Indian Hill Railways

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Indian Hill Railways: Episode 3: The Kalka-Shimla Railway

Documentaries

The Kalka-Shimla Railway

Episode 3

Episode 3: The Kalka-Shimla Railway

BBC Four - Indian Hill Railways, The Kalka-Shimla Railway

Sanjay the stationmaster looks for promotion, and his boss Bataljit waits for a transfer.

Sanjay the stationmaster is looking for promotion, his boss Bataljit waits for a transfer, and everybody is anticipating the snow on the Kalka-Shimla line.

From the Himalayas in the north to the Nilgiris in the south - for a hundred years these little trains have climbed through the clouds and into the wonderful world of Indian hill railways.

Shimla was once the summer capital of the Raj. They built churches, schools, a town hall and the railway and left behind their symbols of empire and an ethos of duty, loyalty and ambition - but they also left a divided subcontinent. 

Characters featured include Maqsood, a refugee and a porter from Kashmir, and John Whitmarsh-Knight, a teacher looking for a home. Sanjay the stationmaster is hoping for promotion, and his boss Bataljit is waiting for a transfer, but everybody is waiting for the snow.

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Factual: History

Factual: Travel

Series looking at three railway lines that climb through the Indian hills and mountains

Three-part series looking at the little trains have climbed through the Indian clouds for a hundred years, from the Himalayas in the north to the Nilgiris in the south

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Indian Hill Railways

Episode 3: The Kalka-Shimla Railway

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