toy train- slow and steady
Travelling by train, the distance of 46 km. takes about 4 and a half hours. The Nilagiri Passenger leaves Mettupalayam at 7.45 a.m. and reaches Ooty at 12.10 p.m.Or rather it is supposed to. As the philosophical guard says, ‘punctuality is not our motto!’ The aging train gets tired climbing and needs to rest. So besides the scheduled stops, there are at least a couple of unscheduled ones, with a chance of an adventurous walk through a dark tunner. It travels from almost sea level at Mettupalayam to 7200 ft. (2195 mtrs.) at Ooty with the highest point between Love dale and Fernhill (which was the original terminus station for Ooty) marked ‘Summit 7300’ (2225 mtrs.) on a stone. The train passes a Toda dairy just before reaching Ooty. Toda women who are not allowed to enter the dairy, which is also their place of worship, get down before the train crosses this points so that they do not defile the temple by crossing it
The first station is Hillgrove after 14 km. at 1092 metres (3850 ft.) then Runnymede is 1407 mtrs. One can walk up to the law’s Falls from here. After a long halt at Coonoor (ph. 230110), which celebrated its centenary in 1998. to change the coal engine into a diesel one, it goes to Wellington (ph. 230120). Then Aravankadu (ph. 231130), Ketti and Lovedalem before reaching its final destination, Ooty (ph. 442246) where the train stops even if you don’t want to, as the track ends here. There is one train between Mettupalayam and Coonoor and two between Coonoor and Ooty. However, during the summer months of April, May and June, an extra train tries to accommodate the rush of tourists. The train tries to accommodate the rush of tourists. The train leaves Ooty at 2.55 p.m. on its return journey reaching at 6.30 p.m. The fare is Rs. 85 for first class and Rs. 9 for the second class. The Ooty- Coonoor trains leave at 9.30 a.m., 2.55 p.m. and 6.00p.m., while the Coonoor- Ooty trains leave at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 3 p.m
The train goes through 16 tunnels 3090 feet long, 14 of them between Kallar (in Tamil, Kallu- stone and aaruriver, though in the summer months there are more kalus than aaru), and Coonoor. The track passes over many girder bridges, some with spans 100 feet long laid over deep, steep ravines, one more than 80 feet below. Do not look out the window if you have a week heart or suffer from vertigo. An important point to remember- there are no bathrooms on this train
The constant change of vegetation from sea level to 6000 ft. (1828 mtrs.) means that every few minutes the train and the traveller find a new climate and new scenery. The slight tingle of the early morining air, coconut and betelnut groves on either side of the track, while higher up the mist covers the mountain face like a shy bride. An eagle at eye level hovers over the valley below
The mountain railway called ‘The Nilagiri Passenger’ was started in 1899 from Mettupalayam and Coonoor and extended to Ooty in1908. The ride on the toy train is reason enough to visit the Nilgiris. The narrow gauge train moves through some beautiful landscapes, but at times so excruciatingly slowly that you can walk along side with a chance to breathe this absolutely fresh, unpolluted air. Plants on either side of the track are near enough to reach out and touch. To prove that priorities in the mountains are different from those in the plains, you might find that your train has stopped to let a straying sheep or goat chased off the track by its owner. Because of the steep incline, rack bars have been laid on special tracks between Kallar and Coonoor, a kind of ladder on which the engine climbs and pushes the train. So here the train moves only between 10 to 12 kmph. On the steep gradients but reaches speeds upto 30 kmph. on the less steep sections. Since 1995, the trains between Coonoor and Ooty have diesel engines son one misses the romantic chugging and the smoke spirals of the steam engine
Atrial run between Mettupalayam and Coonoor with diesel instead of coal engine was made in June 2000. Besides being eco-friendly, diesel saves many man hours in shoveling the four tones of high grade coal into the firebox combustion chamber every day
Trains are mostly standing room. Since there is no reservation, the ticket money is cheerfully refunded if you decide not to take a chance in the crowd. Push and shove and watch out for your head, but try and get in somehow. The Bombay commuter will feel very much at ease. Might is right, so go ahead and squeeze yourself in. Because it would be a real shame if you missed the chance to travel by the toy train at least once. And no one knows how long this train will run because every year there is talk of abandoning this uneconomic service and every time it is recanted because of public outcry
Acargo train to service the needs of the Nilgiris was introduced in April 1998, carrying food and other items from the plains, while it is loaded with tea and potatoes on the way down. What a boon for the users of the ghat road who do not have to make way for heavily laden trucks