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A [[File: Nilgiri Mountain Railway Map.png|thumb|'''Nilgiri Mountain Railway''' - Location Map]][[File: Nilgiri Mountain Railway Map line of route.png|thumb|'''Nilgiri Mountain Railway''' - Line of Route]][[File: Nilgiri Mountain Railway Map with mileages and altitudes.png|thumb|'''Nilgiri Mountain Railway''' - with mileages and altitudes]] The '''Nilgiri Mountain Railway'''(NMR) is a metre gauge ([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) rack railway from [[Mettupalaiyam]] to [[Ootacamund|Ootacamund, often called Ooty]] a distance of 28.7 miles (46km), that is today a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The line climbs from 1071 feet(326 mtrs) above sea level to 7228 feet(2203 mtrs) over this length. Diesels can only haul NMR trains on the top section between [[Coonoor ]] and [[Ootacamund |Ooty]].
In 1899 When the first section, from [[MettupalaiyamMadras Railway]] to was merged into the [[CoonoorMadras and Southern Mahratta Railway]] (including 12 miles of rack)in 1907, the NMR contract was opened awarded to working by the [[Madras South Indian Railway]](SIR). In 1903 the GoI purchased the line and contracted its working to The railway was included as part of the [[Madras RailwaySouth_Indian_Railway_-_Lines_Owned_and_Worked#SIR System Metre Gauge|'SIR System Metre Gauge']].
When the [[Madras Railway]] was merged into the [[Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway]] in 1907, the NMR contract was awarded to the [[South Indian Railway]]. Construction of the extension from [[Coonoor]] to [[Ootacamund]] was completed by the GoI [[Public Works Department]] in 1908, [[Robert Richard Gales]] was the Engineer-in-Chief on the project <ref>[http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/1922_Who's_Who_In_Engineering:_Name_G Grace's Guide "Who's Who 1922 - Gales R R"]; Retrieved 18 Jul 2016</ref>.
'SIR System Metre Gauge' link added
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“The original Nilgri Railway Company was registered on the 30th September 1885 ... and a contract was executed with the Secretary of State on the 26th February 1886. The original Company went into liquidation in April 1894 and a new Company was formed in February 1896 to purchase the line from the former Company and supply the capital required to complete it and to construct the proposed extension to Ootacamund”
== History ==
Following the opening of the [[Madras Railway]] broad gauge line from [[Madras]] to [[Calicut]] in 1862, a 26 mile, broad gauge branch from [[Podanur]] to [[Mettupalaiyam]] , the '[[Mettupalaiyam Branch Line]]' was opened to traffic in 1873 and plans discussed to extend this into the [[Nilgiri Hills]] - the "Blue Mountains". In 1885, the '''Nilgiri Railway Company''' was formed with construction beginning in 1891. Initially, it was intended to adopt the ''Rigi'' rack system but eventually the ''Abt'' rack system was chosen. [[Horace Bell]] continued to act in a private capacity as Consulting Engineer in London, he had in 1894 retired from his position in India as Consulting Engineer for the State [[Railway Board]]. In 1896, a new company was formed with a guarantee (3% return during the construction period) from the Government of India([[Government of India |GoI]]) following the failure of the 1885 company.
In 18851899 the first section, the '''Nilgiri Railway Company''' was formed with construction beginning in 1891. Initiallyfrom [[Mettupalaiyam]] to [[Coonoor]] (including 12 miles of rack), it was intended opened to adopt working by the ''Rigi'' rack system but eventually the ''Abt'' rack system was chosen[[Madras Railway]]. In 1896, a new company was formed with a guarantee (3% return during the construction period) from 1903 the Government of India (GoI) following purchased the failure of line and contracted its working to the 1885 company[[Madras Railway]].
In due course, the NMR became part of '''Southern Railway''', a zone of Indian Railways.
File:NMR at Ooty.jpg| <center>At Ooty Station </center>
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==External Sources==
* “Ascent to Ooty” by H C Hughes and P J Bawcutt, Railway Magazine November 1967 Vol 113 No 789 Transport and Technical Publications. This article has been transcribed by FIBIS. The map with the mileages and altitudes is from this article.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilgiri_Mountain_Railway Wikipedia “ Niligiri Mountain Railway”]
== External links ==
