Shooting the Horizon
FRONTPAGE EXPLORED
This one made it to the front page of flickr explore on 27th September, 2008
The train from Kalka to Shimla is very exciting. Its not a fast train but a very perfect train to see the nature in the mountains. The weather is cooler, sky is bluer and sometimes if you are lucky enough, you can catch the...
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rays of the sun from the clouds.
The Kalka-Shimla Railway was built to connect Shimla, the summer capital of India during the British Raj, with the Indian rail system. Now, Shimla is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh and Kalka is a town in the Panchkula district of Haryana. Spectacular scenery along the whole route, and the marvels of its construction, keeps the traveler on this line spell bound. On leaving Kalka, 656 meters (2,152 ft) above sea level, the railway enters the foothills and immediately commences its climb.
The Kalka Shimla Railway runs through 103 tunnels (one is not in use; so only 102 in service). The longest tunnel is at Barog, and is named after the engineer in charge of construction. Mr Barog committed suicide after making a mistake in laying the alignment. His tunnel was abandoned, and a second tunnel was constructed one kilometre away under the supervision the Chief Engineer, H.S. Harrington.
The scenic Kalka Shimla Railway, a narrow gauge track, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the steepest rise in altitude in a distance of 96 km.
By Shabbir Ferdous
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