Toy trains are fascinating, and in India there are some of the worlds most amazing toy trains that will take you to the beautiful high mountain valleys on joy ride. These toy like trains will make you child again as you will be jumping and dancing with joy when these trains chug along on narrow gauge tracks.

At present there are 4 mountain toy trains operational in India. These are Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Kalka Shimla Railway, and Matheran Hill railway. Your Indian tour won't be complete unless you take a ride on these trains. These trains together are also identified as UNESCO World Heritage site, you cannot give them a miss.

Already much has been written about mountain trains of india on wikipedia and it's worth reading. But apart from reading you will enjoy more when you watch these toy trains in action. Here is a most wonderful toy train video by Indian Railways. Watch it, than proceed.



What we want to tell here you is how these trains will help you know India more closely. These toy trains actually operate in different regions of India.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway operates in eastern India between Siliguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The stretch of 88 km is long enough for you to enjoy and know about the tea gardens, the people who live there and their lives.

Darjeeling toy train
Darjeeling toy train about to depart from Siliguri station


Similarly, the Nilgiri Mountain railway operates in South India where it chugs through the blue hills laden with eucalyptus trees and other herbs like black pepper. This toy trains runs for 46 km and on its journey passes through 16 dark tunnels and 250 bridges. You can Imagine the adventure you go through while riding on this train. Another unique feature is that it is the only rack railway in India which uses the alternate biting system (Abt) also known as 'rack and pinion' rail system and is operated with special steam locomotive.

Nilgiri Toy train
Nilgiri Toy train passing over a dangerous railway bridge


Kalka Shimla toy train chugs in Northern India through the Shivalik hills. It connects Kalka (a town in Haryana) with Shimla (once summer capital of India in Himachal Pradesh). There are some fascinating sites to behold while you ride on this train. This is among the most popular toy trains operated by Indian Railway. During summers the rush is so much that the railway runs two special trains namely, shivalik express and shivalik palace saloon to cater the heavy traffic. Click here to know through how many tunnels and hills this toy trains runs through.

Kalka Shimla Toy train
Kalka Shimla Toy train  on the curve just about avoiding a tunnel accident


Matheran Hill Railway is a toy train on Western India. It operates in Maharashtra state in the hills of Western Ghats. You will enjoy the dense forests on this 20 km stretch between Neral to Matheran railway stations.

Matheran Toy train
Matheran Toy train running through western ghats of India


These toy trains are not only unique in how they operate but also in the manner in which they use some of the oldest and special railway technology in their day to day operations. As we said before, riding in these toy trains is not something you should miss if you are on Indian Tour.

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