Unlike the Shimla-Kalka train, where the passengers spend most of the time going through tunnels, the Kangra toy train linking Pathankot and Joginder Nagar gently meanders through a maze of hills and valleys, offering the travellers enchantingly scenic view. The work on this line started in 1926. Three years later this, 163 km.
long route was opened to traffic. The entire route commands glorious views of nature and unveils myriad facets of history, art and culture. The grand spectacle of Kangra Valley begins unfolding after the train enters the foothills. Hillocks rise on both sides and as the train moves over the meandering streams, the Dhauladhar begin to gain in prominence. Emerging through Daulatpur tunnel and past the ruins of the old Kangra fort, one is surprised by the change in the landscape.
The Dhauladhar rises up 13,000 feet from the valley floor. The wide Kangra Valley, with its well-watered terraces, is simply superb. As the train inches on, the passengers adore the open countryside and the shining white peaks. An unmistakable pine scent fills the air and the track is suddenly fringed on both sides by the tea gardens of the Palampur region. The stretch between Baijnath and Joginder Nagar is the steepest. Here the train moves at a snail's pace till it reaches the highest point on the track at Ahju. Not far from here are the popular para-gliding and hang-gliding sites of Bir and Billing. As the train approaches Joginder Nagar, the white mountains, gradually begin fading away.