The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is a railway in
Nilgiris district
The Nilgiris district () is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri ( en, Blue Mountains) is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Ker ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, built by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
in 1908. The railway is operated by the
Southern Railway and is the only
rack railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with th ...
in India.
The railway relies on its fleet of
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s.
NMR switched to diesel locomotives on the section between
Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
and
Udhagamandalam
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
. Local people and visitors led a campaign to return to steam locomotives in this section.
In July 2005,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
of
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a narrow-gauge, gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about long. It c ...
. The site then became known as
Mountain Railways of India
The Mountain railways of India are the railway lines that were built in the mountainous regions of India. The term mainly includes the narrow-gauge railways in these regions but may also include some broad-gauge railways.
Three of the narrow gau ...
.
History
In 1854, plans were made to build a mountain railway from Mettupalayam to the Nilgiri Hills. However, it took the decision-makers 45 years to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and complete the construction. The line was completed and opened for traffic in June 1899. It was operated first by the Madras Railway under an agreement with the government.
The Madras Railway Company continued to manage the railway line on behalf of the government for a long time until the South Indian Railway company purchased it.
In 1907, the railway received four
Double Fairlie
A Fairlie is a type of articulated steam locomotive that has the driving wheels on bogies. The locomotive may be double-ended (a double Fairlie) or single ended (a single Fairlie). Fairlies are most famously associated with the Ffestiniog ...
locomotives to work the line. These were part of a batch built by the
Avonside Engine Company
The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.
Origins
The firm was original ...
in 1879 and 1880 for service in Afghanistan, but had been in store since 1887. The Fairlies continued in use until at least 1914.
Initially,
Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
was the final station on the line. In September 1908, the line was extended to Fernhill. By 15 October 1908, it was extended to
Udagmandalam. These extensions from Coonoor on the same gauge over a distance of were done at a cost of 2,440,000.
File:50Nilgiri Railway.jpg, A curve on NMR
File:51NilgiriRailway.jpg, A curve on NMR
File:Railway bridge between Coonoor and Ooty in the 1870s.jpg, Railway bridge between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam in the 1870s
File:Railway to Coonor & Ooty, 1900-01-02..jpg, NMR line showing rails and pinion in 1900
Operators
The NMR and all of its assets, including the stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
and are managed by the
Ministry of Railways
A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructur ...
. The
Southern Railway performs the day-to-day maintenance and management, but several programs, divisions and departments of the Indian Railways are responsible for operating, maintaining and repairing the NMR.
Rack and pinion
Between
Mettupalayam and
Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
, the line uses the
Abt rack and pinion system to climb the steep
gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...
. The NMR is the only
rack railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with th ...
in India.
File:Rack and pinion animation.gif, Functioning of the rack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a circular gear (the '' pinion'') engaging a linear gear (the ''rack''). Together, they convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotating the pinion causes the rack to be driven ...
File:NilgirisRailwayRack069.JPG, Rack seen between the two rail tracks
File:NMR Start of the rack at Kallar 05-02-26 25.jpeg, Start of the rack after Kallar
File:AbtRackRailwaySystem.jpg, Abt rack system
Rolling stock
NMR uses
'X' Class steam rack locomotives, most manufactured by the
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
of
Winterthur
, neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell
, twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria), La ...
in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, on the rack and pinion section of its tracks. The X Class locomotives are up to eight decades old, but the newest was completed August 2021 at the Golden Rock workshops in India. These locomotives give NMR a distinct charm, taking scores of passengers to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam, crossing , 108 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges.
The steam locomotives can be used on any part of the line, while the diesel locomotives can operate only on the section between
Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
and
Udagamandalam
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and sou ...
.
Each diesel engine weighs a little over 50 tonnes and cost Rs. 10 crore. They have pilot and primary burners. Separate tanks hold about of
diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
and of
furnace oil. The hauling capacity of this new engine is . It can run at a speed of on plains and at an hour climbing a
gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...
. The arrival of the new engines eliminated the disruptions in service that occurred frequently.
The steam locomotives are 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 a YDM4
diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
using conventional
rail adhesion
An adhesion railway relies on adhesion traction to move the train. Adhesion traction is the friction between the drive wheels and the steel rail. The term "adhesion railway" is used only when it is necessary to distinguish adhesion railways from ...
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 steep at 1 in 25 (4%).
Southern Railway carries out the majority of the locomotive repairs at the Coonoor shed but has rebuilt many of the steam locomotives at the Golden Rock Workshops. Many carriage repairs take place at Mettupalayam. Like the locomotives, major work on the carriages takes place at one of the larger railway workshops.
Route
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%.
During Meter Gauge era in 1990s, The Nilgiri Express used to run between Chennai(then Madras) & Udhagamandalam(then Ooty) directly. Timings were:- Madras 21.00; Ooty 10.20 & in return:- Ooty 16.30; Madras 05.50.But it was stopped after NMR got UNESCO World Heritage Tag in 1994. As of 2007, a daily train crosses the rack section, which starts from Mettupalayam at 07:10 and reaches Udhagamandalam at noon. The return train starts from Udhagamandalam at 14:00, and reaches at 17:35. The train is scheduled to connect to the
Nilgiri Express
The ''Nilgiri Express'' (Also known as the Blue Mountain Express, or Nilagiri Express) is a night express train service operating between Chennai Central and Mettupalayam, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is operated by Indian Railways.
...
, which travels from Mettupalayam to
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
via
Coimbatore
Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...
. A summer special service runs in April and May, starting from Mettupalayam at 09:30 am and from Udhagamandalam at 12:15 pm. Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam, four daily trains run each way.
Even though the NMR supplies networked computerized ticketing systems for onward journeys, it still issues
Edmondson style manual tickets for the Udhagamandalam-Mettupalayam journey to preserve its 'World Heritage Site' status. Ticket booking is similar to conventional trains and can be done via the Indian Railway website. It is advisable to book tickets well in advance, especially during peak season.
Stations
*
Mettupalayam (MTP) has the line near to . Passengers cross the platform to board the NMR. A small locomotive shed is there and 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 (QLR) is closed as a passenger station, although it is where the rack rail begins. As the train leaves the station, the gradient is 1 in 12 (8.33%).
*Adderly (ADY) is used only as a
water stop
A water stop or water station on a railroad is a place where steam trains stop to replenish water. The stopping of the train itself is also referred to as a "water stop". The term originates from the times of steam engines when large amounts of ...
.
*Hillgrove (HLG) is a
block post
A block post in railway signalling is the signal box at one end of a block section.
German practice
In Germany, block posts are known as ''Blockstellen'' (abbreviation: ''Bk'') and are defined as railway facilities on the open line that mark the ...
and water stop with passenger refreshments.
*Runneymede (RME) is used only as a
water stop
A water stop or water station on a railroad is a place where steam trains stop to replenish water. The stopping of the train itself is also referred to as a "water stop". The term originates from the times of steam engines when large amounts of ...
.
*Kateri Road (KXR): trains no longer not stop there. Proposed Plan to Convert to a Historical Railway Tourist Hub,
*
Coonoor
Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494.
Demographics
According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a populatio ...
(ONR) is the main intermediate station, sited near the locomotive workshops as well as the top end of the rack rail. Trains must reverse a short distance before continuing their climb to Udhagamandalam. It is normal for the locomotive to be changed there with diesel traction, normally used for all trains to Udhagamandalam.
*
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
(WEL)
*
Aravankadu (AVK)
*
Ketti
Ketti also called Ketti Valley is a small town nestled in a large valley of the same name. It is located in The Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu State, South India and is a Revenue Village of Coonoor Taluk. Upper Ketti is another village called Y ...
(KXE)
*
Lovedale(LOV): From a short distance before Lovedale, the line descends into Udhagamandalam.
*
Fern Hill (FER): From a short distance after Lovedale, the line descends into Udhagamandalam, Now used as Railway officer Tourist Rest House.
*
Udhagamandalam
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
(UAM) old code (Ootacamund OND) has preserved much of its equipment from the
Raj. In addition to the original 1908 building, it operates a water dispenser for steam locomotives, and a weighing scale made in 1907 by Hendry Boomley & Son of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
.
File:Niltrain.JPG, Mettupalayam railway station
File:Nilgiri Mountain Railways, Kallar Station, India.jpg, Kallar railway station
File:Nilgiri Mountain Railways, Hillgrove Station, India.jpg, Hillgrove railway station
File:Onr.JPG, Coonoor railway station
File:Wellington Railway Station.JPG, Wellington railway station
File:Aravankadu 56.JPG, Aruvankadu railway station
File:Ketti-Railway-station-Nilgiris.jpg, Ketti railway station
File:Lovedale railway station.JPG, Lovedale railway station
File:Udhagamandalam or Ooty railway station 06.jpg, Udhagamandalam railway station
File:Runneymede railway station-Tamil Nadu.jpg, Runneymede
File:Hillgrove Station, Nilgiri Mountain Railways, India.jpg, Hillgrove railway station
In popular culture
Film
Coonoor station was one of two used as locations in the
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
film ''
A Passage to India
''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by English author E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. It was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th century English liter ...
''. Coonoor station and its heritage locomotive appear in many Indian films. Wellington station finds a place in most of the films casting the Indian army or army training storyline, mainly due to the MRC Indian Army Regiment, Defence 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 featured in films including the Tamil hit, ''Moonram Pirai''. The famous Hindi song "
Chaiyya Chaiyya
"Chaiyya Chaiyya" (" alkin shade") is an Indian pop-folk song, featured in the soundtrack of the Bollywood film '' Dil Se..'', released in 1998. Based on Sufi music and Urdu poetry, the single was composed by A.R. Rahman, written by Gulzar, an ...
" from ''
Dil Se..'' was shot on the rooftop of NMR. Udhagamandalam station has featured in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
and other South Indian films. It is prominently featured in some
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
films. One of the X Class locomotives on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was the model for Ashima in the film ''
Thomas & Friends: The Great Race''. Ashima also appeared in the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th seasons of Thomas & Friends.
Television
In the UK, the BBC made three 2010 documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, featuring NMR in the second programme. (The first film covers the
Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway and the third film, 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.
The NMR was also featured in the ''
Great Railway Journeys of the World'' episode ''Deccan.''
See also
*
Nilgiri Express
The ''Nilgiri Express'' (Also known as the Blue Mountain Express, or Nilagiri Express) is a night express train service operating between Chennai Central and Mettupalayam, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. It is operated by Indian Railways.
...
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Indian railways site on the NMR* International Working Stea
{{Authority control
Coonoor
Metre gauge railways in India
Mountain railways in India
Ooty
Rack railways in India
Railway lines opened in 1908
Tourist attractions in Nilgiris district
Tourist attractions in Ooty
Transport in Ooty
World Heritage Sites in India
Indian companies established in 1908