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Encountering small parallel action with NDM DHR, and departing Siliguri Junction: Kanchan Kanya Exp

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• published: 09 Apr 2014
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Date taken: July 2013 Camcorder: SONY DCR SX45E Hauled by a BWN WDM- 3A, the 50 minutes late running 13149 Sealdah (SDAH)- Alipur Duar Junction (APDJ) KANCHAN KANYA Express departs from New Siliguri Junction after making its scheduled halt. As we depart, we have a small parallel action with a NDM of SGUJ shed, shunting some coaches of World Heritage DHR (Darjeeling Himalayan Railways) in the coaching yard- cum- Diesel Loco Shed. Finally we gather some momentum, cross the diamond crossing with the Narrow Gauge line heading to Darjeeling, and snake past Siliguri town heading towards Doars. Siliguri Junction railway station: Siliguri Junction is one of the three railway stations that serve Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other two stations are: Siliguri Town and New Jalpaiguri. With the railway routes badly disturbed by the partition of India in 1947, Siliguri Town railway station suddenly lost its pre-eminence, as the broad gauge link to Calcutta, running across East Pakistan, was lost. With three metre gauge lines, the new Siliguri Junction railway station became the main railway station in the area. The three metre gauge lines were linked to Kishanganj and Barsoi, Assam and Haldibari. The narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was there. The short reign was over in the 1960s when a new broad gauge line linked Siliguri with Calcutta, and subsequently, all railway lines in the area (excepting Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) were converted to broad gauge. The focus shifted in 1961 to a brand new broad gauge station at New Jalpaiguri. A metre gauge diesel loco shed was established at Siliguri in 1961 and a new broad gauge diesel loco shed was established in 2007. WDP-4 and WDG-4 locos were transferred from Hubli. ++ Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. Built between 1879 and 1881, the railway is about 78 kilometres (48 mi) long. Its elevation level varies from about 100 metres (328 ft) at New Jalpaiguri to about 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) at Darjeeling. Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services; however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by the vintage British-built B Class steam locomotive, DHR 778. The railway, along with the Nilgiri Mountain Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway, is listed as a Mountain Railways of India World Heritage Site. The headquarters of the railway is in the town of Kurseong. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia. A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879 following the positive report of a committee formed by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Construction started the same year. DHR was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999, only the second railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, the first one being Semmering Railway of Austria in 1998. To be nominated as World Heritage site on the World Heritage List, the particular site or property needs to fulfill a certain set of criteria, which are expressed in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its corresponding Operational Guidelines. The site must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations. For more information, visit: wikipedia.org/wiki/Darjeeling_Himalayan_Railway ++ ENJOYING THE HEAVENLY DOARS (NEW JALPAIGURI- ALIPUR DUAR JUNCTION): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyOcbsGHEweaQXNk6jD_nsIJYb6pkngRL&feature;=mh_lolz