India - Darjeeling Railway 2006. Part 3 - Z Reverses and Spirals

Taken from 12 year old tapes. Please excuse any quality issues.
This is a look back at the third part of my second visit to this fascinating narrow gauge line. In 1881, the line was completed from Jalpaiguri and Siliguri junction, on the broad gauge main line, all the way up into the Himalayan foothills to the summer camp of Darjeeling. In its 55 mile length, the line rises from 100 metres above sea level to around 2300 metres above sea level. The 2ft gauge 0-4-0 saddle tanks are surprisingly powerful and make a very distinctive sound as they blast their way up the mountain sides.
In this sequence the climb into the Himalayas is getting harder and the railway has to use several Z Reverses and a Spiral, in order to gain altitude sufficiently fast. We finish this section in Tindharia, which is the major passing point on the railway and also the location of the workshops.
Part 4 can be found at - • India - Darjeeling Rai...