Eucalyptus Mountain Railway

Eucalyptus Mountain Railway

 History

 The Eucalyptus Mountain Railway is one of the largest mountain railways in India.  The construction of this railway started in 19th and was completed in 19th.  Initially it was operated by Madras Railway Company.  Today it is one of the few steam powered trains in the world.

 The Southern Railway, headquartered in Chennai, incurs a loss of Rs 2 crore every year.  The railway comes under the jurisdiction of the recently formed Salem Zone.  Celebrating the centenary of this railway in 19th, the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar announced to electrify this railway.

 In July 2009, UNESCO added the Darjeeling Himalayan Mountain Railway - the Nilgiri Mountain Railway - to the World Heritage Site area and renamed the heritage site the Mountain Railway of India.  This put a stop to its modernization

 Now tourists and people from the Eucalyptus region have again demanded the use of steam-powered engines between Coonoor and Udagamandalam as before.

 Working system

 This railway is narrow gauge and different from other lines.  This railway uses rack rail and pinion system to climb the steep climb between Mettupalayam and Coonoor.  The 'X' class steam rack locomotive (engine) used to haul this compartment is manufactured by the Swiss locomotive and machine works company in Winterthur, Switzerland.  This engine can be used anywhere on the entire railway line whether there is a rack or not.  But the new diesel engine is used only in the Coonoor and Udagamandalam part without racks.  The steam engine is always attached to the mettupalayam end of the foot of the vehicle.  The average ascent of a rail with a rack is 1A 7.5 i.e. 3.08% with a maximum of 1A12 (7.5%).

 The train between Coonoor and Udagamandalam is pulled by YDM4 Dikhal engine which follows the rule of normal rail contact.  In this part the engine is always kept at the end of the coonoor as although the ascent of this part is not steep so it does not require rack rail but the steepest slope outside the coonoor is very steep (1 a 2.6%).

   As of 2009, there is one day ride in the rack area which runs on the rack railway area.  It leaves Mettupalayam at 9.10 am and reaches Ooty in the afternoon.  The return train leaves Ooty at 1.00 pm and arrives at Mettupalayam at 6.5 pm.  The time of this train is connected to Nilgiri Express via Coimbatore running between Chennai and Mettupalayam.  Special driving is done in summer. 

 The railways offer the same tickets as in ancient times to keep the dignity of the heritage site intact.

 Today, the Nilgiris railway stations are covered by a computerized ticketing system, but the railways offer the same tickets as in ancient times to preserve the dignity of the heritage site.  Although the ticket booking system is similar to other trains, tickets can also be booked from the Indian Railways website.  .  It is advisable to book this train in advance, especially during the season.  Most of the engines are repaired at Coonoor but many of the engines have been renovated at the Golden Rock Workshops in Trichy.  The bins are repaired at Mettupalaya but have to be taken to a larger workshop for larger work.  Aiming at the fame of this railway, many people have requested the Southern Railway to run steam engines even between Coonoor and Uti where diesel engines are running now.

 The Nilgiris passenger train covers a distance of 4 km by crossing 204 bends, 12 tunnels and 20 bridges.  The uphill train takes 30 minutes (3.5 hours) to complete.  And it completes the descent in 214 minutes (4.5 hours).

 Mettupalayam, average sea level 103 feet.  Junction station of Indian broad gauge and mountain gauge.  On the other side of the platform, the passenger can catch a small train of NMR.  There is a small engine workshop and a box repair workshop.  Leaving Mtupalayam, this line works on the contact system for some distance.  After crossing the Bhavani river, the train descends a short distance instead of ascending, after which it begins a slow ascent.

 Kallar - 5 km, average sea level elevation 150 feet.  - This station is closed as a passenger station, from here the rack rail starts. Leaving this station, the ascent intensifies at 1A12 (2.3).

 Aderli - 15 km, average sea level 40 feet.  - This station is closed as a passenger station but is a station for filling water.

 Hillgrove - 15 km, average sea level 30 feet - block post and water filling station, catering for tourists.

 Raniyamedi - 21 km, average sea level 418 feet - The station is closed as a passenger station but is a water filling station.

  Kateri Road - 3 km, average sea level 2030 feet - This station is closed as a passenger station, trains do not stop here.

 Coonoor - 5 km, average sea level 518 feet - This intermediate station is a main station. There is a locomotive work shop here.  The rack rail ends here.  The train moves slightly in the opposite direction before starting the ascent to Ooty.  Here the engine changes.  From here the journey is done by diesel engine.

 Wellington Cantonment - 5 km, average sea level 303

 Aruvankudu - 5 km, average sea level 215 feet -

 Katty - 3 km, average sea level 3 feet.

 Lovedale - 5 km, average sea level 3 feet - The train starts descending towards Utah for a short distance from Lovedale.