Darjeeling railway to be showcased in UK

DARJEELING: The third oldest steam engine of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) will be running on the tracks of Ffestinioj in the United Kingdom in 2005. The B-class engine 779 built in 1889 was taken to the Hesston Museum of Illinois in the USA during the early the 1960s. Last year, Adren Shutter bought the steam engine spending thousands of pounds and reboiled and renovated it.
The engine would run with finished coaches covering a distance of 14 miles from Porthmadoj to Blaenau-Ffestinioj, said David Barrie, chairman of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS), London.Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Barrie said during the period the DHRS would also mount an exhibition on the Darjeeling railway, which around 2,50,000 people were expected to attend.
Further, during the biggest Railfest organised by the National Rail Museum in York in July, the DHRS will put up a stand with Darjeeling railway coaches and engines. The nine-day fest is likely to be attended by one lakh people. He said, "The DHR embraces everybody, is a magnetic area which has the potential to be the most valuable resource to encourage tourism opportunities and has the power of marketing the area."
Barrie said the DHRS wanted more involvement of the local people. He added that like last year, the Society was keen on organising essay and painting competitions for school children of the area. The best sketch and essay would be published in the quarterly magazine of the DHRS, ‘The Darjeeling Mail''. To motivate the local people, he said, "We still want to sponsor the best house and garden built along the DHR route with a cash prize and a certificate. When we''re in the UK we don''t know what is happening to the DHR.
So, we want more communication with the local people and would like to know what they want us to do for them." All these would boost the economy of the region, generate employment opportunities and enable everyone to benefit from the DHR, he said.
The DHRS, an international group promoting interest and support for the DHR, was started in 1997. It is now spread over 22 countries with 800-odd members.
Barrie was also pleased to know about the recent announcement of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) offering chartered services of both steam and diesel engines on the DHR with attractive rates. This time, he has brought 50 people with him and is looking forward to taking 25 charters on the DHR in future "as the new charter rates have opened more doors".