Write a essay about a train journey by mountain railway from mettupalayam to the nilagiri hills
Answers
At the height of 2,600m stands Udhagamandalam (Ooty) The Queen of Hill Stations. The ‘Nilgiris toy train’ connect Ooty to mettupalayam, at the foot of the Nilgiris.
The construction of this line was a big challenge as the terrain is rather tricky. It was in 1854 that the first plans were drawn to build a mountain railway from mettupalayam to the Nilgiri Hills. But it was a good 45 years later in 1899 that the first train chugged up this track. This railway is widely regarded as a marvel of engineering. The train itself is a charming blue and cream with wooden coaches and large windows. It is hauled up hills by stream engines, designed and built by the Swiss Locomotive Works. Twelve of such locomotive engines survive even today.
The train covers the 46 km to Udhagamandalam in four and a half hours. There are five stations between Mettupalayam and Coonoor – Kallar, Adderley, Hill Grove, Runnymede and Kateri – and, at one time, there were five between Coonoor and Ooty too. Through Wellington, Aruvankadul, Ketti, and Lovedale are still functional, Fren Hill, the last one, was closed down a few years ago.