Toy Train through the Blue Mountains

Coonoor railway station is straight out of a storybook. You almost expect a toy train to whistle through it shattering the silence of its quiet and quaint existence - and it does too. With stations that look from an era gone by, and named quaintly too, as Fernhill, Wellington, Lovedale and Runnymede, you get a feeling of entering a time machine. In this articleSteam LocomotiveAmidst hills and dalesFour-hour joy-rideSteam Locomotive The steam locomotives, a British legacy, run only in few pockets in India today, and the Blue Mountain Railway has a pride of place among them. The famous Chhaiyya Chhaiyya… song of Shah Rukh Khan with Malaika Arora on a train rooftop with the backdrop of lush greenery has been shot here. A treasured slice of history, the train meanders its measured way through the hills and dales of the wonderland that is the Nilgiris - the land of tea plantations, Toda tribes, thrushes and the Tahr or the wild mountain goat. The Blue Mountain Railway - all of 100 years and more - is the best way to experience the Nilgiris as you make way to Ooty or Udhagamandalam, a highly popular hill-station in the Nilgiris. Amidst hills and dales The train starts from the plains of Mettupalayam, a sister city of Coimbatore and takes you to the upper reaches of Ooty via Conoor, another quaint, colonial style hill-station. This joy-ride is a must for children as the train constantly curves hugging the hills as it climbs up gently and goes in and out of the numerous tunnels. It crawls intimately close to trees and greens such that you can hear the birds warbling and the brooks gurgling. You may even spot some wildlife - elephants, maybe, if you are really lucky. Four-hour joy-ride The four-hour journey is full of surprises as you never know what lies round the next corner. The topography and the ecology of the rail route changes with every milestone and station. You begin with the plains - at the foothills of Nilgiris - with its paddy fields and climb atop the hill. At Coonoor, the tea estates on rolling hill-sides dominate the landscape, and as you climb higher you come level with the tall pines and cypress and feel the cool mountain air. The journey offers a varied view of the verdant valley with its forests, streams, water-falls, glades and tea terraces - a snapshot of what the Nilgiris is all about. It is a good idea to pack a lunch and carry water for your family as there is no civilization en route and the halts in the wilderness are only for filling up water for the steam engine. The journey may sound romantic and idyllic, but it is also full of adventure as you watch with awe the 80-year old locomotive creak its way up the steep tracks against gravity!

Coonoor railway station is straight out of a storybook. You almost expect a toy train to whistle through it shattering the silence of its quiet and quaint existence - and it does too. With stations that look from an era gone by, and named quaintly too, as Fernhill, Wellington, Lovedale and Runnymede, you get a feeling of entering a time machine.

Steam Locomotive

The steam locomotives, a British legacy, run only in few pockets in India today, and the Blue Mountain Railway has a pride of place among them. The famous 'Chhaiyya Chhaiyya…' song of Shah Rukh Khan with Malaika Arora on a train rooftop with the backdrop of lush greenery has been shot here. A treasured slice of history, the train meanders its measured way through the hills and dales of the wonderland that is the Nilgiris - the land of tea plantations, Toda tribes, thrushes and the Tahr or the wild mountain goat. The Blue Mountain Railway - all of 100 years and more - is the best way to experience the Nilgiris as you make way to Ooty or Udhagamandalam, a highly popular hill-station in the Nilgiris.

Amidst hills and dales

The train starts from the plains of Mettupalayam, a sister city of Coimbatore and takes you to the upper reaches of Ooty via Conoor, another quaint, colonial style hill-station. This joy-ride is a must for children as the train constantly curves hugging the hills as it climbs up gently and goes in and out of the numerous tunnels. It crawls intimately close to trees and greens such that you can hear the birds warbling and the brooks gurgling. You may even spot some wildlife - elephants, maybe, if you are really lucky.

Four-hour joy-ride

The four-hour journey is full of surprises as you never know what lies round the next corner. The topography and the ecology of the rail route changes with every milestone and station. You begin with the plains - at the foothills of Nilgiris - with its paddy fields and climb atop the hill. At Coonoor, the tea estates on rolling hill-sides dominate the landscape, and as you climb higher you come level with the tall pines and cypress and feel the cool mountain air. The journey offers a varied view of the verdant valley with its forests, streams, water-falls, glades and tea terraces - a snapshot of what the Nilgiris is all about. It is a good idea to pack a lunch and carry water for your family as there is no civilization en route and the halts in the wilderness are only for filling up water for the steam engine. The journey may sound romantic and idyllic, but it is also full of adventure as you watch with awe the 80-year old locomotive creak its way up the steep tracks against gravity!