113-yr-old steam engine attracts tourists on Shimla-kalka track
THE ENGINE WAS BUILT BY NORTH BRITISH LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY FOR ₹30,000. NOW, IT COSTS OVER ₹1 LAKH FOR THE RIDE
SHIMLA: Around 113-year-old heritage steam engine has become the centre of attraction for tourists in Shimla as they have been booking the ride to enjoy the curvy Shimla-kalka Heritage track.
British tourists especially book the over a century old train from Shimla to Kaithlighat, which crosses over a dozen tunnels.
“Travelling on the heritage track, that too in a heritage train is intriguing and very exciting,” said a British tourist, Steven Caddis, who was on his first visit to India.
Around 30 tourists travelled in three coaches connected to the steam engine. The northern railways is offering a ride on the Kalka-shimla heritage line and bookings are open for the same.
Barbara Davis, a tourist from the United Kingdom, after travelling on heritage track, said, “It was a wonderful journey. The track was developed by the British and coming back here to experience this was really great.”
The locomotive Pilot, who first drove this engine in 1980, Shiv Nath Sharma said, “Driving this heritage engine is a matter of pride. I have a lot of memories attached with this engine.”
This heritage engine KC520 was commissioned in 1906. Steam engine was used to drive trains till 1970 before being replaced by diesel engines. The steam engine was withdrawn from the service in 1971 and rehabilitated in 2001.
The engine was built by North British Locomotive Company for ₹30,000. Now, the engine serves high-end tourists. It costs just over ₹1 lakh for a short trip and is mostly hired by foreign tourists.
The British laid the first rail link to connect its summer capital Shimla in 1903.
In 2009, the Kalka-shimla railway was declared a World Heritage site by the UNESCO.
It takes around five hours to complete a one-way journey between two terminals.
There are 103 tunnels on the rail line besides 800 bridges, 919 curves and 18 railway stations.