View from the tracks

[Indian Railway News]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/view-from-the-tracks/400221/

Aussie photographer Angus McDonald is fascinated by the hill trains of
India

I love trains. One gets to see different landscapes and observe life
in these
regions,†says Australian photographer Angus McDonald, 46, pointing
to an
image of a train chugging through an open field with snow peaked
mountains
towering in the background. Fifty-one images on five hill train
networks across
India form his first solo exhibition in Delhi, titled Hill Trains of
India,
currently on at the IIC Annexe gallery.

McDonald, a former freelance photo journalist began photographing
trains plying
in hill regions of India three years ago, while living in Dharamshala.
“I
started with trains on the Kangra valley network (which runs through
regions in
Himachal Pradesh). I was intrigued by the functioning of this archaic
rail
network and how a dedicated workforce of engineers kept it functional.
When the
trains go by, the past comes alive,†explains McDonald. He has
previously
exhibited works on Tibet and Maldives in his home town Melbourne.

Be it a quiet moment between a married couple in a train compartment
with
eavesdroppers crowding around or a cow ambling across the tracks as a
train
chugs to a halt, McDonald’s exhibition illustrates the historical
importance
of these trains. “The scenery, even the people on these trains are
so
different from anywhere else in the world,†he says, pointing to his
favourite
image of a train emerging from the dense jungle cover along an
elevated railway
bridge. His collection of images can be seen on his website
www.hilltrainsofindia.com.

McDonald’s favourite heritage train in India is the Kalka Railway
(recently
named a World Heritage Site). “The Kalka railway is 77-years-old and
offers
the best scenic views,†he says. He will return to Australia soon to
work on a
book about landscapes there.

The exhibition is on till December 24.