Built by the British in the late 19th century and early 20th century to provide access to their hill settlements, Toy trains in India run on historic mountain railway lines and scenic routes make up for a gorgeous ride. A journey on any of these trains is delightful as you are greeted with a slow cool breeze and beautiful greenery that would engulf you. Traveling in these trains is a journey worth remembering especially as some of them are around the most famous hillside tourist destinations in India. Indian Toy trains are actual trains that are predominantly smaller and built specifically to serve as a means of transportation on steep hills and mountainsides. Tourists from all over India and the world cannot leave a Hill station without taking a ride on any of these famous toy trains. Let us take you through some of the famous.
List Of The Toy Trains In India
Kalka-Shimla Railway Station, Himachal Pradesh
Passing through lush green hills offering picturesque views of the surrounding beaut the Kalka-Shimla is among the very few operational toy trains in India. A truly historic train, it’s enlisted as a world heritage by UNESCO, the train travel through a 96 km route which is a narrow-gauge train track that includes 103 tunnels and over 850 bridges. A journey which one of the most gorgeous trips known to travelers, it is situated in the North of the city of Chandigarh, surrounded by the picturesque mountain ranges in Himachal Pradesh. The journey takes around 5.5 hours to complete and is nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, West Bengal
Considered Darjeeling’s pride the Darjeeling Toy train is one of the most awesome engineer marvels. Established back in 1881 the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is one of India’s oldest toy trains. The train takes you on a journey from the Himalayas, running through the lush and bountiful tea garden of Shimla. Once used by the British to transport tea to all parts of the world is one of the few trains that still runs on a steam engine. Declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is meant to take you on a 2000m climb between Siliguri and the Darjeeling tea plantations.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Tamil Nadu
Openned in 1885 and declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2005 Nilgiri Mountain Railway is one of the best things about Ooty. One of the steepest rail systems, not only in India but Asia as well your journey will on the toy train of Ooty hill station starts from the Mettupalayam and takes you up to Udagamandalam via a route through Coonoor in the Nilgiri Hills. the only toy train in India running on a meter gauge rack, the train runs through a track that runs through 250 bridges and 16 tunnels offering the best views of the Metupalaiyam to Coonoor stretch.
Matheran Hill Railway, Maharashtra
Century-old rail service in Maharashtra the Matheran Hill Railway is one of the popular toy trains in India. A UNESCO heritage site the train ran for the first time was in 1907 and travels about 20 kilometers taking you up the hill from Neral, all the way to Matheran. Onboard, the Matheran Hill Railway will let you experience a pollution-free journey as there are no vehicles allowed on Matheran Hill, not even bicycles. known for unbelievable ascents and descents and the ‘One Kiss Tunnel’ enjoy a slow-moving journey here while enjoying the fresh air and nature’s bounty in its full glory.
Kangra Valley Railway, Himachal Pradesh
Another heritage toy train in India running on n narrow gauge between offering you the blissful views between Pathankot and Jogindernaga is the Kangra Valley Railway. Completed in 1929, it is known to be the last mountain railway to be built in India Railway starts from Pathankot and takes on a 64-kilometer journey away up to Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh. The Kangra Valley Railway takes you through only two tunnels as the engineers wished to not borrow through the mountains making it different from the other toy trains in India. Riders on this train get the opportunity to experience lush green scenery rich farmlands as well as the Dhauladhar mountain range.
Also Read: Here Is A List Of Things To Do In Darjeeling For Your Next Vacation
A Journey On India’s Heritage Transportation
Trains are a perfect way to travel if you wish to enjoy lush green sceneries and the beauty of what nature has to offer and it is such a blessing that all these toy trains in India are located in such beautiful locations. A journey on any of these trains is sure to offer you a getaway to the majestic mountain ranges. Take in the fresh air, enjoy the scenic views and feel like a kid again in any of these toy trains in India.
