The DHR?s mechanical department staff repair the derailed Toy Train engine. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, Oct. 25: The four front wheels of a Toy Train engine jumped the tracks at Siliguri Junction station yard as the empty rake was proceeding from the shed to the New Jalpaiguri railway station around 8 am today.

Though no one was injured, passengers booked on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways? regular train service (no. 1D) ? plying between NJP and Darjeeling ? left for their destination four hours late, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials said.

?An inquiry has been initiated to find out the cause of the derailment,? said Tarak Nath Bhattacharya, the assistant commercial manager and public relations officer of the NFR. A fault in the track or a defect in the wheels of the diesel engine could have led to the derailment, he said.

Of the 38 passengers ? mostly tourists ? booked on today?s train, 17 were in the First Class compartment. ?Those who were supposed to board the train at NJP station were brought to Siliguri Junction by another train. After putting the engine back on the tracks, the service was started from there,? the official said.

Several technical staff of the DHR?s mechanical department soon reached the station and ?re-railed the engine? with the help of levers and jacks. The train left the station at 1 pm instead of the scheduled 9 am, reaching Darjeeling four hours late.

According to Bhattacharya, ?such a derailment in the NJP-Siliguri Junction area happened after years?. But the DHR has been plagued by several unpleasant incidents, elsewhere this year.

On June 5, the Holiday Special between Siliguri Junction and Tindharia station had to be curtailed within eight months of its introduction after food served on the train was found to be stale and even insect-infested. The controversy following the incident has compelled the NFR to keep the popular service off the tracks till now. ?Action has been taken against the staff responsible for procuring the food,? said an official.

Again on August 18, the collision between two DHR trains created a blemish in the heritage railway?s 126-year reputation. Sixteen persons were injured when a regular Toy Train rammed into a chartered one near Gayabari station, around 35 km from here.

?Proper management of the tourist attraction is lacking, depleting the DHR?s potential and reputation,? a tour operator said.