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| The Himalayan tea train that's running out of steam https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=38162 |
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| Author: | Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:43 am ] |
| Post subject: | The Himalayan tea train that's running out of steam |
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32995131 Quote: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway once took precious tea from the foothills of the mountains to the teapots of the world. But it's become a victim of the colossal inefficiency of the state-run system and is facing a slow extinction through neglect, says David Baillie. . . . .
The reality is that it is the railway that is committing suicide from a lack of investment. In the engineering workshop, ancient lathes and machine tools lie idle or broken as the skills to use them are lost with retiring workers, few of whom are replaced. |
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| Author: | Loco112 [ Sun Jun 07, 2015 5:14 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Himalayan tea train that's running out of steam |
A long section of the track got swept about quarter of a mile down the Himalayas about two years ago in a big earthquake. THey fixed that, now there was recently a much larger earth quake and 3000 Nepalese people killed. Nepal is where the line ends, and its not that big up there at the top of the world, so I'm wondering how the RR made out. I have not read any news regarding the RR. Anyone heard anything? |
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| Author: | Jim Livesey [ Sun Jun 07, 2015 6:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Himalayan tea train that's running out of steam |
Darjeeling is about 200miles south east from Kathmandu and about 80 miles from Mt Everest. It is also firmly in India not Nepal. I understand that parts of northern India suffered shocks at the time of the Nepal earthquake but no "major" damage was reported. Given the loss of life and destruction of buildings in Nepal (and at Everest Base Camp) the media concentrated on those locations. There is a photograph of a Darjeeling Tours special train in the June/July issue of "Locomotives International" showing steam loco 806 passing the rebuilt section of line at Pagla Jhora on March 10th this year. The BBC report has validity. I understand that much machinery was stripped out from Tindharia works some years ago following the introduction of diesel locos which now work most scheduled trains. As a result knackered parts on steam locos were/are replaced by slightly less knacked parts stripped from otherwise dumped locos. Eventually there will be no more useable locos..... jim. |
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| Author: | softwerkslex [ Mon Jun 08, 2015 5:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Himalayan tea train that's running out of steam |
It is hard to figure amongst all the usual issues of budget and management. You can find news reports of what appears to be India's primary steamshop somewhere else that has been making new locomotives for various narrow gauge lines, like the rack railway. I saw a news report that four Darjeeling engines had been rotate through that shop about five years ago. So they have to transport engines further away for repairs. Here are the links http://www.thehindu.com/business/first-oilfired-steam-loco-to-roll-out-before-february/article1102920.ece http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/rehabilitated-dhr-steam-loco-ready-for-dispatch/article927728.ece?ref=relatedNews |
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| Author: | Trevor Heath [ Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:09 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Himalayan tea train that's running out of steam |
Indeed it is correct that today the major D&H overhauls are done off site. This image is dated 8th March 2015 at NJP https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=55F55E86 Even though, the story has a lot of merit. There are 12 B class remaining on the railway. The many are distributed around India with one escaping to the USA in 1962: 776 0-4-0ST North British 20639 1914 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B class No. 35. IR (NFR) B class No. 776. DRM Office, Kathiar. 777 0-4-0ST Sharp Stewart 3517 1889 Darjeeling - Himalayan Rly. B class No. 18. IR (NFR) B class No. 777. (this loco was first of the B class) National Rly. Museum, Delhi. 778 0-4-0ST Sharp Stewart 3518 1889 Darjeeling - Himalayan Rly. B class No. 19 IR (NFR) B class No. 778. Preserved by Mr. Elliott Donnelley, Forest Lake, Illinois USA (shipped to the USA in 1962). In 2002 this loco was purchased by Mr. Adrian Shooter (Managing Director of Chiltern Railways, a BR operating company) and returned to the UK (arr. Jan. 2003) and overhauled to operating condition at Tyseley Loco Shops, Birmingham. The loco runs on a line laid in the grounds at the home of Mr. Shooter. 781 0-4-0ST Sharp Stewart 4560 1899 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B class No. 24 IR (NFR) B class No. 781. Wdn. 1968. To Calorex, Calcutta, for overhaul. Sold to Coal India, Tipong Colliery, arr. 2/1970. Tinsukia Museum, Tinsukia, Assam, 2010. (also shown as the Heritage Centre, Tinsukia) 783 0-4-0ST Sharp Stewart 4562 1899 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B class No. 26 IR (NFR) B class No. 783. IR Rail Coach Factory HQ, Kapurthala, Punjab. 785 0-4-0ST Sharp Stewart 4978 1903 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B class No. 8. IR (NFR) B class No. 785. Dehra Dun Station. 793 0-4-0ST Baldwin 44913 1917 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B Class No. 40 IR (NFR) B class No. 793 Regional Railway Museum – South, Rail Nilayam, Hyderabad. 794 0-4-0ST Baldwin 44914 1917 Darjeeling - Himalayan Rly. B class No. 41. IR (NFR) B class No. 794. Restored at IR (CR) Parel Shops to working order in 2000 and operated a tourist train on the IR (CR) Matheran Light Rly. It is currently unserviceable at Neral. 797 0-4-0ST DHR Shops, Tindharia - 1925 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B class No. 44. IR NFR B class No. 797 Research Designs & Standards Organisation, Lucknow. 798 0-4-0ST North British 23291 1898 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B class No. 45. IR (NFR) B class No. 798. Regional Rail Museum – East, Howrah, Calcutta. 799 0-4-0ST North British 23292 1925 Darjeeling - Himalayan Rly. B class No. 46. IR (NFR) B class No. 799. Rail Bhavan, IR Headquarters, Delhi. 800 0-4-0ST North British 23293 1925 Darjeeling - Himalayan Rly. B class No. 47. IR (NFR) B class No. 800. IR (NR) Lucknow Junction Station. (in the park opposite the portico.) 801 0-4-0ST North British 23301 1927 Darjeeling – Himalayan B class No. 48. IR (NFR) B class No. 801 New Bongaigoan Workshops, IR (NFR). 803 0-4-0ST North British 23304 1925 Darjeeling – Himalayan Rly. B class No. 50 IR (NFR) B class No. 803. DRM Office, Moradabad. Unrelated: All the narrow gauge track in Nepal has been ripped up and replaced with Indian broad gauge. The Indian's have done this to preempt the Chinese... There are narrow gauge loco's in Nepal for sale. TH |
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