Steam locomotives in the Darjeeling Train Yard (India)

View more photos of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

The two locomotives in the back (#788 "Tusker" and -#782 "Mountaineer") are warm and ready to work. One of them will be used to pull the next train, while a spare one is kept ready in case of last-minute problems with the main one. Because it takes hours to heat-up the steam boiler, the two steam engines must be warm and ready hours before the train is scheduled to leave. A railroad worker is staying up all night and feeding coal in their furnaces to keep both engines warm.

The locomotive in the front (#804 "Queen of the Hills") is undergoing maintenance. It will get new wheels.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, locally known as the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling (India). It is still operated by vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. Operations between Siliguri and Kurseong have been temporarily suspended since 2010 following a Landslide at Tindharia (view photos of the landslide).

For more info about the DHR steam locomotives, read en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DHR_778_(locomotive) and www.irfca.org/docs/locolists/dhr-locos-full.html.

For more information about the Darjeeling Steam-powered Train, read en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darjeeling_Himalayan_Railway.