The DHR B Class is a class of Template:Track gauge gauge Template:Whyte saddle tank steam locomotives used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal, India.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Service history
A total of 34 B Class locomotives have served on the DHR. Some are still on the working roster. One (DHR 778) was sold for private preservation, and four others were sold to Coal India, Assam. The remaining class members have been either plinthed in various locations in northern India or scrapped. Of the few in active service, the locomotives 788 'Tusker' and 'Victor' haul trains between Darjeeling to Ghum stations via Batasia loop, quite a few times a day. Template:Sfn Another loco, DHR 780 is kept preserved with two narrow gauge coaches at Eco Park, Rajarhat, as an exhibit.
19B was re-imported to the UK c. 2000 and underwent restoration before spending two decades operating at the Beeches Light Railway.[1]
Livery
Initially, all members of the class were liveried in DHR green. For a short period after World War II, they were repainted black. Later, they ran in an unlined red colour. They were given their current Caledonian blue with white lining after coming into ownership of the Northeast Frontier Railway in 1958.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
Preserved examples
| DHR Nº | Manufacturer | Serial Nº | Built | IR Nº | Location | Current status | Image | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Sharp, Stewart & Co. | 4978 | 1903 | 785 | Dehradun railway station | Display | File:B class ^785 DHR locomotive plinthed outside Dehradun railway station - Flickr - Dr. Santulan Mahanta.jpg | |
| 32 | North British Locomotive Co. | 20143 | 1913 | 787 | Siliguri Junction station | Display | File:DHR 787 at Siliguri Shed 05-02-18 19.jpeg | |
| 33 | North British Locomotive Co. | 20144 | 1913 | 788 | Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, India | Operational | File:Stem Engine of Himalayan mountain train..JPG | |
| 41 | Sharp, Stewart & Co. | 44914 | 1917 | 794 | Neral shed | Display | File:Matheran in August2012SONY DSC - panoramio.jpg | |
| 42 | 795 | File:Toy Train Darjeeling West Bengal India.jpg |
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ Adrian Shooter's two-foot gauge replica Indian Hill railway up for auction.. Rail Advent(24 May 2023). Retrieved 25 May 2023.
Bibliography
- Relics of the Raj{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. G.R.Q.(1985). ISBN 0946863016
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- Template:Hughes-IndianLocos3
- The Anatomy of the Darjeeling Garratt and the Engine it tried to Replace: the DHR Class "B" saddle tank{{#if:Manning|, Manning}. Peter Manning Design & Drafting(2013). ISBN 9780980621228
- Template:Marshall-INGSR
- Darjeeling Tanks{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Profile Publications(1972)