DHR B Class

The DHR B Class is a class of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge 0-4-0ST saddle tank steam locomotives used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) in West Bengal, India.^[1][3]

DHR B Class
No. 792 hauling a school train, 2005
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Sharp, Stewart & Co. (12) North British Locomotive Co. (16) Baldwin Locomotive Works (3) DHR Tindharia Works (3) Build date 1889–1925 Total produced 34
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-0ST  • UIC B n2t Gauge 2 ft (610 mm) Driver dia. 26 in (0.660 m) Axle load 7.75 long tons (7.87 t) Loco weight 14 long tons (14 t) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 9 sq ft (0.84 m2) Boiler pressure 140 psi (0.97 MPa) Heating surface 316 sq ft (29.4 m2) Superheater None Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 11 in × 14 in (279 mm × 356 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 7,750 lbf (34.47 kN)
Career Operators Darjeeling Himalayan Railway → Indian Railways Class B Numbers DHR: 17–30, 32–36, 39–53 All-India: 777–806 Disposition Some still in service
[1][2]

Darjeeling train in shed. 1979

Service history

A total of 34 B Class locomotives have served on the DHR. Some are still on the working roster. One (DHR 778) was sold for private preservation, and four others were sold to Coal India, Assam. The remaining class members have been either plinthed in various locations in northern India or scrapped. Of the few in active service, the locomotives 788 'Tusker' and 'Victor' haul trains between Darjeeling to Ghum stations via Batasia loop, quite a few times a day. ^[2] Another loco, DHR 780 is kept preserved with two narrow gauge coaches at Eco Park, Rajarhat, as an exhibit.

19B was re-imported to the UK c. 2000 and underwent restoration before spending two decades operating at the Beeches Light Railway.^[4]

Preserved DHR 780 with 2 coaches

The front look of the preserved DHR B Class - showing the saddle tank

Livery

Initially, all members of the class were liveried in DHR green. For a short period after World War II, they were repainted black. Later, they ran in an unlined red colour. They were given their current Caledonian blue with white lining after coming into ownership of the Northeast Frontier Railway in 1958.^[5][6]

Preserved examples

DHR Nº	Manufacturer	Serial Nº	Built	IR Nº	Location	Current status	Image	Notes
28		4978	1903	785	Dehradun railway station	Display
32	North British Locomotive Co.	20143	1913	787	Siliguri Junction station	Display
33	North British Locomotive Co.	20144	1913	788	Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, India	Operational
41		44914	1917	794	Neral shed	Display

See also

• Rail transport in India#History
• Indian Railways
• Locomotives of India
• Rail transport in India