Toy trains in India, Shimla, Darjeeling and Ooty

India’s toy trains, the heritage railways that climb laboriously into the Himalayan foothills in the north, and through the Western Ghats in the south, are some of the country’s loveliest heritage attractions, and superb examples of engineering skill from the 19th and 20th centuries. Originally built to transport administrators of the British Raj to cooler hill stations during the summer months, they are now a popular feature of our North India tour.

The Kalka-Shimla Railway, which can be easily folded into our tailor made tours of the Indian Himalayas, is the longest of the mountain railways of India, winding 96km into the Himalayan foothills, through forests laced with mist and dotted with small villages. When the line was constructed, whole armies of workers were needed, so there are communities all the way along the route where you’ll stop for 10 or 15 minutes at a time to stretch your legs, take photographs and perhaps purchase some snacks from platform vendors.

Along its route, the Kalka-Shimla train rounds over 900 bends, passing through more than 100 tunnels and over more than 850 bridges. Yet it took just five years to complete! Bridge 226 is particularly notable, a five-tier stone-arched beauty, while Tunnel 33 has a fascinating story attached to it. Legend has it that the British engineer Colonel Barog was charged with digging it and decided to save time by having two teams work from either side of the mountain and meet in the middle.

Sadly for Barog, he miscalculated, and the two teams missed each other. Such was his shame that the unfortunate colonel shot himself and was buried in front of the tunnel, which is said to be haunted by his ghost. There seems to be no actual evidence for any of this, but it’s an interesting story to entertain your fellow travellers with as you pass through the tunnel.

Creeping up from the plains below over some very steep inclines, the train can take six hours to reach its final destination in the late afternoon, although most journeys are much shorter. “It’s a beautiful journey but painfully slow and not exactly luxurious, so the full distance is really the reserve of train enthusiasts,” says Ravi Kumar, a destination manager for our partner Far and Wild Travel. “Most people will do just a 90-minute or two-hour section. And if you do want to do the complete journey then we recommend a night in Chandigarh (30km from Kalka) beforehand.”

There are about four daily trains each way between Kalka and Shimla, and not all of them stop at every station. The Vistadome train is best for the views, as carriages have glass ceilings, panoramic windows and seats that rotate, whereas the Himalayan Queen is a more budget-friendly option. The time of day can make a big difference: if you get the earliest train you can witness sunrise over the Himalayas. Which is nice.

Onboard toilet facilities will be on the basic side, but snacks and meals are available. There is no Wi-Fi, but you won’t miss it with these views of mountain peaks and lush green hillsides cascading down into Himalayan valleys.

Stretching out along a crescent-shaped ridge, shaded by forests of pine and fir that scent the crisp mountain air, the historic hill station of Shimla once served as the summer capital of British India. It sits at 2,200m above sea level – your elevation gain from Kalka is around 1,420m – so ensure you pack extra layers. The town is a short walk from the train station, but taxis and tuk-tuks are available should you prefer them.

“We recommend three days in Shimla,” says Ravi. “The first to arrive, the second to relax, and the third for sightseeing. The colonial architecture around the Mall is beautiful.” On our India holidays that include the Kalka-Shimla railway, you can admire highlights including the Post Office, Scandal Point with its mock Tudor architecture, and the Viceregal Lodge, where some of the negotiations around Indian independence were held.