I was very excited about this trip which I have been waiting for, for a long time.
My day started at 5:40 AM when I and my brother started to Mettupalayam railway station for the dream trip. From here is where the UNESCO World Heritage Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) starts.
Caption: Steam Engine of NMR
We reached the Mettupalayam railway station by 6:50 AM and for the First time I have seen a Steam Railway Engine in my life with the toy wagons attached to it. The train started at 7:10 AM, slowly moving towards the mighty mountains. The movement of the train itself is different from a normal train due to the use of Rack and Pinion which helps in ascending the hills; this train has a specially controlled braking system.
This dream trip covers a distance of 45.8 kilometres (28 miles), 108 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges, generally in 270 minutes.
The slope has just started and there came our 1st stop, within a very few mins; from the station, a couple of special people boarded our cabin. The 1st person was a station master of a railway station in the same line (of Hill Grove railway station) and the 2nd person was a Ticket Collector (TC) madam who turned out to be a good singer.
Caption: The Lush green mountain
I would like to mention here that the Engine is in the back of the train and it pushes all the wagons forward.
The train started moving towards Ooty and started to climb the mountains. After a journey of 30 mins, there came another station with some beautiful picturesque views. This train stops at every station for 10mins for filling water in the engines. Yes, you read it right… this train runs on a steam-powered engine which requires a huge amount of water.
Caption: College of a Gaint waterfall and Train passing through Tunnel
After starting, the TC has asked fellow travellers to sing to make this journey more memorable. She only started singing with a Song ‘Chayya Chayya’ (believe me she is an amazing singer !) which was shot on the same train route, 22 years back then the station-master also joins TC ma’am and the singing went on for about 20 mins covering over 4 Indian languages, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu.
Caption: Green mountains meeting Dark Clouds
The Station-master has explained to us a couple of things about this railway network and he shared his experiences. Just to give you a glimpse, the station he is working is accessible by road only after a 2.5Km trek or bike ride; during his daily duty trips, he has witnessed many wild animals like elephants, bears etc.
As we started to move forward I could see the beauty of the Nilgiris. I was lost in the Greenery and there is an infinite number of waterfalls and rivulets which make you wonder why you were not there earlier.
Caption: A view of plantations on the way to Ooty
Will continue our journey in next post
Caption: View of water flow next to a train stop.
I would like to make a detailed separate post about NMR Service, how to reach and all about tourist convenience.
