Title - Heritage Shimla-Kalka Rail Motor Car set to chug again

The Northern Railway has revived the 1927 Rail Motor Car, which plies on the Kalka-Shimla track, and was about to be phased out due to the non availability of vital spare parts.

A trial run of the revived rail car - popularly known as toy train and one of the four made by a British firm and inducted on the UNESCO World Heritage Kalka-Shimla section in between 1927 and 1930 - was successfully conducted on Saturday. The the three other rail cars would also be upgraded soon and put in operation early next year.

“After more trials, the Rail Motor Car will be thrown open to public. The remaining three rail cars will also be refurbished in the next three months. The four rail cars will run on the Kalka-Shimla track from January 1, 2013,”a senior Northern Railway official said.

He said that during the last 85 years, the rail cars had developed snags. “The wheels of the last rail car had worn off. There was a plan to phase out the rail cars. But considering the historic importance and its popularity with the tourists, a decision was taken to revive them,” he added,

The move has brought cheers to the thousands of tourists flocking the hills as the Kalka-Shimla route is the only section in the country where rail car services are still in operation.

After the revamp, the rail cars will have a transparent fibre glass roof. The seats have been ergonomically redesigned while interiors will boast of wooden flooring, wider windows with blinds, a digital clock-cum-temperature display unit and a music system. The rail cars will also be fitted with an altimeter to indicate height of the route being traversed.

The electrical circuitry will also been renovated with a provision for laptop and mobile chargers and air brakes put in for safer operation.

“The interiors have been refurbished keeping in mind the need and comfort of the passengers. A conscious effort was made to not to overhaul the outer design, which will remain as it is to keep alive the heritage character of the British make,” the railway official added.

The rail car traverses 96 km from Kalka to Shimla, completing the journey in four hours and and 25 minutes, passing through 864 bridges, 102 tunnels and at least 900 sharp curves and turns. A group of 14 passengers can be accommodated in one rail car.