In the year of 1879 the proposal of laying down a steam engine track from Siliguri to Darjeeling
was accepted. This idea was that of Franklin Prestage who was an agent for the Eastern Bengal Railway Company. This small idea today has lived to be one of the most glorious and famed milestone in the railway frontier. The completion of this idea to practicality was achieved on the 4th of July 1881 by the Gillanders Arbutnot & Co.After the independence of India this railway line was taken in by the Indian Railways in 1958 and made a part of the Northeast Frontier Railways. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways runs from the broad gauge line at Siliguri till the small Darjeeling railway station at the brink of the town’s bazaar. This railway at present has been abbreviated as the DHR. The railway station is located near the famed Dhirdham temple which is a replica of the famed Pashupatinath temple of Nepal. The long two storied building with its oval structure painted in yellow and dark green is an iconic structure whilst entering the town. It houses two platforms and is the starting point of the world famous “joy ride” that takes you on a journey of a lifetime.
The two sounds that will get you in a pensive mood whilst sitting on one of the chairs at the platform during evenings and mornings are the whistle of the toy train and the ringing of the prayer bells of Dhirdham temple. These two sounds carry through the long platforms in union as if it were creating a symphony just to make you feel blissful. Nostalgia will seep in as these sounds make their way through the long corridors and fill in the atmosphere.The scenic beauty that the hill station is famed for can be widely seen from the railway station too. The horizon on which the famed khangchendzonga range rests upon with the small the small hill station of Darjeeling nestled in her lap is a sight that is sure to get your heart fluttering. The railway station has an excellent panoramic view of the far hills of Sikkim, the trekking trails of Sandakphu, the lush green tea gardens, valleys and the hamlets of Singamari area. At present the DHR houses a diesel locomotive along with the steam locomotives. The steam locomotives are what draws the tourists to the DHR. These steam engines are of the “B” class locomotives that were designed by the Sharp, Stewart & Company. The railway station in Darjeeling runs a total of 3 trains daily. This train runs mostly upto Kurseong at present due to a landslide that took down the rails at a hamlet known as Tindharia. These trains run at three times of 9:15, 10:15 and 11:00 hrs from Darjeeling railway station to Kurseong. At present this pride of the hills has been listed under the World Heritage site in the year of 1999 by UNESCO. This honor has been bestowed upon only one other railway in the world which is the Simmering Railway of Austria. This railway station thus has made its mark in history and placed Darjeeling on the world map in terms other than tea. One should definitely visit this place and have a joy ride for without it a visit to the hills is incomplete.
