India (Post Covid-19 Overseas Visit No 7 - My 37 days Free & Easy Visit to Northern, Central & Southern India) City No 13 & 14 - Metupalaiyam & Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - Jan 13 2024 (Day 34)

Nilgiri Toy Train, Tamil Nadu 
Udagamandalam (Ooty)
> Metu[palaiyam (46km)

Day 34 Jan 13 2024 (City No 13 - Metupalaiyam, Tamil Nadu) Travel itinerary: Udagamandalam (UAM), Ooty > Metupalaiyam (MTP) - toy train ride 14.00 > 17.30, total distance 46km, 2nd Class seat Rp304 = Rm18, probably more comfortable if you are able to book a 1st Class seat (but limited seats available unless you book earlier) if you carry a large luggage or backpack !  

Ooty > Mettupalayam (46km)

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train is the major highlight of my visit to the hill station of Ooty, established in the early 19th century by the British as the summer HQ of the Chennai Government. The railway opened in 1899 & was completed in 1908 & declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005. The quaint toy train pulls blue & cream wooden carriages with large windows. 

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway runs from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam (Ooty) via Coonoor (5km from Ooty) & vice versa, in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. It's is the only meter gauge, track railway in India. Also known as cog railway, it has a middle rail fitted with a rack that engages a pinion on the locomotive. This provides traction for the train to go up steep inclines, apparently it is the steepest track in Asia, increasing from 1,069ft to 7,228 ft above sea level ! This toy train passes numerous bridges & tunnels, tea plantations, forests, hills, deep valleys & villages. 

In 2007, I had the opportunity to ride on the Shimla-Kalka toy train & in 2019, visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site Himalayan Railway Darjeeling railway station (state of Bengal) located at an altitude of 2,073m above sea level. 

Udagamandalam Railway Station & Heritage Museum, Ooty, Tamil Nadu - also known as Ooty railway station, a terminus station in Ooty which is a part of the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, World Heritage Site. 

Countryside & mountain scenery as viewed from the toy train's windows (Ooty > Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu (3.5hrs ride)

Day 34 Jan 13 2024 (City No 14 - Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) Travel Itinerary: Metupalayam > Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu (total distance 36km, by local passenger train 19.15 > 20.00 Rp30 = Rm1.80); no extended stay in Metupalayam, original plan is to take a city bus from Metupalayam to Coimbatore but opted for a local passenger train due to a short waiting time (approx 1 hr) & convenience in boarding the train from the station ! 

Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu - a municipality town & taluk headquarters of Metupalaiyam Taluk in the Coimbatore district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a suburb of Coimbatore, the 3rd largest town in the Coimbatore district after Coimbatore & Pollachi. 

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - a city in south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, to the northwest is the centuries-old Dravidia-style Arulmigu Subramaniyaswami Temple; Marudamalai, the colorful & intricately carved Aruimigu Patteesarar Swamy Temple lies southeast; in the center, the Gass Forest Museum has a huge collection of preserved animals & tree trunks; southeast, birds & butterflies inhabit Singanallur Lake. 

Coimbatore Junction, Tamil Nadu

Hotel accommodation - overnight stay in Sibi Lodge (Rp1,505 = Rm90 twin sharing), Coimbatore, 650m from Coimbatore Junction; no sightseeing, just a stopover to catch a morning train from Coimbatore > Tiruchiappalli - my last city of visit prior to flying home to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia !