P1030358 Passenger perches on the "toy" train to Pathankot; Himachal Pradesh. July 16th 2013. PS ©
Copyright photo PS
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Route map:
Jogindernagar/Baijnath to Pathankot, Kangra Valley Toy train:
The narrow-gauge railway runs from Joginder Nagar and Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh to Pathankot in the Punjab. We caught it at Baijnath Paprola. It’s a slow “Toy train”, and goes through the hill-resorts Baijnath, Palampur and Kangra. On the way, it offers views of the Dhauladhar ranges as well as rolling rural greenery.
This line has been nominated for inclusion in UNESCO's cultural heritage list.
Built by the British, work on the line started in 1926. Three years later this 163 km long track was opened to traffic.
The Dhauladhar rise up 13,000 ft from the valley floor. The wide Kangra Valley, with its well-watered terraces, is attractively fertile, and as the train inches on, passengers enjoy the open countryside. Pine scent may fill the air and the track is suddenly fringed on both sides by the tea gardens of the Palampur region.
Dharamshala, headquarters of the Kangra district, lies on the southern spur of Dhauladhar in the valley to the north of the rail-line.
The slow route provides views of nature and unveils facets of landscape and culture. Thus a trip on the Kangra toy train is a fascinating experience — a way to savour the beauty of the district and local simple life.
The Kangra Valley is not one place in particular; it’s the name given to the entire region that lies between the Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas to the north and the last foothills to the south. So, roughly speaking, this is a slim rectangular belt running 90 miles in length and 30 miles in breadth through the lower mountains. To the north, the peaks rear skyward: first a low chain of ridges followed by an extensive line averaging between 7,000 and 9,000 feet. Directly behind those are massifs rising to over 16,000 feet. Then the snows.
The most picturesque parts of the valley are open to view – the stretch of 18 miles from Mangwal to Kangra, for example, lies through country of grandeur with the Ban Ganga gorge and the Kangra chasm as two special elements. As one leaves Palampur, the background of chain peaks, 15,000 feet in height is barely ten miles away. Here the line runs parallel to the Dhauladhar range and nearer to it than any other railway in India that comes close to eternal snows.
Some miles along the line is the Bathu Khad, which is spanned by a long viaduct constructed on a gentle curve with the rails about 100 feet above the bed of the Nullah. Between this point and Kangra are the only two tunnels: the Dhundi tunnel is just 250 feet long. Four miles farther is the Daulatpur tunnel, 1,000 feet in length.
The line does not pass through Kangra town itself but is separated from it by a large cleft in the hills at the bottom of which runs the Ban Ganga River.
The spectacle of the Kangra Valley has unfolded where the train later crosses Nurpur. Hillocks rise on both sides as the train moves over many bridges. Past ruins of the old Kangra fort, emerging through Daulatpur tunnel we’re surprised by the change in the landscape. Hillocks rise on both sides and the Dhauladhar stand in prominence.
Wild Rambler Roses, Oleanders, Rhododendron, fruit blossoms, and other wide-ranging plants flourish.
But to us, special interests included unexpected scenes of village life, wet-green paddy fields, remote embarking stops, and rural village centres scrabbling with chooks, and occupied by resting workers. Colourful locals, each a picture, would ascend or descend alongside the tracks, until as we chugged closer to Pathankot, the numbers grew too many for inside the carriages, so others hung outside from the stair rails enjoying progress in the open countryside.
P1030358 Passenger perches on the "toy" train to Pathankot; Himachal Pradesh. July 16th 2013. PS ©
Copyright photo PS
Enlarge
Click diagonal arrows upper right; can then press F11 Fullscreen.
Or
use flickr's + cursor and explore with mouse.
.
.
Route map:
Jogindernagar/Baijnath to Pathankot, Kangra Valley Toy train:
The narrow-gauge railway runs from Joginder Nagar and Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh to Pathankot in the Punjab. We caught it at Baijnath Paprola. It’s a slow “Toy train”, and goes through the hill-resorts Baijnath, Palampur and Kangra. On the way, it offers views of the Dhauladhar ranges as well as rolling rural greenery.
This line has been nominated for inclusion in UNESCO's cultural heritage list.
Built by the British, work on the line started in 1926. Three years later this 163 km long track was opened to traffic.
The Dhauladhar rise up 13,000 ft from the valley floor. The wide Kangra Valley, with its well-watered terraces, is attractively fertile, and as the train inches on, passengers enjoy the open countryside. Pine scent may fill the air and the track is suddenly fringed on both sides by the tea gardens of the Palampur region.
Dharamshala, headquarters of the Kangra district, lies on the southern spur of Dhauladhar in the valley to the north of the rail-line.
The slow route provides views of nature and unveils facets of landscape and culture. Thus a trip on the Kangra toy train is a fascinating experience — a way to savour the beauty of the district and local simple life.
The Kangra Valley is not one place in particular; it’s the name given to the entire region that lies between the Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas to the north and the last foothills to the south. So, roughly speaking, this is a slim rectangular belt running 90 miles in length and 30 miles in breadth through the lower mountains. To the north, the peaks rear skyward: first a low chain of ridges followed by an extensive line averaging between 7,000 and 9,000 feet. Directly behind those are massifs rising to over 16,000 feet. Then the snows.
The most picturesque parts of the valley are open to view – the stretch of 18 miles from Mangwal to Kangra, for example, lies through country of grandeur with the Ban Ganga gorge and the Kangra chasm as two special elements. As one leaves Palampur, the background of chain peaks, 15,000 feet in height is barely ten miles away. Here the line runs parallel to the Dhauladhar range and nearer to it than any other railway in India that comes close to eternal snows.
Some miles along the line is the Bathu Khad, which is spanned by a long viaduct constructed on a gentle curve with the rails about 100 feet above the bed of the Nullah. Between this point and Kangra are the only two tunnels: the Dhundi tunnel is just 250 feet long. Four miles farther is the Daulatpur tunnel, 1,000 feet in length.
The line does not pass through Kangra town itself but is separated from it by a large cleft in the hills at the bottom of which runs the Ban Ganga River.
The spectacle of the Kangra Valley has unfolded where the train later crosses Nurpur. Hillocks rise on both sides as the train moves over many bridges. Past ruins of the old Kangra fort, emerging through Daulatpur tunnel we’re surprised by the change in the landscape. Hillocks rise on both sides and the Dhauladhar stand in prominence.
Wild Rambler Roses, Oleanders, Rhododendron, fruit blossoms, and other wide-ranging plants flourish.
But to us, special interests included unexpected scenes of village life, wet-green paddy fields, remote embarking stops, and rural village centres scrabbling with chooks, and occupied by resting workers. Colourful locals, each a picture, would ascend or descend alongside the tracks, until as we chugged closer to Pathankot, the numbers grew too many for inside the carriages, so others hung outside from the stair rails enjoying progress in the open countryside.