And if one goes by records, the “Darjeeling at Launceston” event organised by the UK-based Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS) on August 19 and 20 were two of the busiest days of the Launceston Steam Railway (LSR) ever since it was established in 1983.
“It was a great success. Although hectic, everybody involved — staff, members of the DHRS and visitors — had a great time,” David Mead, the DHRS correspondence secretary and organiser of the event informed.
The programme was held as part of the DHRS’s annual celebration.
The visitors were greeted with a “namaste” (an Indian form of greeting with folded hands) and Tibetan prayer flags were erected at the entrance to Launceston station. The ambience was accentuated by the shehnai, the “Indian piped” music.
The “famous yellow signs” that dot the 80km toy train route were there too. The DHRS members, however, got a little creative this time setting up one of those yellow sign boards for the “Darjeeling station” that humorously highlighted the monkey menace in the hill town. “Beware of monkeys, they might steal your sandwich,” it read.
The papads and the Indian vegetable curry ran out on the first day and more had to be prepared. Even the two stalls selling Indian artefacts, books and clothes did brisk business.
Earlier, the DHRS used to replicate the hill railway’s Sukna station at its annual event in the UK. This time, they chose Darjeeling as it would be easier for people to make connection with the famous hill station.
The idea clicked. So successful was the event that “Darjeeling” not only drew crowds from different parts of the country, but from neighbouring Holland and Denmark too.
A part of the revenue collected in the event will be spent on communities living along the tracks in the hill town. In the past, the DHRS had distributed sewing machines, books and study material to schoolchildren and run vocational training courses.
“The two days were good financially as one can well imagine from the crowd that was there. We will continue to support the communities along the full length of the line,” Mead wrote.
