Couple Travel Series, Leisure Travel, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

A Memorable Ride on the charming Nilgiri Mountain Railway

By Vijaykumar Duraiarasan
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The one magic word associated with every travel is a Train. Irrespective of duration, a train journey is always an unforgettable experience since time immemorial. Ever since the travel bug ingested me a decade ago, I have been on several train journeys across India. As of this writing, I have travelled on a wide range of 92 distinctive trains and over 400 recurrent trains across India. From the Rajdhanis to Shatabdis to Super-Fast Express trains to Mails, the list is ceaseless. However, there are few other categories of trains in India that offer experiences like no other.

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Broadly classified into Mountain Railways of India, these trains cater to the heritage tourism sector. In India, there are four such Mountain train networks. The Indian Railways is, indeed, proud to have been accorded by UNESCO the World Heritage status for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR), and the Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR). The fourth line is the Matheran Hill Railway and is yet to be recognized by UNESCO. Each of these railways, except the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, is a narrow-gauge (width less than 1000 m) railway line.

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Photograph: Swiss made X-Powered Coal Fired Steam Locomotive
DISTINCTIVE ATTRIBUTES OF NILGIRI MOUNTAIN RAILWAY:

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is the only metre gauge, rack railway in India. Another unique attribute associated with NMR is that it is the steepest mountain railways in Asia. Yes, NMR is much steeper than its Himalayan counterparts. The train ascends from 1066 feet (at Metupalaiyam) to 7349 feet (at Ooty). That’s a steep climb of over 6,200 feet in just under 45 kilometers. This was made possible with an impressive engineering marvel, known as Alternate Biting System (ABT) otherwise known as Rack and Pinion System.

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Photograph: Rack and Pinion mechanism between the rails

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MEMORABLE RIDING EXPERIENCES:

It was my long time wish to take a ride in the beautifully maintained quaint rakes painted blue and cream with large windows. What else can be more special than taking a ride on this charming train on a special occasion like Wedding Anniversary? As a planned vacation to Ooty coinciding our wedding anniversary week in April 2022, this long-time wish came true. Here’s the link to full travelogue on Ooty.

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We arrived at the Metupalaiyam Railway station after an overnight journey from Chennai on the Nilgiri Express. The advantage of boarding the Nilgiri Express at Chennai is that it is conveniently scheduled for those looking to hop on to the Nilgiri Mountain Railway the next morning. Standing gracefully on the other side of the platform we arrived at, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway enticed upon us to take a ride on it. It took some time for us to settle down on the narrow seats of this classic rake. Thereafter, we were immersed by the beauty of what was both within the rake and outside of it.

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At the Metupalaiyam station, it was an intriguing experience to see the Steam Locomotive getting warmed up. A swiss-made X-class coal-fired Steam Locomotive is used power the rakes between the 28 km distance of Metupalaiyam and Coonoor. It is among the oldest steam locomotives still in operation. On the way up to Coonoor, the locomotive is positioned at the back of the rakes to push it from behind. And, on the way down, it is on the front. Not to pull, rather it pushes the rakes. Wondering why? This is because on the downhill route, the rakes take advantage of the gravity, and the locomotive regulates the train’s speed by pushing it in the opposite direction. Interesting! Right? The remaining 17 km distance between Coonoor and Ooty is powered by diesel locomotives. This entire journey takes 5 hours to be completed. Although, taking the NMR is the slowest mode of transportation, it is best way to explore the Nilgiri hills. It offers an experience like no other.

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STATIONS & STOPPAGES:

Enroute Udagamandalam, there are 11 intermediate stations. Of these only five are passenger stations. The other four serve the purpose of water stations and two non-stoppage stations. The following is a list of sequential stations for the upward journey from Mettupalayam to Ooty:

  1. Mettupalayam
  2. Kallar (Water stop. Rack rail begins here)
  3. Adderly (Water stop)
  4. Hillgrove (Water stop with passenger amenities)
  5. Runneymede (Water stop)
  6. Kateri Road (no stoppage)
  7. Coonoor (Steam locomotive switched with Diesel Locomotive)
  8. Wellington
  9. Aravankadu
  10. Ketti
  11. Lovedale
  12. Fern hill (no stoppage)
  13. Udagamandalam (Ooty)

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TRAIN SCHEDULES:

The Ooty Toy Train is operated only once each day on either direction:

  • At Metupalaiyam, the train (06136) starts at 07:10 am and arrives Ooty at about noon.
  • At Ooty, the train (06137) starts at 02:00 pm and arrives Metupalaiyam at 05:30 pm.
Nilgiri_Mountain_Railways_Portrait_VijayNilgiri_Mountain_Railways_Portrait_SuvarchalaTRAIN FARE:

Both Toy trains (06136 and 06137) offer First and Second-class seating.

  • The First class is all about comfort, seat space, aesthetic values, and a pleasant travel experience. The ticket fare is priced at INR 600 per seat and is worth buying for an enjoyable journey.
  • The Second class is more cramped and has no or little space for luggage. For a ticket fare of INR 295, it is still a worthy buy.

So, plan your journey accordingly. And make sure to book your ticket months in advance. This is because there are only 3 rakes. Very rarely, a fourth rake is added.

FOR CONSIDERATION:

For upward journey to Ooty,

  1. Make sure to have your breakfast done and/or food parcels collected from Mettupalayam. With the exception of Coonoor, the other intermediate stations do not offer amenities such as canteen.
  2. Neither First class nor Second class offer generous space for luggage. Make sure to travel compact on these trains.
  3. The seats facing east (left side of the train) offers scenic views. Although, choosing seats while booking is not a possibility. The seats are assigned by a software based system.

For return journey towards Mettupalayam,

  1. Make sure to have you lunch and/or food parcels collected from Ooty. With the exception of Coonoor, the other intermediate stations do not offer amenities such as canteen.
  2. There is a possibility of current booking at the Ooty/Coonoor stations. But the probability getting tickets is very low. Typically, the tickets sell out in seconds.
  3. The seats facing west (right side of the train) offers scenic views. Although, choosing seats while booking is not a possibility. The seats are assigned by a software based system.

Here’s a fabulous video of our wonderful journey! If you liked this video, do subscribe to my YouTube channel.

I hope you had a great time with my narration and the photographs from my recent travel took you on a virtual trip!

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