There are journeys that just take you from one destination to another. And then there are journeys that gently peel you away from deadlines, notifications, and the noise of everyday life, one tunnel, one curve, one mountain breeze at a time. The Kalka–Shimla Toy Train is exactly that kind of journey!
Nestled in the majestic hills of Himachal Pradesh, this century-old heritage rail route doesn’t just transport you to the quaint hill town of Shimla. It transports you into a quieter, older world. One where clouds brush against your window and time slows down just enough for you to fall in love with every passing pine tree. Let’s learn more about it.
The story of this train begins in 1903, during the British Raj, when Shimla was the summer capital and the mountains were the ultimate escape from the scorching plains. To make this escape easier, engineers carved out a daring narrow-gauge railway, stretching over 96 kilometres with 102 tunnels, 864 bridges, and a climb of nearly 1,500 meters.
But don’t let the numbers intimidate you! What you actually feel on this journey isn’t math. It is magic! As the toy train pulls out of Kalka, it doesn’t rush. It rolls, it hums, it sings. The rhythm of the tracks beneath your feet becomes a heartbeat that syncs with the scenery outside!
What makes this journey unforgettable isn’t just the landscape, though that in itself is a visual poem. It is the way the light shifts through the day, the way the air smells different after every tunnel, the way you find yourself smiling at strangers who are just as awestruck as you are!
The train moves slowly, often giving you the feeling that you could hop off, walk alongside it for a bit, and hop back on. But you won’t want to. You will want to stay pressed to the window as the scenery turns from dry plains to lush hills, from sleepy stations to misty mountain ridges, from the modern world to an older, simpler time!
Then come the stations, Barog, Kandaghat, Solan, and Taradevi, each one with its own little world. These aren’t the kind of stations where you grab a coffee and rush off. These are the kind where a steaming cup of chai tastes better just because the man serving it has a story to tell. In Barog, for instance, the longest tunnel on the route hides a bittersweet tale of an English engineer and an unfinished dream. And Solan? That’s the town where the hills meet homegrown spices, friendly locals, and the best mountain pakoras you will ever taste!
And then there’s the ride itself. The windows are large and open, often without glass, inviting in bursts of wind, sunshine, and the occasional drop of rain. You don’t just watch the hills, you breathe them in. You will see so many families pointing out waterfalls, solo travellers scribbling notes in journals, and couples sharing silent awe during golden hour! You might even see yourself letting go of your phone, leaning back, and rediscovering the joy of simply watching the world go by.
This isn’t a luxury train. Don’t expect plush seats or five-star meals. What you get instead is authenticity, the creak of old wooden panels, the gentle sway of carriages, the echoes of train whistles bouncing off mountain cliffs. And in those sounds, in that simplicity, you will somehow find something far more luxurious: peace. It is the kind of experience that stays with you, not because it was fancy, but because it felt honest. Super grounded and real!
When you finally roll into Shimla, hours later, it won’t really feel like the end of a trip. It will feel like you have arrived somewhere inside yourself, a quieter, lighter version of you that remembers how beautiful life can ultimately be when you stop trying to move so fast!
At Travassa, we believe in travel that lingers. And this train ride? It is not just any checklist item. It is a soulful pause. That’s why we go beyond just booking your train ticket. We help you choose the right season, the right coach, and the right seats. We connect you with local storytellers, arrange charming heritage stays in Shimla, and make sure your journey off the train is just as memorable as the one on it!
So, if you are craving a break that actually feels like a breath of fresh pine-scented air, if you really want to watch clouds dance through colonial tunnels and sip tea with strangers who feel like old friends, let’s plan this ride together!
So, if you are craving a break that actually feels like a breath of fresh pine-scented air, if you really want to watch clouds dance through colonial tunnels and sip tea with strangers who feel like old friends, let’s plan this ride together!
