Darjeeling Toy Train

A two-foot-gauge UNESCO marvel looping up to 2,200 m: steam engines older than the tea gardens they pass.

From the plains the little train climbs into cloud forest on a roadbed that swaps sides with the Hill Cart Road like an old dance partner, gaining height through reverses and horseshoe curves. The crest comes at Ghum, at 2,258 m India’s highest station, before a final swoop round the Batasia Loop where Kanchenjunga fills the northern sky on clear mornings. Glasgow-built B-Class saddle tanks, some over a century old, still work the showpiece services with crews three generations deep.

Along the way

• Sukna — plains give way to forest
• Tindharia works and Agony Point loop
• Kurseong bazaar running
• Ghum — India’s highest station at 2,258 m
• Batasia Loop with Kanchenjunga views

How this line was checked

• Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 2663438 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
• Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 8 m from it
• The operator publishes this line's timetable: Indian Railways — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
• Wikipedia has an article for this line
• See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it

Questions and answers

How long is the Darjeeling Toy Train?

The Darjeeling Toy Train runs 88 km from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling.

How long does the Darjeeling Toy Train take?

The fastest scheduled journey is ≈ 7 h for the 88 km. That is an average of 13 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 25 km/h.

Who runs the Darjeeling Toy Train?

Indian Railways, with B-Class steam, diesel.

How old is the Darjeeling Toy Train?

The line has been in service since 1881. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.

How high does the Darjeeling Toy Train climb?

2,258 m above sea level at its highest point.

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