A century-old journey through the Blue Mountains

First, the history: even after discovering the beauty of the Nilgiris, the British were practically stuck at the foothills, Mettupalayam, as the 46-km journey from there to the Ooty plateau involved a climb of 169 feet to 7,228 feet — obviously not an easy task. The only way out was a mountain railway system built with British entrepreneurship and Swiss technology. While climbing steeply through the eastern side of the Western Ghats, the train had to negotiate 208 curves, pass through 16 tunnels, 250 bridges — a nightmare for engineers even now.

To surpass the challenge posed by the steep gradient, the Madras Railway Company accepted the ‘Riggi Pattern’ put forth by Swiss inventor M Riggenbach. They used a rack-and pinion-system, in which an alternate biting system powers the climb or slows the descent and reduces the chances of slipping. .

“Several tourists from European countries like Germany and Switzerland come here to take pictures and learn more about the functioning of these engines. It’s ironic that even though these are Swiss-made X-class locomotives, they have to come here to see one in operation,” said Narayanan, a coal engine mechanic at the Coonoor Loco Shed, which opened in 1899, making it the oldest in the railway zone.

Nearly 90 members of the Loco Shed’s staff are busy cleaning and polishing four of the best engines selected to take part in the ‘black beauty’ contest for steam engines on October 18, organised by Southern Railway to celebrate the centenary of NMR. And with the railway system being one of the showpieces of the Indian Railways, the revelry is will last well into the next month. “There will be a heritage exhibition on wheels till November 31, apart from other cultural activities to observe the occasion,” said R Velu, Minister of State, Railways, kick-starting the 45-day celebrations.

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