Darjeeling calling for Europe steam lovers

Siliguri, Jan. 1: The Darjeeling toy train has had its first ever radio show in Wales and so successful was the stint that it’s all set to feature in another radio programme in London on January 5.

It was a proud moment for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS) — a UK-based association of toy train lovers — when the Jamie and Louise, a popular daily programme on BBC Radio Wales, hosted a talk show on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway on December 17. DHRS vice-chairman Paul Whittle was the guest speaker.

Whittle had two reasons to be happy: he, too, was debuting in radio along with the DHR. “Yes, it was indeed a proud moment for me and also my first ever radio broadcast!” he told The Telegraph in an email.

Radio BBC Wales covers the whole of Wales (that lies west of England and is separated from it by the Cambrian Mountains) and has an audience of about 120, 000.

“The Jamie and Louise show is a popular three hour daily programme that covers current affairs, news, weather, travel information etc. If only a quarter of its total audience was listening to me that day it would be another 30,000 people who now know a lot more about the DHR. It was possible for anyone beyond Wales to listen to the program using the BBC I Player facility on their computers,” the DHRS vice-chairman wrote.

This spells good prospect for the DHR in terms of tourism as it would help to attract more foreigners (especially from Europe) who are fond of taking chartered rides — a major source of revenue for the heritage railway.

The talking point of the show was DHR’s connection to Wales. Apparently, the heritage railway was inspired by the narrow gauge of Ffestiniog Railway in Wales. “The programme presenters were especially interested in the link between the DHR and the narrow gauge railways of Wales. It was the Ffestiniog Railway that inspired the construction of the DHR,” Whittle wrote.

Mark Tully, the once famous BBC correspondent in India, had made a documentary on the DHR in 2006. Tully is presently a patron of DHRS. More recently, the production team of award-winning BBC documentary maker Gerry Troyna shot a film on the DHR in May 2009. It was supposed to have been telecast on BBC 4 by the end of the year.

There is more good news. So popular was the radio show that Radio Surrey which covers the southwest county of London will host a similar show on January 5.

“The broadcast was so well received that I have been invited to do something similar on the daily current affairs programme of Radio Surrey. The broadcast is provisionally scheduled from 9.35am to 10am,” Whittle wrote.

Back home, toy train lovers are happy with the development. “It is a boost not just for the DHR but the whole of Darjeeling as well,” said Rajen Vaid, the president of the DHR India Support Group.