THE DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY
A Journey to the Rooftop of the World
DVD
It's a train small enough to qualify as one of the Toy Trains of the world - the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). Yet it does a huge job, pulling carriages full of tourists up the foothills of the Himalaya to Darjeeling.
This DVD program follows the journey of the train from its home station to the end of the line, with stops along the way for the passengers to take photographs.
We learn the history of this remarkable little railway, captured in sepia photographs taken during the construction of the historic line - one of the great engineering feats of the 19th century.
The little steam engine pulls - and pushes - its carriages up a series of switchback bends to reach Darjeeling, first running forward up the slope, then reversing up the next, all the way to the top of the line.
The crew consists of the engine driver, the coal breaker, who sits in the coal bunker located in front of the engine cab, and the other crew members hanging on the front of the train to scatter sand on the tracks for a better grip.
In addition to the hard working little train, the DVD takes a scenic and cultural look at the locations through which the train passes, with the informative narration providing plenty of fascinating facts and figures from the DHR's colourful history.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: A Journey to the Rooftop of the World is a charming program that will interest general travellers as well as railway buffs.
Review by Kerry Hennigan
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