Nilgiri Mountain Railway - Definition and Overview

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) is one of the oldest mountain railways in India, built in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India, in the state of Tamil Nadu. The route which was built by the British in 1899 connects the town of Mettupalayam with the hill station of Ooty situated at an elevation of 7228 feet (2200 m). The train is one of the few trains in India to be still chugged by a steam engine.

Rack and Pinion Arrangement

The gauge of the track is Metre gauge. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor the the train is hauled by a Steam locomotive manufactured by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Switzerland ,which uses the rack and pinion arrangement to climb the steep gradient.The maximum gradient in this section is "1 in 12" . Conventional trains uses adhesion for tractive effort but adhesion cannot be used for steep gradients .In the rack and pinion arrangement two racks, out of step are palced in between two rails.The pinion of the locomotive climbs on the rack like a person climbing a ladder.Between Coonoor and Ooty,the train is hauled by diesel locomotive and the track is without the rack and pinion arrangement

Railway Stations and other details

The train covers a distance of 45 km (28 miles), travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and 250 bridges. The NMR track was laid using a unique technology in which the engine pushes the train from the rear during a steep climb. The Palghat division of the Indian Railways which operates the NMR, incurs an annual shortfall of Rs 4 crores. (~1 million USD).Hillgrove,Coonoor,Wellington,Aravangadu,Ketti,Lovedale are the Railway stations between Mettupalayam and Ootty

Electrification

During the Centenary celebrations of Nilgiri Mountain Railway in 1999 the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar announced that the line would soon be electrified.

World Heritage Status

In October 2004, the NMR, the UNESCO decreed that the NMR would be declared a World Heritage Site in mid-2005 after it fulfilled the necessary criteria.

External links

• Indian railways site on the NMR (http://www.indianrail.gov.in/hill_2.html)
• Railmuseum (http://www.railmuseum.org/nmr/)
• Images and info (http://indiasteam.tripod.com/nmr.htm)