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TOURISM<br />
Ooty<br />
Ooty<br />
The The Queen Queen of of the the Hills<br />
Hills<br />
ituated at an altitude of<br />
2,240 meters above sea<br />
SUdhagamandalam<br />
level, Ooty also known as<br />
is the "Queen of<br />
hill stations" and the capital of<br />
Nilgiris district. It is one of the most<br />
popular tourist resorts in India.<br />
Nilgiris means "Blue Mountains".<br />
Used to be popular summer and<br />
weekend getaway for the Britishers<br />
during the colonial days. An added<br />
attraction for the tourists to Ooty is<br />
the mountain train journey on a<br />
ratchet and pinion track which<br />
commences from Kallar, near<br />
Mettupalayam and wends its way<br />
through many hair-raising curves and<br />
fearful tunnels and chugs along<br />
beside deep ravines full of verdant<br />
vegetation, gurgling streams and tea<br />
gardens. The construction of this line<br />
was a big challenge as the terrain is<br />
rather tricky. It was in 1854 that the<br />
II<br />
<strong>Pravasi</strong> <strong>Today</strong> ✦ November <strong>2007</strong><br />
first plans were drawn to build a<br />
m o u n t a i n r a i l w a y f r o m<br />
Mettupalayam to the Nilgiri Hills.<br />
But it was a good 45 years later in<br />
1899 that the first train chugged up<br />
this track. This railway is widely<br />
regarded as a marvel of engineering.<br />
The train itself is a charming blue and<br />
cream with wooden coaches and large<br />
windows. It is hauled up hills by<br />
stream engines, designed and built by<br />
the Swiss Locomotive Works. Twelve<br />
of such locomotive engines survive<br />
even today. The train covers the 46<br />
km to Ooty in four and a half hours.<br />
There are five stations between<br />
Mettupalayam and Coonoor - Kallar,<br />
Adderley, Hill Grove, Runnymede<br />
and Kateri and, at one time, there<br />
were five between Coonoor and Ooty<br />
t o o . T h r o u g h We l l i n g t o n ,<br />
Aruvankadul, Ketti, and Lovedale are<br />
still functional, Fren Hill, the last one,<br />
was closed down a few years ago.<br />
Extensive rice fields surround the 7<br />
km stretch between Mettupalayam<br />
and Kallar. Soon after is an<br />
impressive 21km section through<br />
truly rocky terrain. The track passes<br />
over 26 viaducts, and twist and blends<br />
through 13 tunnels. After a steep<br />
climb, the train enters Coonoor, the<br />
little hill station known for its tea<br />
plantations. From here, the track is<br />
uphill till you reach Fern Hill at a<br />
height of 2,218m, the highest point on
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