Kalka-Shimla Railway
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 Special train with steam locomotive 520 in Taradevi, 2005
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| Route length: | 96 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 762 mm ( narrow gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The narrow-gauge Kalka-Shimla Railway is a railway line with a gauge of 762 mm in northwest India , which runs from Kalka to Shimla , the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh . Because of the gauge and the relatively small number of cars, it is - like other narrow-gauge railways in India - also known as the Toy Train .
It is a regular Indian Railways route , but the route is extremely popular with tourists because of the spectacular route.
History and route construction
The city of Shimla, located in the foothills of the Himalayas at approx. 2100–2200 meters, had been the 'summer capital' of the British Indian government since the middle of the 19th century (officially from 1864) , as officials of the heat in the larger cities such as Delhi and Kolkata wanted to escape. The railway line was built at the end of the 19th century on behalf of the British colonial government to simplify and speed up transport between Delhi and Shimla. The route was officially opened on November 9, 1903.
The distance
The route is 96.5 kilometers long and overcomes an altitude difference of 1,420 m (Kalka: 656 m, Shimla train station: 2076 m). In addition to the steep incline, a total of 864 bridges (many of them viaducts ), 102 tunnels (the longest of which 1.14 km long), 919 curves and 18 mostly smaller train stations are passed or driven through on the relatively short route . The journey takes about 5–6 hours in total, and the train offers spectacular views of the valleys and the surrounding mountains. Large parts of the route lead through (coniferous) forests. The route is single-track, and at several stations, the journey continues only after the return train has arrived. The resulting waiting times make it possible to purchase drinks and snacks from vendors outside the train.
Trains
Up to seven pairs of trains run on the route every day. Passenger trains usually consist of up to six passenger cars in addition to the locomotive ( diesel locomotive ZDM-3 built 1970 to 1982 at Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), some later reproduced locomotives with a modified locomotive body with two cabs). Most tourists either use the luxurious "Shivalik Deluxe Express" (with board service) or the "Himalayan Queen" (normal seating car, without board service). A rail bus with a glass roof ( Rail Motor Car ) runs once a day .
Others
In 2008, the railway was in the World Heritage Site of UNESCO added. It is run there together with the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1999) and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (2005) as a World Heritage Site Mountain Railways in India .
gallery
Kalka-Shimla Railway, 1992
Passenger train in Solan station, 2007
Train with diesel locomotive YDM3 No.182, 2005
Special steam train in Taradevi, 2005
Railbus 4 in Shimla, 2005
