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Ooty Train Over The Wellington Viaduct – Old Postcard 1909
This is an old 1909 photo postcard of the Ooty train over the Wellington Viaduct. Shows a hypnotically beautiful view of the viaduct and the Wellington downs. The British-built Nilgiris Mountain Railway NMR is an engineering marvel. Established for Britishers to escape the oppressive heat of Madras, now Chennai and the plains. The train is pulled by a rack and pinion system steam locomotive.
See post- Rare Nilgiri Mountain Railway Steam Locomotive Drawing.
The rack and pinion system is for it to gain traction while climbing the steep slopes of the Nilgiri Hills. The railway line on the Nilgiri Hills are one of the steepest in Asia. The steam loco pulled train journey starts from Mettupalyam and ends at Coonoor. From Coonoor, the steam locomotive is replaced with a diesel locomotive and onward to its final leg of the journey to Ooty or Ootacamund.
Read more- Mettupalayam to Ooty: The joy of journey.
The three other popular mountain railways in India- Darjeeling, Shimla, and Matheran all use the narrow gauge railway tracks. The NMR is the only one that has meter gauge tracks possibly to adapt the rack and pinion system because of the steepness of the route. The NMR like the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and the Kalka-Shimla Railway has been declared a UNESCO heritage site in 2005.
Did you know- the NMR was opened in 1899 from Mettupalyam to Coonoor. Only by 1908, the line from Coonoor to Ootacamund was extended.
From the collection- 11 Picture Postcards On Raja Ravi Varma Oil Paintings., Calcutta Hooghly River Street Vendor – Old Photo 1947., Madras Fort St George – Old Print 1840., German Map Bombay With Waffen SS Stamp & Seal
