15 Memorable Indian Trains-part-ii
By Rajneesh
9. Palace on Wheels
Rated one of the ten best luxury trains in the world, inspired by the original wood- panelled saloons of the maharajas. These days, it only takes $200 per person per night. For six nights a trip, about six months every year, the Palace on Wheels tours Rajasthan’s major tourist centres. Silk bedcovers and curtains, silver cutlery, wall-to-wall carpeting,attentive staff for a royal ride.

10. Lucknow Shatabdi
The Lucknow Shatabdi is safe and fun. It’s a far cry from other grubby chair cars, the windows are panoramic, the service is impeccable, the airplane-style loos clean. Here’s a luxury we can all afford.

11.Golden Temple Mail the erstwhile Frontier Mail (Bombay to Peshawar via Baroda, Delhi, Lahore and Rawalpindi) was once the most famous train in the Empire for its punctuality. A 15 minutes delay once caused an enquiry.

12. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Time stands still on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, and sometimes it seems that the trains aren’t moving either. The world’s first passenger hill railway (est.1881) is legendarily slow, but then the ‘Rocket’ buses that ply between ‘Darj’ and ‘Cal’ have spoiled Bengalis. The regular service between Siliguri and Darjeeling now employs little diesel engines (still a novelty) but the old steam workhorses with their distinctive saddle thanks are still at it on the ‘Joy Train’ service, which leaves Darjeeling for Ghoom each morning ($70).

13. Nilgiri Mountain Railway
The toy train from Mettupalayam to Ooty rarely exceeds 33 kmph. No wonder tourists love it – some time ago, when there was a suggestion that it be phased out, the protests were deafening, Running for neary Ioo years now, this narrow- gauge steam train winds through plains, plantations and blue mountains. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is one of the last bastions of steam traction in India: I6 tunnels, 250 bridges, even more curves, stunning views. A train not to be missed.

14.Patiala Monorail

If you know Patiala as just a debauched principality, check out this marvel of early engineering. In 1970, the first section of the unusual Patiala Monorail connecting Bassi with Sirhind opened in Patiala State, finally going on to connect Sirhind with Patiala and Patiala with Bavanigarh as well. The track was just a single rail along the side of a road. The coaches were three-wheeled, two running on the single rail, and the third on the road supporting them.
Initially drawn by mules, four special locos from Orenstein & Koppel of Berlin took over in 1909. Competition from other modes of transport, and maintenance difficulties, forced the trainway to close down in 1927. In 1962, British rail historian Mike Satow discovered the discarded locos and coaches in the PWD scrap yard in Patiala. These were subsequently restored and put into working order. Wooden seats have replaced the original cane chairs and the coach has been completely rebuilt on an original underframe. The National Rail Museum, New Delhi, is now its home. If you stay in or visit the capital, drop in for a very special treat. Every Sunday, the monorail is steamed up for a run around the museum, and you can take the ride for a nominal $5.

15.Lumbding-Haflong hill Heritage RunThe
North Cachar Hills District administration and the hertitage Railway Society, Haflong, have joined forces to start a steam run on the scenic route, witch runs along the Barail range through dense forests and among cascading mountain streams.


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