What exactly is a toy train? In India, it's a train with far fewer compartments than a regular train that only runs on historic railway lines through the mountains to the hill stations. And the Kalka-Shimla railway line is one of the most historic in the country. Back during the time of the Raj (when the British controlled India), the entire government would uproot itself to Shimla to avoid the hot, muggy Delhi summer.
There are about five trains a day which leave from Kalka station to Shimla, and vice versa (tip: if you're on a train from Delhi that's meant to arrive in time for one of the toy trains and the Delhi train is late, they'll hold the toy train. My Delhi train, the Kalka Mail, was about four hours late, and yet the Shivalik Express to Shimla was still there waiting.) (Have I mentioned that I love the fact trains have names?)
The toy train then embarks on the five-to-six-hour, gorgeous journey that winds through the mountains.
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| There are all sorts of reminders of colonial times on the railway line. |
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| Probably the comfiest train I'll take in India. |
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| The smiling lady thought I was taking a shot of her, but I was just doing a creepy self-portrait. |
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| More colonial remnants. |
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