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Originally known as The name changed to the '''Darjeeling Steam Tramway''' this 2ft Narrow Gauge([[Rail_gauge#Narrow_Gauge|NGDarjeeling-Himalayan Railway]]) Company on the company being formed steam tramway wasa on 15th September 1881. light and largely ran in the road. Hence the appropriate name.
'Background' added and minor text changes
The '''Darjeeling Steam Tramway'''this 2ft Narrow Gauge([[Rail_gauge#Narrow_Gauge|NG]]) steam tramway was a light railway and largely ran in the road. Hence the appropriate name.
Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway.
The stretch from [[Siliguri ]] to Kurseong was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to [[Darjeeling ]] was opened on 4 July 1881.
The name changed to the [[Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway]] Company on the company being formed on 15th September 1881.
==Background==
*Early 1870's; [[Franklin Prestage]] was Agent for the [[Eastern Bengal Railway]] (EBR). In its original contract of EBR with the Secretary of State for India, this [[Guaranteed Railways|Guaranteed Railway]] company was to open up a rail-line to [[Darjeeling]]. However the [[Government of India]] took a decision to stop expansion of rail-lines by Guaranteed companies in new areas and instead decided to construct and manage rail-lines as [[:Category:State Railways|State Railways]].
*c.1874 [[Northern Bengal State Railway]](NBR) was formed as a State Railway for construction of rail-lines from the northern bank of Ganges river at [[Sara]] and built a metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) line to [[Siliguri]]. NBR had no plans to take the rail-line to Darjeeling as the mountain railway was considered a formidable sphere. Where EBR and NBR failed as corporate organisations, Prestage succeeded as an individual entrepreneur.
*1878; Prestage submitted a detailed scheme to the Government of Bengal, which was sanctioned by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Ashely Eden. Despite the fact that the Viceroy Lord Lytton himself was also a share holder, the [[Public Works Department]] of the Indian Government felt that Bengal had exceeded its powers in terms of the concessions granted, and insisted on cancellation of the contract.
*1879; '''Darjeeling Steam Tramway Company''' was formed by Prestage and a new Contract was drawn up under revised terms which forced Prestage to settle for a 2ft/610mm narrow gauge([[Rail_gauge#Narrow_Gauge|NG]]) line.
*1881; '''[[Darjeeling-Himalayan_Railway]] Co.''' ( DHR) became the new title of the company and remained effective until the line was taken over by the Indian Government in 1948.
==Records==
