Nilgiri Mountain Railway: Difference between revisions
1918 Admin Report details checked/added/corrected |
|||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
A metre gauge rack railway that is today a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Diesels can only haul NMR trains on the top section between Coonoor and Ooty. | A metre gauge rack railway that is today a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Diesels can only haul NMR trains on the top section between Coonoor and Ooty. | ||
“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” | |||
<ref>[https://ia801009.us.archive.org/8/items/BombayBarodaAndCentralIndiaRailwaySystem/Bombay_Baroda_And_Central_India_Railway_System.pdf " Administration Report on the Railways in India – corrected up to 31st March 1918"; Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta; page 141]; Retrieved 20 Dec 2015</ref> | |||
The metre gauge([[Rail_gauge_#Metre_Gauge|MG]]) line from [[Mettupalaiyam]] to [[Coonoor]], a length of 17 miles (27km), was completed by the new Company and opened for traffic on 15th June 1899. The railway was initially worked by the [[Madras Railway]](MR) Company under an agreement with the Government of India([[Government of India |GoI]]). | |||
On the offer of the new Company to sell the line it was purchased by the Government for £235,000 on the 1st January 1903 and MR continued to work the line up to 31 December 1907. Thereafter the working was undertaken by [[South Indian Railway]](SIR) Company. | |||
The MG extension to [[Ootacamund]], a further 12 miles(19km), was constructed by the Government and opened 1908 | |||
== History == | == History == | ||
| Line 72: | Line 81: | ||
|count=true | |count=true | ||
}} | }} | ||
== References == | |||
<references /> | |||
[[Category:Railways]] | [[Category:Railways]] | ||
Revision as of 11:22, 20 December 2015
| Nilgiri Mountain Railway | ||
|---|---|---|
 Class 'X' on up train at Kateri Road | ||
| Line of route | ||
| Mettupalaiyam to Ootacamund | ||
| Gauge / mileage | ||
| Metre gauge | 17 miles (1905) 29 miles (1908) | |
| Timeline | ||
| 1885 | First company formed | |
| 1899 | First section opened to traffic | |
| 1903 | Line purchased by GoI | |
| 1908 | Construction completed by PWD | |
| Key locations | ||
| Presidency | Madras | |
| Stations | Mettupalaiyam, Coonoor, Ootacamund | |
| System agency | ||
| 1899-1907 | Madras Railway | |
| 1908 | South Indian Railway | |
| 1951 | Southern Railway (IR zone) | |
| How to interpret this infobox | ||
A metre gauge rack railway that is today a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Diesels can only haul NMR trains on the top section between Coonoor and Ooty.
“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” [1]
The metre gauge(MG) line from Mettupalaiyam to Coonoor, a length of 17 miles (27km), was completed by the new Company and opened for traffic on 15th June 1899. The railway was initially worked by the Madras Railway(MR) Company under an agreement with the Government of India(GoI).
On the offer of the new Company to sell the line it was purchased by the Government for £235,000 on the 1st January 1903 and MR continued to work the line up to 31 December 1907. Thereafter the working was undertaken by South Indian Railway(SIR) Company.
The MG extension to Ootacamund, a further 12 miles(19km), was constructed by the Government and opened 1908
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 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. In 1896, a new company was formed with a guarantee (3% return during the construction period) from the Government of India (GoI) following the failure of the 1885 company.
In 1899 the first section, from Mettupalaiyam to Coonoor (including 12 miles of rack), was opened to working by the Madras Railway. In 1903 the GoI purchased the line and contracted its working to the Madras Railway.
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.
In due course, the NMR became part of Southern Railway, a zone of Indian Railways.
Gallery
-
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway.jpg -
At Coonoor station -
Looking back up the track -
Through a tunnel -
Ooty Station sign -
At Ooty Station
External links
- "Nilgiris District" Wikipedia.
- "Nilgiri Mountain Railway" Wikipedia.
- "Heritage Site" The Nilgiris - District of Blue Mountains.
- "Rack railway" Wikipedia.
- Indian Hill Railways: The Nilgiri Mountain Railway youtube.com One hour BBC documentary film.
- A day trip on the Ooty train Lovely series of photos from BCMTouring.com
- No more trains to Hillgrove station 26 January 2015 "India outside my window"