A station in the pines
Barog (code BOF) is a small station on the Kalka–Shimla Railway, set among pine and deodar forest at about 1,550 metres in Solan district. With just 2 platforms and 4 narrow-gauge tracks, it is one of the prettiest stops on the line, and one of the most visited, because of the tunnel right beside it. It belongs to Northern Railway's Ambala division.
Tunnel No. 33
Just before Barog station, trains enter Tunnel No. 33, the longest tunnel on the Kalka–Shimla Railway at 1,143.61 metres (3,752 ft). It is also notably straight. At toy-train speeds the passage takes a couple of minutes in darkness before trains emerge into Barog.
The legend of Colonel Barog
Barog is famous for a story that guides and travel writers love to retell, though it rests on local tradition rather than documented records. According to the legend:
- A British engineer, Colonel Barog, was put in charge of building the tunnel and had it dug from both ends at once.
- The two bores failed to meet. Humiliated, and fined a token one rupee, the colonel is said to have taken his own life, and the station still bears his name.
- Chief engineer H. S. Harrington then completed the tunnel, helped, the story goes, by Baba Bhalku, a local holy man said to have found the right alignment by tapping the hillside with his staff.
Whatever the exact truth, the tunnel was finished and the line opened in 1903. The legend has made Tunnel No. 33 one of India's most talked-about railway landmarks, with ghost stories to match.
On the heritage line
The Kalka–Shimla line, opened in 1903 and part of the Mountain Railways of India UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, climbs 96 km from Kalka through 102 tunnels and over 988 bridges. Barog was a traditional refreshment halt on the journey.
Visiting Barog
- Many toy trains pause here, giving time for a stretch on the platform.
- Solan, the district town known for its mushrooms and brewery, is a short ride up the line.
- Check toy-train timings, which change by season, in our train timetable.