Darjeeling Toy Train – UNESCO World Heritage Site

It seemed a long while as I was outside the Ghoom Station. It looked like a Toy Station, the first time I saw it from outside. It was morning, 5 O clock – there was mist and fog. Stark fluorescent lamps lights with yellow lights covered the entire station. A strange feeling filled my mind. The Driver told us, “ It opens at 10: 00 a.m”.

The next time I was standing there, number of voices were filling the area. The silence had broken and i could clearly hear the dripping voice of the rain drops. It was a cloudy day but we didn't expected the rains – the only good thing about it was that it was drizzly.

Carrying my trekkers bag I strolled towards the Railway Line – it was small; unusually tiny – meter gauze – nothing more than a Toy Trains Path – but then I suddenly realized that it was a Toy Train I was here for. Small, mystic and charming. I should be beautiful - indeed.

Breaking the silence of the Station, from quite a distance I could see the Engine – it was cute – with a blend of Dark Navy blue and Black – looked like Black Beauty – if i were to be precise. Wading its way it came - churning out black clouds from its nosel, thumping its way to the Station. As it came and stood in front of me – it looked like the most beautiful piece of human Engineering I had ever seen. With two wagons attached to it, it looked like a royal carriage.

The path which we took begun from Ghoom Station – the highest meter gauze railway station in the world, to the Batasia Loop, from there to Himalayan Railway Museum and then back to Ghoom Station. As we sat inside the Toy Train, it hushed and pushed itself to the heights of Darjeeling. Crossing the Market – with shops so near that one could pick up things from them, people standing close to the train, children stopping to make way for the train and the life going on with the train. It looked as if people waited for the Train to come – maybe they lived with it. Its strange but true how could one have such love and passion for a machine – and that too not just one person, but a whole community. Its something unusual! Experience this Unusualness....