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 coachesThe front look of the preserved DHR B Class - showing the saddle tank
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]
Manning, Peter (2013). The Anatomy of the Darjeeling Garratt and the Engine it tried to Replace: the DHR Class "B" saddle tank. Coromandel Valley, South Australia: Peter Manning Design & Drafting. ISBN9780980621228.
Marshall, Lawrence G (2001). Indian Narrow Gauge Steam Remembered. East Harling, Norfolk: Plateway Press. ISBN1871980488.
