darjeeling Himalayan Railway<\/em>, patrols the platform and checks everybody\u2019s tickets. The fare for the 20 mile ride in second class is ten rupees, about 20 US cents. Departure is at 6:00 a.m., right on time; according to the timetable Darjeeling will be reached in 2 \u00bd hours. The three tiny train cars carry an interesting mix of people: vendors who will sell their goods in the Darjeeling market, two railroad maintenance workers on their way to a repair site and, occupying the majority of the seats, young students. Along the railway there is a number of prestigious boarding schools dating back to the times of the British\u00a0Raj<\/em>, as their names still tell:\u00a0St. Helens Convent<\/em>,\u00a0Goethals Memorial School<\/em>,\u00a0Dowhill Girls School<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Victoria Boys School<\/em>\u00a0can be found here. The train is very popular with the students as it costs only a fraction of the bus ride.<\/p>\n

Very slowly the train chugs through Kurseong\u2019s \u2018High Street\u2019, passing so close to the stalls on the right-hand side that it would be easy to shoplift their wares by reaching out of the window. It\u2019s still quiet in the streets, only at 10:00 a.m. the stores will open and the noise of the bazar will begin, not to end before late evening. The train line runs mostly parallel to the main road and crosses it frequently \u2013there are 177 crossings altogether. At each and every one, the engine blows its whistle. Then there will be people or animals on or near the track, and the whistle will sound again. Once the train is on its way, night has ended for Kurseong\u2019s inhabitants. In fact, people stand at roadside water taps, brushing their teeth.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Darjeeling Himalayan Railway train with a diesel engine passing through Kurseong.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Twenty minutes later the train stops for the first time. The hardwood sleepers of the 126 year old track have to be exchanged for more durable concrete ones, the track is blocked. After only a few minutes the train starts moving again - moving very slowly, coughing loudly and bellowing soot and coal filled plumes of steam and smoke. This is hardly a clean technology.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Fettlers repairing the tracks of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, exchanging wooden sleepers for concrete ones.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Not too long before the train has to stop again: the steam engine needs a water refill. While the tank is being filled, women from the village appear and offer hot chocolate-colored milk tea, the\u00a0chai<\/em>\u00a0that is so popular everywhere in India, for sale. Especially the driver, the fireman and the two \u2018sandmen\u2019 who sit on the very front of the engine and drop sand onto the tracks to prevent excessive wheelslip at steep sections, are grateful customers of the invigorating early morning brew in today\u2019s weather.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Refilling water on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railroad train on its way from Kurseong to Darjeeling.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

As soon as the train resumes its run to Darjeeling, the students begin to sing in a language that most Indians will not understand: it is\u00a0Nepali<\/em>, the dominant language here in the hills. A few miles later the clouds lift. On one side of the tracks the lowlands of Bangladesh come into view, on the other majestic Kangchenjunga, at 28,169 ft. the third-highest peak on earth, presents itself in the morning light. The\u00a0Nepali<\/em>\u00a0song, the rhythm of the engine and the impression of being halfway between heaven and earth combine for an almost surreal experience.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>