Darjeeling Railway Chunabatti Loop No 3, 1890 Photo

Darjeeling Railway Chunabatti Loop No 3, 1890 Photo

An 1890 photo of Chunabatti Loop No 3 at the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. A beautiful panoramic view of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’s Loop and the mountainous forest. After 1992 Loop No 3 was converted to Loop No 1. The original Loop No 1, was removed by the railways in 1942, consequently, in 1992 Loop No 2 was also removed.

Thus Loop No 3 or Chunabatti Loop has been corrected to Loop No 1 automatically. Because of its steepness, the railway has many Loops and Zigzags or Z-reverses. These Loops and Zigzags helped greatly to avoid digging tunnels or excavating paths. Which would otherwise necessitate considerable time and expenditure.

British engineer Franklin Prestage, the agent of the Eastern Bengal Railway, formulated the plan for the Darjeeling Railway in 1878. Construction of the line up to Darjeeling was completed in 1881. And the first locomotive came from Atlas Works in Manchester. Like before, and even now, the most attractive way to travel to Darjeeling from Siliguri is by the toy train. The distance is about 80 km, although it takes around nine hours to cover the trip.

Did you know – during the early days of the East India Company, Simla, Solan, Nainital, Darjeeling, Matheran, and in the south, Ooty, Coonoor, and Kodaikanal had grown into small European settlements.  

From the collection – Vintage Raja Ravi Varma “Laxmi” Oleograph., Bombay Harbour And City Mumbai – Old Photo 1880., King-Emperor George V In Bombay, 2 Postcards 1911