The famous Blue Mountain Railway which was built by Nilgiri citizens and finished in 1898, is one of the oldest and steepest operating rack and pinion systems. Ten years later the link to Ooty was completed.
The locomotive is pushed rather than pulled and each of the three carriages has its own brakeman.
The 45 km journey between Coonoor and Ooty includes 13 tunnels, 19 bridges and 11 stations (many not operational).
The diesel train journey is quite magical as you meander through eucalyptus and tea plantations to subtropical vegetation and the views of the Nilgiris are spectacular.
The train reaches a maximum speed of 28 mph along the narrow gauge railway and stops frequently at quaintly named stations such as Runnymede.
