Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Nilgiri Mountain Railway
NMR at Ketti station
Terminus Udhagamandalam
Preserved operations
Owned by Southern Railway Zone
Operated by Salem railway division
Stations 13
Length 46 km
Preserved gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
Commercial history
Opened 1908
Preservation history
Headquarters Mettupalayam
UNESCO World Heritage site
Part of Mountain Railways of India
Criteria Cultural: (ii)(iv)
Reference 944ter-002
Inscription 1999 (23rd Session)
Extensions 2005, 2008
Area 4.59 ha (0.0177 sq mi)
Buffer zone 500 ha (1.9 sq mi)
Coordinates 11°30′37″N 76°55′54″E / 11.51028°N 76.93167°E / 11.51028; 76.93167Coordinates: 11°30′37″N 76°55′54″E / 11.51028°N 76.93167°E / 11.51028; 76.93167
Location of Nilgiri Mountain Railway in India

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908.[1] The Railway is operated by the Southern Railway[2] and is the only rack railway in India.

The railway relies on its fleet of steam locomotives.[3] NMR switched to diesel locomotives on the section between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. Local people and visitors led a campaign to return to steam locomotives in this section.[3]

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.[4][5]

History

In 1854, first 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 this railway line on behalf of the government for a long time until the South Indian Railway company purchased it.

Initially, Coonoor was the final station on the line. In September 1908, the line was extended to Fernhill. By October 15, 1908, it was extended to Udagmandalam. These extensions from Coonoor on the same gauge over a distance of 11 and 3/4 miles was done at a cost of Rs. 24,40,000/-.

Operators

The NMR and all of its assets, including the stations, the line, and the track vehicles, belong to the Government of India and are managed by the Ministry of Railways. 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, the line uses the Abt rack and pinion system to climb the steep gradient. NMR is the only rack railway in India.

Rolling stock

Rolling stock
An X Class Steam Locomotive
A YDM 4 Biodiesel Locomotive

NMR uses 'X' Class steam rack locomotives, manufactured by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland, on the rack and pinion section of its tracks. The X Class locomotives are six to eight decades old. These locomotives give NMR a distinct charm, taking scores of passengers to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam, crossing 45.8 kilometres (28 mi), 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 and Udagamandalam. This signals the beginning of the phasing out of the steam engines.

Each diesel engine weighs a little over 50 tonnes and cost Rs.10 crore. They have pilot and primary burners. Separate tanks hold about 850 litres (190 imp gal; 220 US gal) of diesel and 2,250 litres (490 imp gal; 590 US gal) of furnace oil. The hauling capacity of this new engine is 97.6 tonnes (96.1 long tons; 107.6 short tons). It can run at a speed of 30 kilometres per hour (19 miles per hour) on plains and at 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) an hour climbing a gradient. The arrival of the new engines eliminated the disruptions in service that occurred frequently.

The steam locomotives are marshaled 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 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 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

 Dist.
Station
Code
 Elev.
 to Coimbatore Junction CBE
1348 ft
410.9 m
 00 Mettupalayam MTP
1069 ft
325.8 m
8 km
5 mi
 Kallar
1260 ft
384 m
13 km
8 mi
 Adderly
2390 ft
728.5 m
18 km
11 mi
 Hillgrove HLG
3580 ft
1091.2 m
21 km
13 mi
 Runneymede
4612 ft
1405.7 m
25 km
16 mi
 Kateri Road
5070 ft
1545.3 m
28 km
17 mi
 Coonoor ONR
5616 ft
1711.8 m
29 km
18 mi
 Wellington WEL
5804 ft
1769.1 m
32 km
20 mi
 Aravankadu AVK
6144 ft
1872.7 m
38 km
24 mi
 Ketti KXT
6864 ft
2092.1 m
42 km
26 mi
 Lovedale LOV
7000 ft
2133.6 m
44 km
27 mi
 Fernhill
46 km
29 mi
 Udhagamandalam UAM
7228 ft
2203.1 m

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%.[3]

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, which travels from Mettupalayam to Chennai via Coimbatore. 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: This station has the 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) line near to Coimbatore Junction. 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: This station 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: This is used only as a water stop.
  • Hillgrove: This is a block post and water stop with passenger refreshments.
  • Runnymede: This is used only as a water stop.
  • Kateri Road: Trains no longer not stop there.
  • Coonoor: This station 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
  • Aravankadu
  • Ketti
  • Lovedale: From a short distance before Lovedale, the line descends into Udhagamandalam.
  • Udhagamandalam: This station has preserved much of its equipment from the Raj. In addition to the original 1908 building, it opearates a water dispenser for steam locomotives, and a weighing scale made in 1907 by Hendry Boomley & Son of Birmingham.[6]

Film

Coonoor station was one of two used as locations in David Lean's film A Passage to India.[7] Coonoor station and its heritage locomotive appear in many 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, 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 many films including the Tamil hit, Moonram Pirai. The famous Hindi song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se.. was shot on the rooftop of NMR. Udhagamandalam station has featured in many Tamil and other South Indian films. It is prominently featured in some Bollywood 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.

Television

In the UK, the BBC made a series of three 2010 documentaries[8] dealing with Indian Hill Railways, featuring NMR in the second programme. (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.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mountain Railways of India". UNESCO. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  2. ↑ citation needed
  3. 1 2 3 Indian Hill Railways: The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (TV). BBC. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  4. ↑ NMR added as a World Heritage Site
  5. ↑ "Mountain Railways of India". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2006-04-30.
  6. ↑ "Not scarred by time, Udhagamandalam station retains its heritage history". The Times of India. 24 November 2016. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Makins, Tim. "coonoor.html". www.mapability.com. www.mapability.com. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  8. ↑ "Indian Hill Railways". BBC. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  9. ↑ "Documentary on Hill railways of India bags UK award". Express India. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2010.

Notes

  • Book: NMR-FROM LIFELINE TO OBLIVION by V.M. Govind Krishnan

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