The railway line from Siliguri to Darjeeling, for the famous “toy train”, was officially opened on this day.
Gillanders Arbuthnot and Co. constructed the line, officially known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway,a 2ft (610 mm) narrow-gauge railway.
The stretch from Siliguri to Kurseong had opened earlier, on August 23, 1880. Many adjustments were later made to ease the gradient of the rails. They survived an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899 and were used to transport personnel and weapons during World War II.
The train became an inseparable part of the Darjeeling experience, not only because of the convenience it brought to travellers, who could use a “Tonga service” before, but also because of the beauty of the journey.
A memorable song in the film Aradhana, featuring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore, was shot in it.
The railway line was declared as a World Heritage Site in 1999. Now it has lost much of its lustre, overtaken by other forms of transport, but remains an icon still.
