Recreating the Kalka-Shimla Railway in Miniature

There are different ways to experience history outside the pages of a book. You can visit a place or a monument to get a sense of the scene where history has unfolded, you can also experience recreated history, as in period theatre or at exhibits of a museum. Here, take a look at history that is reproduced in a miniature form, in 3D.

The KSR has long been a lifetime Railway project. I had dreamt of building it since the mid-1980s. In 2009, I finally acquired the resources to start planning the build. The Railway has been six years in actual building.

I used a plastic base, which is a light weight blue foam. Onto the foam, I attached 3mm cork sheet using white wood glue, a.k.a. Fevicol. To lay down any track at all, we need to decide the ‘scale’ in which the railway is to be built. The track is stuck down with white glue, after which the sleepers and rail sides are painted, using Acrylic paints for realism.

I then used river sand to represent ballast that used to hold down track on the prototype. With hundreds of photographs of the railway stations, I began to plan each station.

People waiting for the train at the main building of Dharampur Railway Station.

Locomotive RMC-11 arrives at Dharampur Station.

Mini locomotive RMC-6 on Dharampur Loop. Notice the details of the tiered bridge.

Railcar 6 on the Dharampur Loop, descending down the tiers.

A busy day at the goods shed of the Dharampur railway station.

Builders repairing the Dharampur road bridge.

A panoramic view of the miniature Dharampur Railway Station.

Locomotive ZDM3 155 exits Barog tunnel.

Miniature version of the main building of the Barog station. All the details including the design of the grills to the exact shade of red has been replicated down to the T.

People waiting patiently for their train to arrive at Barog Station.

The side building of the Barog Station.

Locomotive KC 521 at Barog Station.

Locomotive ZDM3 155 enters Barog Station!

Miniature railcar on the tracks of the Barog Station.

Mini locomotives ZDM3 and KC 520 at Solan Station.

The Pracheen Mandir near Solan Station. Many people like to pay visit before commencing their journeys.

Solan Brewery featured a passing loop. A third goods loop was permitted for direct loading of Old Monk Rum, Solan No. 1 and Golden Eagle Beer from the brewery store. When trucks became more efficient as a means of transportation, the station fell into disuse and the Railways shut it down some years back.

Work in progress at Solan Brewery.

Mini version of Taradevi Staff quarters. Many details have been added even here- notice how the people on the roof are engaged in various activites.

The south view of the miniature railroads of Taradevi Station.

The temple had to be relocated to a spot above the station because of space constraints, but the Devi still reigns on the top of that hill.

A view of a busy Dhama corner. Cars, scooters, carriages all pass through this busy road.

Top view of the Dhama Corner which consists of flags from all over the world.