Sunday - The Iron Sherpa

Up sharp for our first specially chartered steam train on the DHR known to the cognescenti as the iron Sherpa. D opts to go with the photo party to try to get some good pics of the train going through the bazzar. R goes with the balance to pick up the train at Siliguri Junction. Sadly the sun is in exactly the wrong place for photos on this section. there then follows a mad chase as the bus tries to get ahead for the key photo opportunities. Engine no 788 "Tusker", built in Glasgow in 1913, is performing gamely despite several very obvious steam leaks, and we have to move very smartly on and off the bus.
At the first station, Sukna, D swaps to the train and bags a spot hanging out of one of the coach doors. From here on the line starts to climb quite steeply and the pace slows. At Sukna the 4th and 5th crewmen get on to the front buffer beam so they can start sanding the rails. They do a good job as we only slip once. The railway runs alongside the road, crossing and recrossing numerous times. The curves are so tight that even from the second coach there is a clear view of the loco as it grinds it's way round.
We stop regularly for water. At one stop one of the crew manages to drop the brass cover of the cylinder lubricating point down a jungly embankment. There is a bit of excitement until it is found. We also have the unusual manoeuvering at the various zig-zag reversing climbs.By this time we are well into the foothills of the Himalayas, having climbed 2,000 feet. We also get the opportunity to watch the train complete the lowest loop on the line which produces some good pictures.
One of the forgotten joys of steam travel is the ability of smuts and small bits of coal to get everywhere. Even those who sat sedately inside the train finished up grimy. Our ride ended at Tindharia, at about 3,000 feet and we go to visit the works where the trains are maintained. As it is Sunday nobody is working and it has a slightly derelict air. We move on to lunch in a roadside restaurant and sample momos for the first time, vegetables wrapped in a kind of pasta and served with a very spicy sauce. At first we are told there is a choice of beer or beer to drink. What a shame. Eventually some Sprite turns up but we are halfway down our beers. It costs 100 rupees each - about £1.45.
After lunch we take the bus further along the line to view the washout. In summer 2010 there was an enormous landslide that severed the railway and the road. They hope to open the road in two months but it will probably be next year before the railway is reconnected 2011 monsoon permitting. Having seen the scale of the damage we forgive Indian railways for not having fixed it yet.
We return to Siliguri and the Cindrella in time to watch India piling up a massive score against England in the ODI. By the time supper was over England were back in it. D had an exciting hour or so in the bar with a bunch of racous Indian supporters until the final climax of a tied game. Quite something.