Nilgiri Mountain Railway - Mettupalayam to Conoor

The Steam loco shed at Metupalayam. Coal is being loaded in the locos. There are three locos 37393,37389 and 37392. The locos are all coal fired. But than why can one see a huge oil tank in the background?

A close up of the slide valve control gear. There are two cylinders on each side. The upper one runs the pinion and the lower one the wheels. The upper cylinder can rotate the rack even when the loco is stationed on a track without the rack.

The Mtr guage side of Metupalayam. The other side is BG.

The first stop after Metupalayam is Khallar. The Rack starts just after Khallar. The loco has two water tanks and one of them is being filled at Khallar. The tank on the other side of the loco will be topped up at the next station. The watering stands are

The Mtr guage side of Metupalayam. The other side is BG.

The first stop after Metupalayam is Khallar. The Rack starts just after Khallar. The loco has two water tanks and one of them is being filled at Khallar. The tank on the other side of the loco will be topped up at the next station. The watering stands are

The Starter and the home share the same signal post at almost all the stations.

"The Nilgiri Mountain railway welcomes you " Discarded racks at Khallar and if you zoom in tje pic you can see the steep gradient.

The 37393 has two steam cylinders on each side. One turns the wheels while the other one turns the pinion. Before the main run the locos are warmed up by running the pinion on a track without the rack.

The gradient is one in 12.4 from Metupalaym to coonoor. And one in thirty from Coonoor to Ooty. The Steam pushes from Metupalayam to Coonor and a Bio diesel YDM 4 takes over at coonoor and pushes upto Ooty.

The Rack starts just after Khallar. It is clamped / bolted on to the sleepers. The sleepers are of Mild steel. A few wooden ones can be found here and there.

A close up of the rack. One side has been hammered by the pinion and we can see the "homes". The rack seems to have been cut up from mild steel plates and than machined.

1 in 12.4 gradient after Khallar. Plenty od curves on the way and very good scenery too.

37393 fuming with steam and smoke puts up tremondous effort to push the train up. The boiler was continuosly fired and stroked all along. Dampers opened for full draft and water injected in the boiler almost all the time. Both the men and machine had to e

A over hang. Water was flowing down from it.

We pass through a cut out.

We take in water

A pinion discarded midway.

A pinion displayed.

More details about this here. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/944/

The SM office at Aderly is no longer in use. But if you zoom in to the walls you will find usefull info.

Details of a calamity

A tunnel that is solid rock.No walls

Inside the solid rock tunnel

It was green all along but cant expect too much water flow in May.

The PWI incharge of this section. A friendly man.

The down home and the up starter again share the same mast.