DHR Locomotives
by David Churchill
Darjeeling Himalayan Railay locomotive list as of January 1998. Also see the Complete List of DHR Steam Locomotives, including scrapped and preserved locomotives, by Harsh Vardhan.
Section 1: Locomotives ready for work, January 1998
| Loco no. and Name | Year built | Boiler no. | Builders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 779 'Himalayan Bird' | 1889 | 38/L/NG 18(9*)58 | Sharp Stewart, Glasgow |
| 780 'Mountaineer' | 1892 | 22/L/NG 18(9*)28 | Sharp Stewart, Glasgow Rebuilt Tindharia |
| 782 | 1899 | 7/L/NG 1939 | Sharp Stewart, Glasgow |
| 786 | 1904 | 16/L/NG 1914 | North British, Glasgow |
| 787 | 1913 | 6/L/NG 1913 | North British, Glasgow |
| 788 | 1913 | 5/L/NG 1928 | North British, Glasgow |
| 791 | 1914 | 24/L/NG 1917 | North British, Glasgow |
| 792 | 1917 | 39/L/NG 1926 | Baldwin, USA |
| 794 | 1917 | 36/L/NG 1961 | Baldwin, USA |
| 795 | 1919 | 37/L/NG 1962 | Tindharia |
| 802 | 1927 | 12/L/NG 1944 | North British, Glasgow |
| 804 | 1928 | 32/L/NG 1928 | North British, Glasgow |
| 806 'Queen of the Hills' | 1928 | 33/L/NG 1928 | North British, Glasgow |
| 805 | 1928 | 27/L/NG 1926 | North British, Glasgow |
Source: Information above provided by David Churchill. The data appeared in the Darjeeling Mail, February 1998, and is believed to have been copied from a board at Tindharia works.
Note: (*) The original list shows the digit '8', and is assumed to be an error for the digit '9'.
Note: Some of the dates do not agree exactly with those provided by other sources.
Section 2: New oil-fired locomotives from Golden Rock
Recently the Southern Railways' Golden Rock Workshops (the premier loco restoration facility on IR) have been working on new, indigenously designed oil-fired replacement locos for the DHR. These locos have also been designated 'B' class locos, although they do have significant differences internally and also look different from the outside.
These locos besides being oil-fired have many other modifications to the original 'B' class design such as preheating arrangements for the feed water (the improvements include electric auxiliary equipment (compressors) and the like which steam purists may disapprove of!). Three locos are said to have been manufactured between 2003 and 2004, although so far [9/04] only two have been placed in service. A third (#1003) is to be built and experiments to be carried out, with a Ffestionog Railway designed gravity-fed burner.
| Loco no. and Name | Year built | Boiler no. | Builders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1001 'Himrathi' | 2004 | Golden Rock Workshops | |
| 1002 'Himanand' | 2004 | Golden Rock Workshops |