Toy Train wheezes, runs out of steam

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">DARJEELING: An entire nation gaped as Rajesh Khanna clung on to a small train, barely one-tenth of the monster that rambles on the country''s broad gauge, and sang <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Meri sapno ki rani kab ayegi tu</span>.<br /><br />The song was an instant hit, so was the train. Suddenly everyone began talking about the Toy Train and how they wanted a ride in it through the pine lined roads below and clouds hugging the Kanchenjunga above.<br /><br />That was then.There''s big trouble for the little train now. One of the most popular attractions on the Darjeeling tourism circuit, the train on Saturday dropped its 14-km joy ride from Darjeeling city to Ghoom — a fog-lapped town that has the distinction of being Asia''s highest railway station. Officials manning the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which formally got World Heritage Status in November 2000, said it was due to severe lack of coal for the steam engines that power the train.<br /><br />"There is no stock of coal since September," said L N Pradhan, section engineer of Darjeeling Loco. "The last joy ride was on Friday with 29 passengers."<br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br />There are other problems that beset the Toy Train and the romance is clearly running out. With annual losses of about Rs 7 crore the Railways has found it difficult to sustain the services in Darjeeling.<br /><br />However, NF Railway CPRO T Rava said, "We have no intention of closing down services as we are receiving a lot of support from organisations worldwide."<br /><br />"Once we even had a stock of 104 tons but now we are empty," Pradhan said. The railway office in Darjeeling had no staff on Saturday because there was no work.<br /><br />It will take another 10 days to resume the joy ride, sources in Darjeeling said, though T Bhattacharya, the Railways PRO in Siliguri, said the problem was due to floods in and around Asansol.<br /><br />"We''ve already sent an indent for the coal...the required coal has been loaded. It will be reaching very soon."<br /><br />Till then both tourists and locals will have to be content watching <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Aradhana.</span></div> </div>