India's railways: Celebrating the country's narrow-gauge lines

A new photography book examines the lesser-known gems of India's vast railway network

Monday 01 December 2014 12:28 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Indian subcontinent is renowned for its railways. Begun during the British Raj under the rule of Governor General Lord Dalhousie, between 1848 and 1856, the Indian rail network is today the world's third-biggest, carrying more than 20 million people between 6,800 stations every day.

Yet while headline routes such as the Konkan Railway, between Mumbai and Mangalore in the south, continue to draw attention and tourist numbers, there are more idiosyncratic lines that also merit exploration.

Three of the nation's mountain railways – the Darjeeling Himalayan, the Nilgiri Mountain, and the Kalka-Shimla – are listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites. They also feature in a new photographic book, India's Disappearing Railways, that celebrates narrow-gauge lines (despite Lord Dalhousie's best intentions for the nation to operate on one broad gauge, in true Indian style, four were constructed). Australian photo-journalist Angus McDonald, who died last year, sought to document these routes, which are starting to dwindle but so often offer a snapshot of their location.

As well as the Darjeeling Himalayan, the world's oldest mountain railway, constructed to transport tea, they include lines built to carry food to famine-hit regions (the Gwalior Light Railway) and routes that join remote hill stations with the main broad-gauge network (Matheran Light Railway).

The resulting photographs capture passengers on board the trains and at the more remote stations, as well as wildlife on and around the tracks, and the stunning landscapes that McDonald's 10 chosen lines travel through.

An exhibition of McDonald's photographs can be seen at the Royal Geographical Society in London (1-22 December and 5-9 January; rgs.org), and the historian and broadcaster, Michael Wood, will be delivering an illustrated talk, "Travels in India", on 17 December at 7pm (£20; bit.ly/travelsinindia).

Proceeds will go to The Angus McDonald Trust (angusmcdonaldtrust.org), the charity established in McDonald's memory to fund healthcare projects in rural Burma.

India's Disappearing Railways by Angus McDonald is published by Carlton Books (£30; carltonbooks.co.uk)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in