India - Darjeeling Railway 2006. Part 5 - Over the Summit to Darjeeling

Описание: Taken from 12 year old tapes. Please excuse any quality issues.
This is a look back at the fifth part of my second visit to this fascinating narrow gauge line. In 1881, the line was completed from Jalpaiguri and Siliguri junction, on the broad gauge main line, all the way up into the Himalayan foothills to the summer camp of Darjeeling. In its 55 mile length, the line rises from 100 metres above sea level to around 2300 metres above sea level. The 2ft gauge 0-4-0 saddle tanks are surprisingly powerful and make a very distinctive sound as they blast their way up the mountain sides.
This fifth part features the final climb to the highest point at Ghum, the highest station in India, and then slightly downhill to the destination at Darjeeling. The main square in Darjeeling is a treat and so typical of India. There are dogs "chatting" to each other, vehicles of all types pushing in all directions and a Traffic Police "control" box stationed exactly on the railway line, meaning it has to be physically moved every time a train passes by. Why it isn't permanently located just a few feet from its usual position is a mystery only an Indian could explain. Also, the purpose of the traffic police, anyway, is a mystery in itself. Their main purpose seems to stand in the middle of the road waving a red and a green flag. It's expected, I assume, that everyone knows which colour refers to them !
Part 6 can be found at -    • India - Darjeeling Railway 2006. Part 6 - ...