Richard Wallace - Hill Railways of the Indian Subcontinent

HILL RAILWAYS
OF THE INDIAN
SUBCONTINENT

A stunning scene on the Zhob Valley Railway near Khanai with the backdrop of the foreboding Sulaiman mountain range in 1984. The sunset glints on the mixed train in charge of two G Class 2-8-2s. robert kingsford-smith

In January 2006 HG/S 2-8-0 No. 2277 makes an impressive entry to the first reverse at Medanak on the Khyber Pass line with No. 2306 at the rear banking the train.

HILL RAILWAYS
OF THE INDIAN
SUBCONTINENT

RICHARD WALLACE

First published in 2021 by
The Crowood Press Ltd
Ramsbury, Marlborough
Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2021

Richard Wallace 2021

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 809 2

Front coverA young bride travelling on the Nilgiri line looks back as X Class 0-8-2T No. 37393 crosses Kallar viaduct in January 2003.

Acknowledgements

This book records the histories of seven hill railways operating across what was once British India, today India and Pakistan. While lines such as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway have been well documented, many of the others have not. My work has been assisted through help from a number of groups and individuals and to them I am indebted. These include members of the Pakistan Railways Yahoo Group with special thanks to Ajai Banerji, Malcolm Peakman and Owais Mughal, the Indian Railways Fan Club (IRFCA) and Michael Smith and David Evans of the Bournemouth Railway Club Trust, who provided details of the logs written by the renowned railway photographer and Indian Railway engineer W.H.C. Kelland CBE as well as a selection of his photographs. Other individuals who provided important information include Roy Laverick, Andrew Smith, whose log of his trip on the Zhob Valley was invaluable, and Simon Darvill of the Industrial Railway Society, who provided historical information on both the Zhob Valleys mining activities and the system of cableways at Shanan on the Kangra Valley line; Rakesh Kumar of Barot provided further information regarding the latter.

The Darjeeling Himalayan is without doubt the most iconic of the hill railways in the Indian subcontinent. The oldest B Class on the line, No, 779 dating from 1892, brings a tourist Joy Train around Batasia loop in November 2000.

Photographs are individually credited where appropriate; all others were either taken by myself or from my collection. However, special mention must be made of two members of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society, David Churchill and David Charlesworth, who not only provided photographs but also much historical background information regarding them.

Lastly, thanks to my wife, Anne, who has, once again, put up with my long hours in isolation over a few years whilst I put this book together.

Richard Wallace MA FCILT
Kenilworth, March 2020

The pretty little station of Coonor on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway nestles in the hillside, belying the busy nature of the town. Here, in January 2003, it is framed between two lower quadrant signals as X Class No. 37393 shunts into the depot.