Nilgiri Mountain Railway – Charm Of The Old Ooty

Want  to   go for  an  old fashioned  train ride ?  Try the  Nilgiri Mountain Railway  ride  between Coonnoor  and  Udagamandalam (Ooty).  Here is  an  old  fashioned  steam  engine, chugging  up and  down  the steepest grades in  Asia.   It  may look like  an adult sized  charming  version of  toy trains, but  don’t  let  its  charm fool you.  This is a  fully functional rail   boasts engineering  achievements that  stood  the   tests of  time.

This  hill rail line is  over a 100 years  old  and is  designated a  World  Heritage  Site . The   ride itself  is  a no  frills attached  affair, just  the  way it  was  meant  to be.

This  British  built  rail  line  has  been   running  the old fashioned  steam  engines  for a  long  time. The  original  coal fired  engines ,  which were in  use  for over 80 years,  have been replaced  by  the  diesel   engines.   One of these old engines  is on  display at  the   station  yard.

I would  recommend  getting  your  tickets  in advance  as  it  is  a popular  tourist  attraction.

The  short  stretch of  rails  about  46  kms   winds  through  hills  and  forests   with  beautiful panoramic  views . Photo opportunities  are  plenty, and  I would  suggest  riding  both  ways !!

This is  part of   the  tracks are   isolated  from the   other   sections  of  the  rail  network   due  to its   width (meter gauge for  the  curious ) .

Overhangs ,   cliffs ,  paddy fields , tunnels , bridges and  general  life .. the  views  are  breathtaking. Depending  on the  season  you will be  greeted   by waterfalls,  green lush paddy fields,  birds, monkeys  and  an  occasional deer  or  two.

Nilgirils itself is  very charming ,  and  otty  though at  times  very touristy is   worth a  visit  once .   If  you  could  I  would  suggest a  drive  from Bangalore to Ooty – like  we  did.   Part of  the   drive  is  a bit of  an  adrenaline  rush, with  winding  roads about 36  sharp  bends .  Well  we  didn’t  count after  the  first  ten  we lost  count as  the  road itself  became  challenging :-).  Just  make  sure  that  you are   navigating it   during  daylight  hours .

Here  are  a  few  scenes  along the way

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