Fife station marks Scottish contribution to Indian railway line
ByCheryl Peebles
Vice-chairman of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society Paul Whittle, left, and David Mead, society director of engineering Himalayan Railway Society, at the rail station.
A Fife train halt became an Indian hill station for the weekend in a meeting of two Unesco world heritage sites.
North Queensferry Railway Station was decorated like a stop on the famous Toy Train railway which runs through the hills of West Bengal for a visit by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society.
Over a cup of Darjeeling tea and a hot samosa, visitors learned about the construction of Scotland’s famous Victorian crossing and of the Indian railway already carrying passengers by then.
The Himalayan line runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, rising from 328ft to 7,218ft over 48 miles.
It was built between 1879 and 1881 and an exhibition by photographer John Clemmens in North Queensferry looked at Scotland’s engineering contribution to its construction.
His show was part of a series of talks, tours, films and exhibitions over the weekend.
There was also a chance to take a trip to the top of the iconic Forth Bridge, which recently became Scotland’s sixth world heritage site, or a boat trip below.
Society members were welcomed by the North Queensferry Heritage Trust.
Fife station marks Scottish contribution to Indian railway line
