130-Year-Old Steam Engine to Be Revived in Darjeeling Ahead of Durga Puja

One of the oldest locomotives, Sharp, Stewart & Co: 777-B, is set for revival by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ahead of the festive season.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is preparing to revive one of its oldest steam locomotives—Sharp, Stewart & Co: 777-B—in time for the upcoming Durga Puja festivities. The restoration promises to add new allure to Darjeeling’s iconic toy train rides, which remain a major attraction for tourists.

The 16-ton engine, built in 1881 at Glasgow’s Atlas Works, was a familiar sight on Darjeeling’s narrow-gauge tracks before being retired in 1957. For decades, it stood as a museum piece at the National Rail Museum in Delhi. Now, after more than six decades, the historic locomotive is being transported back to Darjeeling’s Tindharia Workshop, where it was last restored in 1917.

According to DHR Director Rishabh Chowdhury, the project has already received the go-ahead. The next step will see engineers at Tindharia, supported by experts abroad, attempt to revive this legendary locomotive.

The Tindharia Workshop, operational since 1913, continues to keep DHR’s steam heritage alive, maintaining 13 steam locomotives. Its expertise will now be tested in restoring the 777-B, one of the last surviving engines from its 32-strong series.

The revival is strategically timed to boost Durga Puja tourism, when Darjeeling experiences peak footfall. Tourists and heritage enthusiasts are expected to flock to the hills to witness a rare sight—an 1880s-era steam engine puffing its way through tea gardens and mountain cliffs.

If successful, the restoration may also inspire efforts to resurrect other dormant locomotives in Guwahati, Howrah, and Delhi—keeping alive the romance of steam for generations to come.