Tuesday 12th March 2019 We did not know before our last post but Monday 11th March was Robert’s beer free day #2 as he was feeling under the weather [not the chilly weather, but the Delhi-belly kind]. Our fourth and final trip on the DHR takes us back down the 6,700 feet to New Jalpaiguri Junction to catch a sleeper to Kolkata [Calcutta for the imperialists]. The first train of the day is scheduled to leave at 08:00 and we arrived in good time to watch the preparations [see today’s ‘Video of the day’ below]. The DHR is well-staffed [possibly over-staffed like much of the India we have seen] with people taking on different roles in the running and management of the line from cleaning and ticket sales to engine maintenance, as well as actually working on the trains. It apparently takes about seven or eight people, in addition to the steam or diesel drivers and guards, to get ready for the first run of the day. There seemed to be some serious discussion about rearranging the carriages going on. According to Robert, anyone who has ever owned a model railway knows that half the fun is in the shunting […]
Daily Archives: 14/03/2019
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