RailEnquiry

One of the world's most celebrated, romantic railway trains, the British "rail motor car" of Himalayan Kalka-Shimla line may have made its last journey after officials said they could no longer source essential spare parts.The train, one of four, which has plied the railway that once spirited colonial officials and their families away from the heat of India's northern plains to the summer capital Shimla in the pine forests foothills, was suspended last month. Its suspension and likely retirement has brought pangs of regret throughout India where it is warmly remembered not only by those who have made the five-hour crawling rail journey to Shimla but by millions of Bollywood film fans who have seen the train star in countless romantic classics.The train was built in 1927, 24 years after the Kalka-Shimla railway was opened as one of the world's most ambitious engineering projects. It had been constructed to dramatically reduce the travel time to the British summer capital from several days by elephant, horseback and hand-pulled rickshaw to a humane four-and-a-half hours. Its 60 miles of track cross more than 800 bridges and viaducts. It has more than 900 switchback hairpin bends to make the climb from just over 2,000ft to just below 7,000ft and passes through more than 100 tunnels to offer clear views of the Himalayan snow caps above grassy meadows.

The train itself has featured in a number of Bollywood films, including the 2007 hit Jab We Met, and also in Michael Palin's acclaimed television series Himalaya. The train played a part in India's successful campaign for the railway to be declared a Unesco world heritage site along with the country's other mountain train lines in Darjeeling and the Nilgiri Hills in 2008.

But according to railway officials the celebrated train has finally run out of puff with no manufacturers able to supply key parts for its maintenance.

Indian Railways divisional manager for Ambala, PK Sanghi, told The Daily Telegraph that the train was suspended three weeks ago on safety grounds after wear and tear on its wheels could no longer be overlooked. "The wheels are not in shape to be in service," he said. He and his colleagues have been searching for steel manufacturers to make new cast iron for several months and have issued a tender, but former suppliers have moved on to higher technology manufacturing, he said.

"The wheels or steel tyres are made of special cast steel and we have difficulty in getting them. We are changing the 'tyres' for the first time after its inception. The rail technology has changed drastically and manufacturers are not making spare parts for heritage trains," he said.