Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Passing a fruit shop in Darjeeling
Terminus	Darjeeling
Commercial operations
Built by	Franklin Prestage
Original gauge	610 mm (2 ft)
Preserved operations
Owned by	Indian Railways
Operated by	Northeast Frontier Railway
Stations	17
Length	83.9 km
Commercial history
Opened	1881
Preservation history
Headquarters	Elysia Place, Kurseong
Website
dhr.in.net
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Mountain Railways of India
Criteria	Cultural: (ii)(iv)
Reference	944ter-001
Inscription	1999 (23rd Session)
Extensions	2005, 2008
Area	5.34 ha (13.2 acres)
Buffer zone	70 ha (170 acres)
Coordinates	26°40′48″N 88°27′36″E / 26.68000°N 88.46000°E / 26.68000; 88.46000
Location of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India
Route map

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a 610 mm (2 ft) gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal.^[1] Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about 88 km (55 mi) long. It climbs from about 100 m (330 ft) above sea level at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 m (7,200 ft) at Darjeeling, using six zig zags and three loops (originally five) to gain altitude. Ghum station is situated at an altitude of 2,258 metres (7,407 ft). Six diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled service, with daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum – India's highest railway station – and the steam-hauled Red Panda service from Darjeeling to Kurseong. Steam-enthusiast specials are hauled by vintage British-built B-Class steam locomotives. The railway's headquarters are at Kurseong.

On 5 December 1999, UNESCO declared the DHR a World Heritage Site.^[2] Two more railway lines were later added, and the site became known as one of the mountain railways of India.