Kalka Shimla Railway is not just a transportation mode for the people of Himachal, it is the very personification of their culture, their labours , pains and the hardships they endured in the British era.There is no doubt that Shimla railway is a marvelous piece of human endeavor. In 2007, it was proclaimed as a heritage site by the Government of Himachal Pradesh. Likewise, UNESCO has also recognized the grandeur of this monumental feat of humans in the form of Shimla toy train. Subsequently, Shimla railway was included amongst the world heritage sites by UNESCO in 2008.
Kalka Shimla railway has a curious history. By 1830 Shimla emerged as an important base for the Britishers in India. Hence, Britishers put all their energies to develop this strategic point in an all round manner. Eventually, in 1864 Shimla was made the summer-capital of British India. Obviously, a viable link between Shimla and Delhi as well as the northern plains of India became essential. Therefore, the Britishers conceived a railway link between Shimla on the mountain top at the height of 2076 mts above sea-level and Kalka on the foothill of Himalayas at the altitude of 656 mts above sea level.
In 1898, the construction work of Kalka-Shimla railway link was started under the guidance of the chief engineer Mr. Herlington. From 9th Nov, 1903 ‘Shimla Toy Train’ started operating for constructed by Delhi-Ambala-Kalka railway company. Finally, the train from Kalka to Shimla started running on a narrow gauge railway track covering a distance of 96 Kms.
Tunnels of Kalka-Shimla Railway
Originally there were 107 tunnels in Kalka Shimla railway, but at present only 103 tunnels are in use. The longest one out of these is the ‘Barog Tunnel’. This tunnel has a rather interesting history. At the end of digging of the Barog tunnel, the two sides of the tunnel did not coincide with each other because of their wrong alignment. As a result, colonel Barog who was the in charge of this tunnel was fined Re. 1 for not accomplishing the work successfully and wasting government funds. He later committed suicide in shame of his shortcomings.
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