The Toy Train:Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
History of DHR Toy Train While the tea gardens had placed Darjeeling prominently on the map of world economy, the romantic saga of toy train deeply touched the heart of people all over the world. And this story dates back to the 1800s. By 1870s, Darjeeling had already become a well known hill station and a health resort. India was then under the British colonial rule. Many Englishmen and their families, mostly from Kolkata would flock towards Darjeeling on vacations. As a result the traffic started increasing heavily in this part of the country. After all it was a beautiful scenic place with great weather. Initially for several years, it used to be a long tedious journey from Kolkata that took well over two weeks to reach Darjeeling. One needed to take 219 miles steam engine hauled train journey up to Sahibgunj. The train was run privately by the Eastern Bengal Railways (EBR). From here one needed to cross over the Ganges river by a steamer...