COMMEMORATIVE
POSTAGE STAMP ON 100 YEARS OF KALKA-SHIMLA RAILWAY
The Department of
Posts (DoP) will be releasing a commemorative postage stamp on
100 years of Kalka-Shimla Railway on November 9, 2003. The stamp
is in the denomination of Rs.5/-
The journey from
Kalka to Shimla is absolutely out of this world. The toy train
provides a breath-taking view of the Kushalya river, the moment
it enters the foothills. On 9th November, 1903, a 96
km. railway line was launched in the limestone and shale rocks
of the Shivalik Hills after three years of dedicated labour. Laid
on sharp curves, the line passes over 864 bridges and through
102 tunnels using a narrow gauge of two feet and six inches in
deference to hill formation and gradient.
To taste the beauty
of nature in exclusivity, travel in the Rail Motor Car which houses
only 18. They are four and of them, three date to 1927, while
the last dates to 1930. The original White & Pope petrol engines
fitted by the Drewery Car Company Ltd., London, were replaced
during the Second World War as petrol was scarce. Americans supplied
the diesel engines to the car, from General Motors, U.S.A.
Nature unrolls its
bounty as you travel. Gurgling brooks flowing down mountains,
passing under the stone bridges; greenery and fragrances that
live beyond photographs; clouds of mist gingerly touching you.
The train meanders through Kumarchatti, then enters the barog
tunnel (1144 mts. Long) which crosses the Punchmunda ridge about
900 feet below the road. At Barog, it is meal time on the morning
trip. Though the English firm of "Spencers" which built the restaurant
at Barog is no longer there, the hospitality continues to live.
From Barog to Kandaghat,
the train runs downhill, past beautiful and quaint retreats of
Solan and Saloghra. At Shogi, a heartwarming view of the Chail
Valley brings numerous anecdotes associated with a Prince from
Punjab. Banished from English society at Shimla, he built for
himself a palace at Chail, a nearby resort.
Past Taradevi, the
railway takes you under Prospect Hill to Jutogh, winding its way
like a naughty current of air teasing you, till it pauses at Summer
Hill. Finally, under the Inverarm Hill, you emerge like a happy
child at Shimla.
