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The British in India
could not adjust themselves to the heat of the plains in summer so
they built many hill stations in the Middle Himalayas where they,
along with their families, could enjoy the cool of the mountains. And
when they shifted their capital from Calcutta to Delhi, they adopted
the practice of shifting their offices from Delhi to Shimla in the
summers.
The Viceroys of India
travelled the Indian tracks in style. A five coach Viceregal train
was at their command. The 18-seatings, eight-wheeled dining car at
the Rail Museum gives an insight into the pomp and pageantry that
accompanied a Viceregal journey. The fact that the Viceroy’s
train built in 1889 incorporated vestibule facilities reflects the
engineering skills of the time.
The extraordinary rail
network that also steamed up the hill stations of the country for as
far back as 100 years is visible in the Nilgiri Coach. This single
coach incorporating both the first and third class facilities within
it has large open spaces for windows with canvas hangings to keep out
the incessant drizzle of the Blue Mountains. The very same coaches
still ply up the mountains from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam (Ooty)
with the single concession of glass framed windows replacing the old
canvas shades. Its unique feature is a rack placed between the rails
that hinges onto a double pinion on one axle ensuring that the train
does not roll back down the mountain in a crisis. A similar hill
locomotive, the Matheran Rail Car, resembles a period bus and once
carried 12 passengers. Built in 1932, it is remarkably light in
weight at 1.5 tons. The Shimla Rail Car, built in 1933, is a stylish
15-seat coach resembling chair cars of today.
Seventy nine exhibits
await the visitor to the National Rail Museum. They transport you
back into history to a world of romance and adventure and take you
steaming into history at full throttle.
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