Thursday, January 2, 2014

Ooty - Places of Interest - VIII

Nilgiri Mountain Railway
Type
Cultural
ii, iv
Reference
Inscription history
Inscription
1999 (23rd Session)
Extensions
2005; 2008
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (நீலகிரி மலை ரயில்) is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the site then became known as "Mountain Railways of India."
After it satisfied the necessary criteria, thus forcing abandonment of the modernization plans. For the past several years diesel locomotives have taken over from steam on the section between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. Local people and tourists have led a demand for steam locos to once again haul this section.
The meter gauges Nilgiri Mountain Railway have tracks which are made of 50 lb rails. On the path of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway there are a total of 250 bridges. While 32 of them are important and major bridges and 15 are small over the road bridges. Between Kallar and Ooty the Nilgiri Mountain Railways passes through 16 tunnels and from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam, the lapse is dotted with stone ballast and the cushion which vary from 75 mm to 150 mm. 
Journey on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway cruising through the natural beauty of the Nilgiri Mountains will mesmerize you throughout your life. The virgin forests and the misty mountains seems to welcome the travelers to the land of eternal beauty
The famous Hindi song Chaiyya Chaiyya from the film "Dil Se" featuring Shahrukh Khan was shot on the roof top of NMR.
Good to Know
  • The train, for obvious safety reasons, averages 10.4 km per hour and is perhaps the slowest in India.
  • Built in the late 19th century, the track rises at a gradient of 1 in 12 and has 208 curves and 13 tunnels.
  • It leaves Mettupalayam at 7.45 am and reaches Ooty at noon.
Extensive rice fields surround the 7 km stretch between Mettupalayam and Kallar. Soon after is an impressive 21km section through truly rocky terrain. The track passes over 26 viaducts and twist and blends through 13 tunnels. After a steep climb, the train enters Coonoor, the little hill station known for its tea plantations. From here, the track is uphill till you reach Fern Hill at a height of 2,218m, the highest point on the railroad.
Shortly before Ooty, the line dips downhill. If you enjoy taking pictures, keep your camera ready for a few shots of the viaduct between Kallar and Adderley. This ride is sure to turn the most hardened rail critic into an avid fan. You will delight in the edge-of-the seat twists and turns as the train runs across tall girder bridges, and over green hills before gently meandering through rolling tea estates. The exhaust beat of the loco never falters, maintaining a deafening staccato which can be heard for miles around. Truly a journey to remember.
History
At the height of 2,600m stands Udhagamandalam (Ooty) The Queen of Hill Stations. The ‘Nilgiris toy train’ connects Ooty to Mettupalayam, at the foot of the Nilgiris.
The construction of this line was a big challenge as the terrain is rather tricky. It was in 1854 that the first plans were drawn to build a mountain railway from Mettupalayam to the Nilgiri Hills. But it was a good 45 years later in 1899 that the first train chugged up this track. This railway is widely regarded as a marvel of engineering. The train itself is a charming blue and cream with wooden coaches and large windows. It is hauled up hills by stream engines, designed and built by the Swiss Locomotive Works. Twelve of such locomotive engines survive even today.
It was operated first by the Madras Railway under an agreement with the Government. The Madras Railway Company continued to manage this railway line on behalf of the government for a long time until the South Indian Railway company purchased it. The line was extended to Ootacamund from Coonoor sometime in 1908 on the same gauge over a distance of 11 and 3/4 miles at a cost of Rs. 24, 40,000.
The steepest gradient on this line is 1 in 23 and there is no rack on it as provided between Coonoor and Mettupalayam. The Railway line from Mettupalayam to Ooty is 45.88 km. long and lies partly in Coimbatore District and partly in Nilgiri District of Tamilnadu, on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Mettupalayam is at the foothills with an elevation of about 330 meters and Udagamandalam (Ooty) on the plateau with an elevation of 2200 metres. The average gradient of this line is about 1 in 24.5.
The gauge is laid to Meter gauge (1000 mm). The sharpest curve on the section is 17.5 degrees.
The track is made of 50 lb rails. There are 250 bridges on the section, out of which 32 are major ones and 15 are road over bridges.
There are 16 tunnels between Kallar and Ooty all of which are in excellent condition.
The section from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam is provided with stone ballast and the cushion varies from 75 mm to 150 mm.
The Maximum permissible speed on Mettupalayam-Kallar and Coonoor-Udagamandalam "Non-Rack" system is 30 while between Kallar and Coonoor "RACK" section the maximum permissible speed is 13 Kmph. The region covered by the Nilgiri Mountain Railway gets rainfall during the south-west and north-east monsoons. The average rainfall is of the order of 1250 mm at Udagamandalam, 1400 mm at Coonoor and 500 mm at Mettupalayam. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway keeps chugging despite the downpour.
The train covers the 46 km to Udhagamandalam in four and a half hours. There are five stations between Mettupalayam and Coonoor - Kallar, Adderley, Hill Grove, Runnymede and Kateri – and, at one time, there were five between Coonoor and Ooty too. Through Wellington, Aruvankadu, Ketti, and Lovedale are still functional, Fern Hills, the last one, was closed down a few years ago.
Operation
The NMR track is 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge and the railway is isolated from other metre gauge lines. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor, the line uses the Abt rack and pinion system to climb the steep gradient. On this rack section trains are operated by 'X' Class steam rack locomotives manufactured by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland.
These steam locomotives can be used on any part of the line (either with or without the rack section), but the newer diesel locomotives can operate on the entire section, between Mettupalayam and Udagamandalam. This signals the beginning of the process to phase out the coal-fired vintage Swiss engines that took scores of passengers on the rack and pinion track to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam, covering 41.8 km, 108 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges Hence, the Southern Railway decided to replace the coal-fired locomotives. The work was entrusted to Golden Rock Workshop of Southern Railway at Thiruchirappalli. Each of the new engines weighs a little over 50 tonnes and cost Rs.10 Crores.
The new engine has been provided with pilot and primary burners with separate tanks to hold about 850 litres of diesel and 2,250 litres of furnace oil. The hauling capacity of this new engine is 97.6 tonnes and it can run at a speed of 30 km an hour in plains and at 15 km an hour on a gradient.
Officials hoped to put the engine to use by Sunday on the Mettupalayam–Coonoor section. The arrival of the new engines raises hopes of eliminating the disruption in service that occurred frequently over the last two years.
For long, the X Class locomotives manufactured by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland lent that distinct charm to NMR. These locomotives are six to eight decades old. The steam locomotives are always marshalled at the downhill (Mettupalayam) end of the train. The average gradient in this rack section is 1 in 24.5 (4.08%), with a maximum of 1 in 12 (8.33%).
Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam the train is operated by an YDM4 diesel locomotive using conventional rail adhesion principles. On this section the locomotive is always at the Coonoor end of the train as although the line is not steep enough to need a rack rail, the ruling gradient out of Coonoor is still very steep at 1 in 25 (4%).
As of 2007, there is one train a day over the rack section, which starts from Mettupalayam at 07:10 and reaches Ooty at noon. The return train starts from Ooty at 14:00, and reaches Mettupalayam at 17:35. The train is scheduled to connect to the Nilgiri Express, which travels from Mettupalayam to Chennai via Coimbatore. A summer special service is also run during the months of April and May, starting from Mettupalayam at 09:30 AM and from Ooty at 12:15 PM. between Coonoor and Udagamandalam, there are four daily trains each way.
Even though the NMR stations have networked computerized ticketing systems for onward journeys, it still issues Edmondson style manual tickets for the Ooty-Mettupalayam journey to preserve the 'World Heritage Site' status of the railway. However, ticket booking is similar to other conventional trains and can also be done via the Indian Railways' website. It is advisable to book tickets for this railway well in advance, especially during peak season.
The majority of repairs to the locomotives are carried out at the Coonoor shed but many of the steam locomotives have been rebuilt at the Golden Rock Workshops. Carriages are repaired at Mettupalayam but, like the locomotives, are taken to one of the big railway workshops for major work. Due to its popularity, a number of passengers using the NMR have requested that the Southern Railways convert the section from Coonoor to Udagamandalam to steam locomotive, extending the present steam traction between Mettupalayam and Coonoor.
The route
Ø  Mettupalayam (Coimbatore) – 0 Km
Ø  Kallar – 8 Km
Ø  Adderley – 13 Km
Ø  Hillgrove – 18 Km
Ø  Runneymede – 21 Km
Ø  Kateri Road – 25 Km
Ø  Coonoor – 28 Km
Ø  Wellington – 29 Km
Ø  Aruvankadu – 32 km
Ø  Ketti – 38 Km
Ø  Lovedale – 42 Km
Ø  Ooty – 46 Km
The 'Nilgiri Passenger' train covers a distance of 26 mi (41.8 km), travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 290 minutes (4.8 hours), and the downhill journey takes 215 minutes (3.6 hours) it has the steepest track in Asia with a maximum gradient of 8.33%.





Mettupalayam Station
Mettupalayam(Coimbatore) - 0 km (0 mi), 1,069 ft (325.8 m) above sea level - Junction with the 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) (Indian Gauge) line from Coimbatore city railway station. Passengers cross the platform to board the Nilgiri Passenger train (NMR). There is a small locomotive shed here and also the carriage workshops for the line.
Leaving Mettupalayam, the line is adhesion worked and actually drops for a short distance before crossing the Bhavani River, after which it starts to climb gently.
Kallar Station
Kallar - 8 km (5 mi), 1,260 ft (384 m) - Closed as a passenger station, this is where the rack rail begins. As the train leaves the station, the gradient is 1 in 12 (8.33%).
Adderley Station
Adderley - 13 km (8.1 mi), 2,390 ft (728.5 m) - Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
Hillgrove Station
Hillgrove - 18 km (11.2 mi), 3,580 ft (1,091.2 m) - Block post and water stop, also has refreshments for passengers.
Runneymede Station
Runneymede - 21 km (13 mi), 4,612 ft (1,405.7 m) - Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
Kateri Road Station
Kateri Road - 25 km (15.5 mi), 5,070 ft (1,545.3 m) - Closed as a passenger station, trains do not stop here.
Coonoor Station
Coonoor - 28 km (17.4 mi), 5,616 ft (1,711.8 m) - main intermediate station on the line at site of the locomotive workshops as well as the top end of the rack rail. Trains must reverse a short distance before continuing their climb to Ooty. It is normal for the locomotive to be changed here with diesel traction, being normal for all trains to Ooty.
Wellington Station
Wellington - 29 km (18 mi), 5,804 ft (1,769.1 m)
Aruvankadu Station
Aruvankadu - 32 km (19.9 mi), 6,144 ft (1,872.7 m)
Ketti Station
Ketti - 38 km (23.6 mi), 6,864 ft (2,092.1 m)
Lovedale Station
Lovedale - 42 km (26.1 mi), 7,000 ft (2,133.6 m)
From a short distance before Lovedale, the line descends into Ooty.
Udhagamandalam Station
Ooty - 46 km (28.6 mi), 7,228 ft (2,203.1 m).
Contact Details
Regional Director, IRCTC Ltd. South Zone
6A, The Rain Tree Place,
#9, Mc Nichols Rd., Chetpet, Chennai-600031
Tel: +91 – 44 – 28363726 / 27
Fax: +91 – 44 – 28363453
Featuring in Films
In the UK, the BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, with the NMR being featured in the second programme shown in February 2010. (The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway.) The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly, and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010.

Coonoor station was one of two used as locations in David Lean's film A Passage to India. You can also see Coonoor station and its heritage locomotive in many of the Indian films. Wellington station always finds a place in most of the films casting the Indian army or army training storyline mainly due to the MRC Indian Army Regiment, Defense Services Staff College, the Cantonment and the Cordite Factory. Ketti station was used as the location in a Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem Lovedale station is very picturesque and has featured in many popular films including the famous Tamil hit, Moonram Pirai. Ooty station has featured in many of the Tamil and other South Indian language films. It is also prominently featured in some of the Bollywood films.
Traveller Experience
Technically Ooty has a railway station. But the railway line to Ooty belongs to the mountain rail league. Means, the regular trains do not operate in this route. The Mountain Railway line to Ooty spans from Ooty to Mettupalayam (Mettupalayam / MTP), a town on the way to Coimbatore from Ooty. This mountain railway is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.
Now we are left with two choices as far as the train connections to Ooty. That is Mettupalayam (MTP) and Coimbatore (CBE). Again between the two, Coimbatore is well connected by long distance express trains. In fact there is only one express train that extends to Mettupalayam, which is the Chennai to Mettupalayam Nilgiri Express (also called the Blue Mountain Express).
From Mettupalayam you can catch that famous Mettupalayam – Ooty mountain train (the Nilgiri Mountain Railway) portrayed in the Bollywood movie Dil Se (Shahrukh & Co dance on this train in the song ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya….’). This is a painstakingly slow train (that’s the whole idea of a mountain train!) winds through the scenic Blue Mountain terrain. The train leaves Mettupalayam by 7.10 in the morning. In fact this is a connection train for Ooty for the Blue Mountain Express from Chennai. So it waits for the Ooty bound passengers coming by that train.
Be aware that the Mettupalayam – Ooty train is generally crowded, especially during the holiday seasons. Also there is only one train in this route, though they may operate one more during the peak season. And to top it all, it is a tiny train with limited accommodations.
Now if catching the longer Mettupalayam – Ooty train is not a possibility, explore if you can catch one of the many trains from Coonoor to Ooty. Coonoor is a town midway between Mettupalayam and Ooty, with many train services daily to Ooty. This is your best (and also a more practical) chance to enjoy the Nilgiri mountain train journey. If you are coming via Coimbatore, catch a bus to Coonoor. It takes about 90 minutes by bus to Coonoor from Coimbatore.
There are three trains from Coonoor to Ooty (7.45 AM; 1.30 PM; 4.30 PM). Similarly from Ooty also there are three trains to Coonoor (9.15 AM; 12.15 PM; 6 PM). Also there is another from Ooty to Mettupalayam at 3PM which is aimed at passenger for the Chennai bound Blue Mountain Express from Mettupalayam.
The schedule & routes could change with time. Please check with the railways website for the current and accurate details. Along the railway route, there is an (almost) parallel road connection from Mettupalayam and Ooty. You can always hop on a bus to catch the train from any of the subsequent stations. That is if you’ve just missed a train! The mountain trains are incredibly slow anyway. Typically people travel by the mountain train in one way and for the return journey they catch a bus.
As mentioned earlier, the distance between Mettupalayam and Ooty is 45 km (28 miles). But the mountain train takes an incredible 5 hours to cover this distance. That is the uphill Mettupalayam – Ooty journey. That is because the train has to negotiate more than 200 curves, 250 bridges (including about 30 viaducts) and 16 tunnels before it arrives Ooty. The return journey is relatively fast as it takes only about 3 hours 30 minutes, thanks to the downhill path.
The local bus cover the same distance in just under 2 hours. So you got the point why people prefer this train only for one way of their journey. Similarly Ooty to Coonoor the distance is about 17km (11 miles). It is a more practical (in terms of travel time and train schedule) way to experience the mountain train.
The steepest climb is in the stretch between Kallar and Coonoor, which is about 20 km (12 miles) of the journey. The viaduct crossing between Kallar and is breathtaking and photogenic. Though not very steep, the route till Fern Hill from Coonoor is uphill. And from there it is a gentle downhill slop to the final station, which is Ooty. The railway station is right in the heart of the town.
If you have the luxury of selecting a seat, try to get a seat by the left side as the train heads to Ooty. This side offers gorgeous view of the valley as the train climbs. The right side is against the wall of the hill, liming your view outside. Be aware that the engine is attached at the rear & front of the train based on the up or down journey. So don’t get fooled in deciding the direction of journey when the train is at waiting at the platform. Though a bit expensive, the first class is less crowed that the much cheaper second class.
Thanks to the UNESCO World Heritage Site status, things are maintained in the traditional fashion as it were. The tickets issued at the stations are the old card type rather than the computer printed ones. So is the way the stations are maintained. The whole system still holds the legacy of the bygone era. You can see the railways gang men walking along the track, doing the track inspections and display their ID to the guard as the train passes.
The most exotic thing is the steam engine and the track itself. This is one the few rack & pinion type rail track left in the word. The engine as it is the 19th century vintage. The engine uses a cogwheel (teethed wheel) on a rail with mating teeth in the center of the track to climb the steep uphill. The track in the Mettupalayam – Coonoor section is in fact a three track rail, the center one being the teethed track. The engine driver lowers the rack mechanism as the train approaches the three tracks and disengages it as it leaves.
The engine is always connected at the Mettupalayam end of the train. And the coaches are pushed up all the way to Ooty in its 5 hour journey. The driver cannot see the track ahead as the engine is in the rear. On the edge of each carriage stand the signal guards. Practically only the guard in the front can see the track ahead, as the route is riddled with 200 plus curves in its 45km length. The first guard passes the signal to the second, and then to the third and so on. Finally the engine driver gets the cue that drives the engine without really seeing the track ahead. Well, it has been going on like this for more than a hundred years.
The 5 hour journey to cover a distance of 45 km (28 miles) may look silly in the modern times. But it was a thrilling innovation at that point in time. It took nearly 10 days to cover this distance through the thickest of the Nilgiri forests with all its wildness. And with the invent of Nilgiri Mountain Railways, that adventure turned out into a half a day pleasure journey.
Nilgiri Mountain Railways (NMR) has only 8 steam run rack locomotive engines. That may look like a small number in railway operations. But this fleet is the worlds’ largest surviving railway fleet that uses coal powered steam rack engines.
It almost gives you a feel that you’ve arrived at 19th century, when you arrive at Coonoor. A sprawling railway dock full of vintage steam locos hissing with steam and smoke from all over. The sooth and coal strewn yard adds to the character. Engines chug past back and forth. Another engine at the corner if getting a water refill. It appears as a busy colonial era railway station. This is Coonoor, the headquarters of Nilgiri Mountain Railways. The only odd man out here it seems the mobile phone in your hand when it chides for that unwanted attention.
What about advanced seat reservation options in Nilgiri Mountain Railway?
If you are so particular that you need a seat in this train, reserve it in advance. The reservations can be done the same way you do it for any other regular trains in Indian railways. That is through the IRCTC website or from the railway reservation counters.
But there is one problem, a big problem. The seats get over booked well in advance. And if it happens to be the season, the seats are over booked soon the reservation period opens.
The main reason for this phenomena is there are only very few seats and the demand is far more. Imagine there are only some 100 seats for the Second Class and a dozen or so for the First Class. The demand easily exceeds many folds the available seats.
Typically up to three months in advance (90 days) you can reserve a seat. In any case check for the latest reservation policy for the Indian Railways.
In any case there is no choice but to try your luck and book a seat on the available day. The IRCTC website comes handy in both searching for accommodation availability and also for booking online.
While on the subject of seat reservation, the most curious aspect is the fare. Can you guess how much a second class ticket cost from Mettupalayam to Ooty, a 46km journey covered in 5 hours? Just 8 rupees. Yes eight rupees.
For those who cannot visualize the rupee value, 8 rupee is just 0.16 USD or 0.11 GBP. That is the standard Second Class fare for any passenger class trains in India, leave alone weather it is a UNESCO World Heritage listed or not.
This must be the longest (at least in terms of travel time) rail journey in the world one can opt for at Rs 8. Of course we are not competing with those tickets less travelers in the long distance trains.
Back to the ticket rates again. If you are reserving the Second Class ticket the fare is Rs 23 (just under 1/2 USD). That is because the standard reservation fees (Rs15) is added to the base fare of Rs 8. It looks funny; the reservation fee is more than the ticket charge. Remember, this is Indian Railways, the rules are applied.
The First Class ticket is relatively expensive at Rs117. If you are reserving, add another Rs25 as reservation fee. In other words a reserved First Class ticket cost Rs142 (just under 3 USD or 2 EURO).
Now let us see the train details. That is the train number you need to provide for the reservation.
Train No: 662 – Mettupalayam to Ooty passenger train.
Train No. 661– Ooty to Mettupalayam passenger train.
In the Indian Railways’ language the names are spelt a bit differently. So if you are searching the Indian railways website for a train to Ooty, it is unlikely that you would find one. Ooty is the anglicized name of Udagamandalam. The puzzle is easily solved if you use the same names (or station codes) the railways uses. A list is given below.
Udagamandalam (UAM) ; Lovedale (LOV) ; Ketti (KXT) ; Aruvankadu (AVK) ; Wellington (WEL) ; Coonoor (ONR) ; Hilligrove (HLG) ; Mettupalayam (MTP) .
The most popular connection pair of trains are the Chennai – Mettupalayam Nilgiri Express (Train No: 2671) and the No: 662 Mettupalayam – Ooty passenger described above.
The Nilgiri Express leaves Chennai central at 9.00 in the night and reaches Mettupalayam at 6.15 in the morning. In another one hour time, that is by 7.10 AM the Mettupalayam – Ooty passenger (Train No. 662) leaves for Ooty.
Similarly the return Ooty – Mettupalayam passenger (Train No: 661) leaves Ooty by 3.00 PM are arrives Mettupalayam by 6.35 PM. For the onward journey catch the Nilgiri Express (Train No: 2672) for Chennai that leaves Mettupalayam by 7.45 PM. This will Chennai central by 5.10 the next day morning.
The Route of Nilgiri Express: Mettupalayam (MTP) – Coimbatore Jn (CBE) – Tiruppur (TUP) – Erode Jn (ED) – Salem Jn (SA) – Katpadi Jn (KPD) – Arakkonam (AJJ) – Perambur (PER) – Chennai Central (MAS).
Don’t get confused by the train names Nilgiri Express and the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
Nilgiri Express (2671 & 2672) is a pair of regular express trains connecting Chennai with Mettupalayam. Nilgiri Mountain Railway essentially refers to the passenger trains (also the whole systems associated with it) that operate between Mettupalayam and Ooty.
Information on Nilgiris Mountain railway Timings