Varun Abode the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, commonly known as the Toy Train of Ooty (Mountain Railways of India – UNESCO World Heritage) –
Chug-Chug Chug-Chug….Chug-Chug Chug-Chug…that’s how one of the few left steam engines in India pushes the toy train up the Nilgiri Hills. And trust me, it will be one of the most scenic train journeys you will ever be on.
Booking Ooty Toy Train
Some details to help you hop onto the toy train.
To book your ride for the Nilgiri Mountain Railway a.k.a the Ooty toy train, you need to book the – ‘MTP UAM SPL’ (06136). And to your regret, you will always find it booked. That’s true. When I checked the toy train a month back, it luckily showed 2 available tickets. More often than not you will find it on Waiting List. Note that this train doesn’t have any RAC. The railway issue tickets on the spot too but nearly 100 people crowd there for the 2-3 available tickets. The Second Class ticket costs Rs. 395 and the First Class costs Rs. 545.
If you are boarding the toy train, know that there are no washrooms on the train. The train does stop every 30 minutes to refill water in their steam engines and those small stations will have paid washroom (Rs. 5) facilities.
Nilgiri Mountain Railway; The Journey
Our toy train was set to depart at 7:10 AM from the Mettupalayam Railway Station (330m high from sea level). I was looking outside from the window – yep, luckily I had been allotted the window seat (I opted for it using the preference but was still lucky enough to get one).
I was wondering what’s happening. The engine was in front of me but the train was moving backward. I thought this was something specific to the steam engine trains that they do in the beginning. But after a while, I understood that the steam engine toy trains actually work on a push mechanism. The engine is attached at the back and it pushes the train forward!
Based on reviews and friends’ advice, we decided to get down at Coonoor Railway Station. After that, the toy train changes from a steam engine to a diesel-based engine and the journey is pretty normal. So to save time and to enjoy the toy train experience too, we had nearly 3:20 hours as the train would reach Coonoor at 10:30 AM.
The steam engine started pushing the train forward with a very rhythmic beat. The train moved ever so slowly from Platform No. 1 and I was able to see the steam coming out from the top of the engine and it looked so nice.
Initially, the route was quite normal with greenery around. But the feeling and sound of being on a steam engine train were nice. The windows are also quite huge so we can easily look out and move our heads freely. I had my DSLR in hand and so more often than now I was taking videos and clicking photos. I think that’s what most of them did.
In one instance, we saw a Peacock on the roof of a hut –
The train stopped every 30 minutes as it had to refill the water in its engine. It will stop at designated station points where people can come out for 5-10 minutes and enjoy the view. There are paid washrooms available at these stations.
After the 2nd stop, the route became more scenic. We started encountering tunnels, and bridges. Peeking outside the train showed a beautiful view of the train moving along its tracks. The scenery also was quite beautiful –
Our traveling ticket examiner (TT) was a very good classical singer and she sang a bit for us –
The scenic route continued for a while as we passed through multiple bridges and tunnels.
When nearing Coonoor, we also saw many tea and coffee plantations –
Finally, we reached Coonoor at 10:30 AM. The train was on time. We got down and bid adieu to the beautiful toy train and continued with our trip.
It was quite a nice journey. The scene was filled with greenery, old stone bridges, mountain tunnels, small-cute railway station stops, the steam coming out of the steam engine, and the chug-chug sound. While the ticket price was hiked as the Mountain Railways have been privatized, it’s still worth boarding the Nilgiri Mountain Railways once in a lifetime.
