India - Darjeeling Himalayan Railway - Driver prepares his engine for daily journey

Train driver Birkh Dattani drives the narrow gauge steam train between Darjeeling and Kurseong, the shorter of the two journeys he has been traveling for the past 40 years. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a narrow-gauge railway from Siliguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways. It was built between 1879 and 1881 and is about 86 km long. The elevation level is from about 100 m at Siliguri to about 2200 m at Darjeeling. It is still powered by a steam engine and travels daily between the two towns, as well as a shorter route to Kurseong. It is now classed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. India.

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Copyright: Christopher Pillitz
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Train driver Birkh Dattani drives the narrow gauge steam train between Darjeeling and Kurseong, the shorter of the two journeys he has been traveling for the past 40 years. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a narrow-gauge railway from Siliguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways. It was built between 1879 and 1881 and is about 86 km long. The elevation level is from about 100 m at Siliguri to about 2200 m at Darjeeling. It is still powered by a steam engine and travels daily between the two towns, as well as a shorter route to Kurseong. It is now classed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. India.