Travelogue : 21 June 2013
Hello,
The purpose of this trip was to experience the full length of the Nilgiri Mountain Railways which was long pending. The last time I had been to ooty few years ago, the line from Coonoor to Mettupalayam was suspended due to landslides. Now found a little free time to travel there so I did.... first travelled to Ooty via bus and went to botanical gardens in the morning.
Returned...
more... to the railway station at 1pm and had lunch at the VRR. The train arrived at 145pm with 5 coaches (Coonor 2 coaches and Mettupalayam 3 coaches) with a YDM-4 locomotive. The seats in second sitting cost Rs 10 (Fare) + 15 (Reservation fee).
The seats were found more cramped than I imagined and somehow fit my frame into the seat. I had no co-passenger in my seat till Coonoor when some passengers got upgraded from unreserved. The coaches were neatly maintained but people travelling with me irrespective of background were dumping trash in the fragile nilgiri region along the tracks without any consideration for the environment.
The train left on time and the engine was at the front of the train when going downhill as usual. The stops were Lovedale, Ketti, Aravanakadu, Wellington and then Coonoor.
The track into Coonoor from Ooty is outside this terminal station, thus the train went past the station and reversed into it. Here the YDM-4 diesel engine and two coaches of Coonoor were detached and taken to the yard. Many passengers waiting at Coonoor were getting their unreserved tickets upgraded to 2S or FC. A oil fired steam engine of X-class was attached which had water spilling out among bursts of steam billowing out of the top.
The train slowly moved out of Coonoor and latched onto the rack and pinion system. The train moved downhill and kept at a steady 15kmph thereabouts. There was soot back-flow towards the coaches in the tunnels and window seated passengers got a fair share :-). Lights were switched on at appropriate times.
The route was breathtaking on both sides of the track. The rock cuttings had just enough space for the train and had tiny water streams flowing down the sides. The plants and trees were dancing to the movement of the train and it was a charming sight.
The bridges, viaducts were just marvels of engineering and had been standing unerringly since many years. Also retaining walls had been constructed at some places as a reaction to the landslides that had occurred a few years back disrupting services.
Hillgrove station brought relief to the compressed passengers who stretched their legs and had some snacks such as hot bajji, biscuits, cola etc.. There were a lot of monkeys around and they were fed biscuits by some passengers. This station is the only commercial halt between Coonoor and Mettupalayam.
Monkeys just sneaked up behind and I had a "heart in the mouth" moment when I nearly stepped on one as I turned around to click a photo of the landscape. The monkeys were relentless in their quest for food though.
The steam engine filled its water tank and had a few drops of lubricant applied to the wheels and other mechanisms.
The train reached Kallar (about 7 kms from Mettupalayam) where the rack and pinion section of the track ends and the speed restrictions were lifted. The train halted for a few minutes, tokens were exchanged by the loco pilot and station master. The train setoff at good speed to Mettupalayam. Children and adults alike waved at the passengers in the train at level crossings. The charm of such a hill train is always there no matter how old you are.
Reached Mettupalayam and crossed over to the broad gauge side of the station. Found a charging point for my near dead smartphone which did a brunt of the videography on the way. Found a chair next to it waiting for my next train to Salem (Nilagiri Express) to be brought onto the platform.
Thanks for reading. Hope your wonderful travels take you to wonderful places....
Travel well, Travel Responsibly !
Cheers,
Amit C Javgal (2013).
note: photos and videos will be posted soon after sorting.
