The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, no. 7406570. Registered office: 1 Interfields Cottage, Lower Interfields, Malvern, England, WR14 1UU
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To promote awareness of, interest in and support for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
A Driver’s eye view from Tindharia to Darjeeling!
At last. A DVD offering extensive coverage of the DHR, mainly taken from the front of the locomotive. For the first time ever, video production company Video 125, in association with the DHRS, has produced a Driver’s eye view of the Railway. This will be published in two parts: part 1 - New Jalpaiguri to Tindharia, and part 2 - Tindharia to Darjeeling.
Part 2 is available now, and was filmed on board ‘B’ class locos hauling the steam charter train on its second day, starting at Tindharia and continuing to Darjeeling.
The sunny weather, coupled with stabilised state of the art cameras, provide a spectacular smooth view of the line as never seen before. Our iconic ‘B’ class steam engine climbs relentlessly through the magnificent scenery over gradients as steep as 1 in 18! Following the Hill Cart Road most of the way, we cross it dozens of times to ease the gradient or lessen a curve. We run on the very edge of the mountains, squeeze through the narrowest of ledges and pass through towns and villages to the summit of the line at 7,407 feet above sea level at Ghum.
Much of the fascinating history of the line is in Jonathan Kydd’s narration. Written and produced by Peter Middleton, edited running time 2 hours 24 minutes.
For those with a strong interest in the DHR, this DVD is essential viewing.
We regret that part 2 from New Jalpaiguri to Siliguri has been unavoidably delayed. We need a small number of 'fill-in' shots which need to wait until a service is running again on the DHR.
The full retail price is £25 for a DVD or £30 for Blu-Ray but a special offer is available for DHRS members only, see our sales website :-
https://www.dhrs.org/sales2/contents/en-uk/p55232_Tindharia-to-Darjeeling!.html
Having ridden / chased the DHR over about 40 years, it is great to see the track from the front of a loco, rather than looking sideways from the carriage or chase vehicle. This video is very well presented showing most of this part of the line with a few clips from the chase vehicle and drone shots. The commentary is informative about items to be seen along the line, without being intrusive to the viewing. I found this railway video one of the best I have viewed and can recommend it to people who have visited the line or the ‘armchair’ tourist who would like to dream of Darjeeling, its mountain views, people of the area and The Railway. Mick Melbourne Webmaster
Trailer for the video - https://youtu.be/ITawWE7jbrE
New Google Arts & Culture page with stories about DHRS
The DHR and COVID-19
A welcome Christmas present for the DHR.
The West Bengal authorities have agreed that DHR Joy Train services can resume from 25th December 2020. Enjoy your Christmas!
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Northeast Frontier Railway ·
Consequent upon the permission received from the Govt of West Bengal to resume the “Joy Ride” train services; NFR authorities has decided to re-start some of the services which had to be suspended due to outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic since last week of March.
Three daily services of the “Joy Ride” train will presently run w.e.f. 25th December 2020 between Darjeeling to Ghum & back to Darjeeling with stoppage for passengers at Batasia loop for 10 minutes to visit Batasia Eco Garden & Gorkha War Memorial and 20 minutes stoppage at Ghum to visit Ghum Museum.
With the resumption of the services in DHR, local economic activities will get the much needed boost due to arrival of tourists. Depending on the requirement of tourists, more such services will be restored.
Resumption of “Joy Ride” services is very good news for travellers willing to enjoy the Christmas in the lap of Himalayas.
However, all passengers are requested to strictly follow the COVID related guidelines issued by the state government for their safety.
2020 DHRS Annual General Meeting
The Virtual AGM took place on 12th December 2020
Details in the next Darjeeling Mail
Up the Line to Darjeeling
Many of you will remember David Charlesworth's series in the Darjeeling Mail describing the route and what there is to see from the train as it climbs from track side markets in Siliguri to the highest Himalayas.
As a result of that series, much additional information has been incorporated into this book which will become the definitive description of the route, with many detailed maps and plans. It is not to be missed by anyone with any interest in the DHR.
Gloss laminated soft cover with 128 pages with SEWN BINDINGS, 282 x 210mm Price £ 24.95 plus postage
