The Northern Railway authorities has withdraw the rail car after its wheels wore off following several decades of continuous journey on the UNESCO World Heritage Kalka-Shimla track.
Rail car was introduced by the British between 1927 and 1930, and it was the last rail car running on this track as three others had been discontinued earlier following similar problems.
Rail cars, which looked like buses, were preferred by tourists for the almost non-stop journey, with a 10-minute halt at Barog. Other trains, with several halts, were initially used by upper-class travellers. A rail car ticket was priced at Rs 247. The 4-hour-20-minute journey provided travellers a panoramic view of the Shivalik mountain ranges.
With virtually no manufacturer supplying spares of old machines, it had become an arduous task for the Railways to maintain and continue running heritage vehicles of the British era. Though efforts to introduce cast wheels had been made earlier, the idea could not materialise as there was no manufacturer. Officials were hopeful of restarting the rail car after repairs as trial runs were under way.
