There are train journeys, and then there are train journeys that feel like poetry in motion — the Kalka–Shimla toy train is the latter. A narrow-gauge wonder that climbs from the dusty plains of Kalka to the pine-laced heights of Shimla, this route is not just a passage through hills but a gentle unspooling of nostalgia, wonder, and beauty. The moment the train chugs out of Kalka, it leaves behind the flatness of everyday life and begins its slow, winding ascent into magic. The air grows cooler, the scent of eucalyptus sharper, and soon, the world begins to tilt — literally — as the train curves through 102 tunnels and crosses over 800 bridges with an unhurried grace. Outside the window, hills roll like waves, terraced fields gleam like green embroidery, and toy villages sit still, as if waiting for the train to pass and life to resume. Sometimes you catch a child waving, sometimes a monkey observing with indifference. Often, you glide so close to the mountainside, you could touch the moss on the stones. Then, with a sudden turn, the world opens up to a wide valley, sun-dappled and vast. Inside the wooden carriages, time seems to slow. The rhythmic clatter of the train against the tracks is both lullaby and metronome. There are no digital screens, only windows wide enough to lean out of and breathe. Conversations are hushed. Tea is poured in tin cups. You are reminded that travel can still be gentle. By the time you reach Shimla, with its colonial rooftops and mountain mist, you’ve left behind more than miles — you’ve shed the weight of urgency. The Kalka–Shimla train doesn’t just take you up a hill. It takes you back to a time when journeys were meant to be felt, not just completed. Image courtesy @lonelyplanet