Shimla, is situated in Himachal Pradesh and is a utopia of scenic and breathtaking natural beauty. Toy train journey to Shimla is special in itself. It must be a routine trip for some, but since I found it to be an outstanding experience with my family, I have dedicated a complete chapter to it.
Scenic view at Shimla
I used to visit Shimla a lot as a little girl with my parents. We have gone by car and train from Delhi many times. Air route is till Chandigarh and then on road or by train till Shimla. By road, it takes about 3 hrs to reach. All trains take us to Kalka from where one can go onwards by either Car or toy-train to Shimla. Journey by car is faster and one can reach in about 3 hours to Shimla. List of trains for was there at Shimla Railway Station.
Information board of trains at Shimla Railway station
Journey by toy train takes a bit longer , however it is more comfortable and relaxing. Toy train journey gives a whole new dimension to Shimla trip. This time I visited Shimla by toy train with my kids. Journey was actually a revival my childhood for a while.
Toy train station for Shimla
After an overnight journey from Delhi by Kalka mail, we reached Kalka station by 5 AM. The toy-train starts from an adjacent platform. We boarded “Shivalik Express”, the toy train. As our train started off by 6 AM , it was still dark being November. We were offered tea and sandwiches at the start of our journey. Soon, sunlight entered our compartment and we could see many hillocks. Kids got super excited upon seeing the view.
As we peeped through our window, our delight was doubled by valley view on one side and hills on other.
Valley view from toy train to Shimla
Then started the most exiting part of our journey-tunnels. My kids were scared in the first few tunnels , but later they started enjoying the sudden darkness. Every time we entered a tunnel , kids used to come close to me and as we exited the tunnel , they resumed their activity.
Actually there are approx 100 tunnels , over 800 bridges and 900 curves on the way. The route was made under the supervision of H.S.Harrigton in British era and opened on 9 November 1903.
Information board of Kalka Shimla Railway line
We then reached Barog by breakfast. We were served tea, coffee , hot pakodas and samosas. The train stops for a while in Barog and as we started again. Then came the longest tunnel on our way which is almost 2.8 kms long .
Barog station on the way to Shimla
Kids were totally enjoying and jumping across the small compartment. We could see whole of train from the window in serpentine passage of the train.
Toy train view
Toy Train view from its compartment window
Toy train view from window of train’s compartment
After Barog, there is another less known but beautiful hill station called Kandaghat.
Station of Summer hill
Onward journey from Kandaghat was good fun and we reached Summer Hill ,which is another beautiful station.
There are staying options at Summer Hill like Shimla Havens resort and Camp Potters hill starting from Rs.4000.
Resorts in Kandaghat – The destination, Club Mahindra, Aamod.
We then resumed our journey and Kids were tired by now. They were quietly enjoying the beauty of mother nature. My younger kid slept and elder one was also snoozing. I was quietly enjoying the view and re-living the whole experience of my childhood. Slowly , our journey came to end when we reached Shimla Station.
Shimla Railway Station
View at Shimla
Indiahas 4 toy train railway lines- Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (started in 1881), Matheran Hill Railway (started in 1903). Ooty Nilgiri Mountain Railway (started in 1899), Kalka Shimla Railway(started in 1903). I’m yet to experience other three. Although these trains are slow but very comfortable. Since they travel the hilly terrain, these toy trains provide exotic views that are worth watching. The only precaution one needs to follow is that Kids do not take their hand or heads out of the windows on board , since windows do not have bars.
Overall , though toy train travel to Shimla is a journey for some , I would recommend it to all since it is an experience worthwhile if one has sufficient time.
Nidhi K.M
It must have been quite enjoyable!
Yes indeed! It was very clean and kids loved it the most due to its scenic views and the food items that kept them busy. You know how much kids love the junk food.