There are the five most beautiful toy trains in India. These are also known as Mountain Trains of India. The Mountain Railways of India refers to the railway lines built in the mountains of India. There are three railways that are included in the Mountain Railways of India by UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
These three railways are the Darjeeling Himalaya Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railways, and the Kalka –Shimla Railway which was in UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India and declared in 1999. Darjeeling Himalaya Railway was the first mountain railway opened in 1881 and still the most outstanding example of a hill passenger railway. The fourth railway the Matheran Hill Railway is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
All these railway lines are narrow gauge railways. Some
other mountain railways such as Jammu- Baramulla line are under construction,
while Bilaspur –Manali- Leh Line, the Jammu – Poonch line, the Srinagar –
Kargil- Leh line, and Chota Char Dham railway are in the planning stage.
The rail car waits at the end of the platform where the
Kalka Mail terminates. The sight of it, like a light blue 1920s Ford truck
that’s escaped from a museum, will make you rub your eyes in disbelief. There
are actually four cars in service, built-in 1927 and reconditioned in 1982.
The driver engages gear and the car leaps forward for the
journey through 103 tunnels and over 869 bridges, climbing from 656 m above sea
level at Kalka to 2075 m at Shimla. The views are stunning and, seated in the
rail car, you miss nothing.
A 15-minute halt is made at Barog where the restaurant is
one of the nicest of any station in India. It is above the platform with a
flower-bedecked verandah, a hillside view, service that is friendly and fast,
and food that is freshly prepared. You should order meals in advance through
the railway staff before leaving Kalka or Shimla. The rail car is permitted
with a maximum speed of 29 km per hour, and the diesel–hauled passenger train
is restricted to a maximum of 25 km per hour.
Kalka Shimla is one of the best toy trains in India and one
can book this toy train from the official website of IRCTC.
Darjeeling Toy Train
A journey over the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways by toy
trains is an unforgettable experience. Starting from New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri
in the plains, the railway winds its way among mountains and valleys to reach
Darjeeling. On the way, one can break the journey at Kurseong, another hill
resort at an altitude of 1458 meters. The Batasia loop and Tiger Hill on the
way are favorite spots.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway began as a steam tramway
in 1880 from Siliguri to Darjeeling, following a card road built by military
engineers in 1861. It was the first hill railway to be built in India.
The best to go is September to November before it gets
too cold, or in the spring of mid-April to mid-June.
Online tickets of Darjeeling Toy Train can be booked from
the official website of IRCTC.
Matheran Hill Toy Train
Less than two hours from Mumbai there is a great rail
trip by another toy train, the one that goes to Matheran. The name means ‘Jungle
head’ or ‘forest on the top’ and it still applies to this place, discovered in
1850. It is the nearest hill resort to Mumbai, 108 km away, situated in the Western
Ghats at 803 m above sea level.
The narrow-gauge railway was opened to traffic in 1907
and was, until a few years ago when a road was built, the only way to reach
Matheran. Motor traffic does not penetrate beyond the resort’s car park from
where walking, pony riding, or rickshaw is the only means of getting around.
The toy train begins its 21 km journey from Neral, pulled
by a diesel locomotive. Although the climb of 610 m is slow (it takes two
hours) time passes quickly because of the breathtaking scenery. The ruling
gradient is 1 in 20 as the track zigzags upwards gradually revealing the full
beauty of Matheran Hill.
One can book this toy train from the official website of IRCTC.
Nilagiri Mountain Toy Train
The board gauge Nilagiri Express from Chennai terminates
at Mettupalaiyam station and passengers change over during the 30-minute wait
before the fabled Blue Mountain train departs for Ooty.
During the wait, vendors pass along the platform selling
coffee and breakfast snacks, and the 1920s
Steam engine shunts into position at the back of the
train. The station has the look of a frontier with the modern overnight
Nilagiri Express, hauled by a huge diesel and with AC sleeper and 3-tier
carriages, on one side of the platform, and the old wooden coaches of the meter
gauge mountain train on the other.
Although the idea for a railway from Mettupalayam to
Coonoor, a distance of 27 km, was first mooted in 1854, it wasn’t in operation
until 1899.
The train’s coaches are as old as the engines. Made of
wood, they have been painted dark blue and a grubby yellow on the outside and pale
blue inside.
Nilagiri Mountain Toy Train tickets can be booked from
the official website of IRCTC.
Kangra Valley Toy Train
Kangra Valley Toy Train is 2 feet and 6 inches gauge
railway which runs from Pathankot of Punjab to Jogindernagar in Himachal
Pradesh. Distance between Pathankot to Jogindernagar is 164 km and it takes
around 9 hours. This railway is part of
the Firozpur division of The Northern Railway. Ahju station is the highest point on
this line which is at an elevation of 1290 meters.
This railway line was planned in May 1926 and
commissioned in 1929. The line has two tunnels, one of which is 250 ft and
another is at 1000 ft. Trains on this narrow gauge line are pulled by small and
less powerful engines than on a broad gauge main line, therefore steep ascents
had to be avoided.
There is no online booking for this toy train and tickets
are available offline at counters.
Know more about Indian Railways
Indian Railways is India’s national railway system
operated by the Ministry of Railways. It is one of the public facilities given
by the government and manages the fourth largest railway network in the world
by size, with a route length of 95981 km. Established in 1853; Indian Railways
is now the nation’s lifeline and prime carrier of men and materials. It is the
world’s largest network under single management.
Click here to check the PNR status of the toy train.
PNR is a short name for Passenger Name Record. It is recorded in the database of the Indian Railways computer reservation system against which journey details for a passenger or a group of passengers are saved. These details are associated with a unique 10 digit number. This 10 digit reference number is called PNR and it is printed on the tickets of IRCTC.
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