Toy Train

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: Overview

Riding the Toy Train Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) has always remained the desired experience for tourists. Only a few would let go of such a chance. And there is a clear reason why so. After all this, Toy Train was granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status in December 1999. Operating on narrow gauge tracks since the 1880s and providing an important link to various parts of Darjeeling hills and lower plains, the toy train of Darjeeling is an icon of our heritage since the colonial days and an engineering marvel that was achieved during that period.

Toy Train in Darjeeling offers a beautiful way of absorbing the picturesque Himalayan scenes as you travel along the slopes of the Hills. You can find a small steam engine pulling mini coaches up the steep mountains through breathtaking landscapes and overcoming almost impossible curves and gradients using sheer engineering ingenuity and creative skills. The snail's pace at which the train moves through the hilly terrain is, at times, so slow that you can often see the local children hopping on and off the train on the move.

Toy train joy rides operate from Darjeeling Railway Station. It's roughly a 2-hour round trip from Darjeeling up to Ghum and back via Batasia Loop, covering a total distance of 14kms. The number of rides per day depends on the demand during the season. Several trains could operate simultaneously in high seasons, such as summers, and there could be 18-20 rides a day. Ghum is the highest altitude station on the Darjeeling Himalayan Rail track. Here the toy train stops for 25 minutes for a visit to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) Museum. The DHR Museum is located at the station premises. The entry fee to the museum is included in the ticket price. The train stops for 10 minutes at the Batasia Loop on its return. At Batasia, the train makes a loop around a beautifully manicured garden.