Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was the first of the three major mountain railways to be
constructed, and is still considered a prime example of a hill passenger
railway. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train",
is a 2 ft narrow-gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and
Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Opened in 1881, Darjeeling's design applies unique engineering
techniques to establish an effective locomotive link across mountainous
terrain.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The
Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a 46-km long meter-gauge single-track railway in the Tamil
Nadu state. The project was first
proposed in 1854, but was postponed due to the challenges presented by the
region's severe topography; work on the Nilgiri did not begin until 1891 and
the route was not completed until 1908. The elevation of the tracks ranges from
326 to 2,203 m, and represents the most advanced technology of its time.
Kalka Shimla Railway
The
Kalka Shimla Railway is a 96-km long, single track working rail link completed
in 1903, and was the last of India's mountain railways to be designated as World Heritage Site.
The route was built to provide access to the highland town of Shimla, and is emblematic of the technical and physical efforts
taken to connect mountain populations to the rest of India.
Kangra Valley Railway
The
Kangra Valley Railway lies in
the sub-Himalayan region of Kangra Valley and covers a distance of 164 km (101.9 mi) from Pathankot, Punjab to Jogindernagar in Himachal Pradesh, India. The Kangra valley railway comes under the Firozpur division of Northern Railway. The railway line was
planned in May 1926 and commissioned in 1929. This unique line had just two
tunnels, one of which is only 250 ft (76 m) and the other
1,000 ft (300 m) in length.
Matheran Hill Railway
Matheran Hill
Railway is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge heritage
railway in Maharashtra, India.
The railways comes under the administration of the Central
Railways. The railway covers a distance of
21 km (13.05 mi), over large swathes of forest territory connecting Neral to Matheran
in the Western Ghats.
UNESCO is considering giving world heritage status to the Matheran
Hill Railway The Neral–Matheran Light Railway was built
between 1901 and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy, financed by his
father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy at a cost of Rs 16 lakh. Presently the services of this train are
stopped due to the risks of possible mishaps.
