The Secret of the Submarine (1916) Vintage Spanish minicard no. 79 of probably 79 or 80 for the - lost - American serial The Secret of the Submarine (George L. Sargent, American Film Company 1916), starring Juanita Hansen, and distributed by Mutual. Amatller Marca Luna, Barcelona. Here Juanita Hansen as Cleo and Tom Chatterton as Lt. Hope, finally reunited.
The Secret of the Submarine was an American serial of 15 episodes and started to run from 22 March 1916 (according to IMDb ad many other sources, English Wikipedia writes it was from 22 March 1915) in the United States. Its European release was much later, e.g. 1918-1920 in Italy and in 1921 in Denmark. All episodes are considered to be lost. Secret of the Submarine was written in the lead up to the United States' involvement in World War I by war correspondent Richard Barry. The serial was released one year after the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine (7 May 1915). Instead, Russia and Japan would be America's Allies in the First World War. The United States would declare war on Germany on April 6, 1917. The serial was Juanita Hansen's serial debut.
Plot: Dr Ralph Burke (Hugh Bennett), a scientist and inventor, perfects a device that can allow submersibles to remain underwater indefinitely - without needing to resurface to obtain fresh oxygen. The discovery was perfected at the opening of the story, and has been offered to the US government. Lieutenant Jarvis Hope (Tom Chatterton) of the United States Navy is tasked with witnessing a practical demonstration of the new invention. Hope also meets an old acquaintance, Hook Barnacle (George Clancey), whose life he once saved. Hook had previously had his right hand torn off by a shark, and was subsequently replaced with an iron hook. Hook and Burke's daughter Cleo (Juanita Hansen) soon become very interested in each other. But Hook talks too much, and it isn't long before the rest of the village knows the reason for Lieutenant Hope's visit. Among those who find out are Sextus (Harry Edmondson), a Russian, who works for Olga Ivanoff (Hylda Hollis), Head of the Russian bureau in the US, and Tatsuma (or Satsuma, played by William Tedmarsh ), a Japanese working under the orders of one Mahlin (George Webb). Both are ordered to obtain the document with the invention. Even a third party goes after the secret document: Gerald Morton (Lamar Johnstone), ruthless nephew of a wealthy American lobbyist. At the end of episode 1, Tatsuma manages to sink the submarine with Cleo, Hope, Hook, and Burke in it.
As this is a serial with cliffhangers, in episode 2 Burke's party isn't killed thanks to the courage and wit of Cleo and Hope. Sextus and Tatsuma fight each other in Burke's house, thinking the opponent is a member of the household. At night Burke hides papers in books, before being murdered. In episode 3 a penniless and fatherless Cleo sells valuable books of her father's collection, only to discover one contains the secret of the submarine. The bad guys have overheard this, and all rush to the auction house. The good guys miss the train and the car even has to jump over a broken bridge, but they arrive too late at the auction house: Tatsuma has already copied the list of purchasers and has set the auction house on fire. In episode 4 Hope and Cleo get the list of purchasers too and follow Tatsuma to the house of Stephansky, a bomb maker (having purchased one of Burke's books), where also Morton and Olga have arrived. Cleo is instructed to return alone that night, is bound and gagged and lowered to a cellar. A fight occurs between Stephansky and Hope, who wants to free Cleo, and Morton drops a bomb in the cellar, exploding the whole house.
In episode 5 we discover Hook had saved Cleo just in time, and Hope survives the explosion, but Stephansky is killed. Olga and Morton have managed to escape. Burke's book doesn't contain the secret. All make haste to reach Mrs. Del Marr, wife of the British Consul in S. Francisco, the next owner of one of Burke's books. Her house was once a den for Russian spies and has secret passages which Olga knows. Olga and Morton, and Mahlin disguised as servant, enter the house. A fight between Mahin and Hope occurs and the two books by Mrs Del Marr disappear. In episode 6 we discover Hook took the books but they don't contain the secret. A pursuit by boats follows, towards the next owner of a Burke book, Mr. Fitzmaurice, who is at Santa Cruz Island. Hope and Cleo witness the boat of Morton and Olga behind them being blown up. Tatsuma and Mahlin manage to switch off the light of the lighthouse, leaving Hope in the dark. In episode 7 Cleo and Hope, but also Olga and Morton, and Mahlin and Tatsuma arrive on the island, in search of the book. Tatsuma finally blows up Fitzmaurice's cabin with Cleo and Hope. In episode 8 Cleo and Hope survived the explosion. Satsuma hears Dr. Owen, a friend of Fitzmaurice, also owns a book, so Mahlin wrecks the train in which Cleo, Hope, Olga and Morton are going to Owen. They all survive. Morton pretends to be Hope to Owen at a cafe, but Hope arrives and understands the situation. During his attack on Morton, an earthquake occurs, wrecking the bar.
In episode 9 Cleo and Hope discover the document in Owen's book was a prescription, but Olga and Morton don't believe this and kidnap Cleo. Morton flies her to his mountain cabin but she escapes with a parachute. Yet, he tracks her down and presses her once more to tell where the secret is. Aviator Smith, whose plane Morton stole, and the police track down Morton. Hope tries to reach Cleo on the other side of a chasm, by use of a cable, but Mahlin is about the cut the cable with an axe. In episode 10 Hook arrives just in time and throws Mahlin in the chasm instead. Morton and Olga arrive in the plane and shoot at the cable basket with Cleo and Hope, but Hope shoots down the plane. Olga and Morton survive and manage to escape. Mahlin and Tatsuma attack Hope, Hook and Cleo observing the books. Hope is about to save Cleo from Tatsuma when he gets into quicksand. Cleo climbs down a vine and is about to lift Hope by her foot when Mahlin cuts the vine. In episode 11 Hook rescues Cleo and Hope. Olga is accidentally wounded by cowboys, hunting bandits. Just as Hope is congratulated by the government for his actions, a message arrives that the owner of the book with the secret, Romero, lost it in the mountains. In episode 12 Hope needs to marry another woman for honour, while Cleo and Hook fall on hard times, experiencing poverty in town. Olga and Morton are captured by bandits.
In episode 13 Olga and Morton find Robinson's Philosophy, the lost book, in the bandits' den. It makes clear the secret is revealed in another book, Metallurgy. Morton dumps Olga and heads for the city. Hope discovers the other woman is just a gold-digger and breaks off the planned marriage. He also hears the government is in an awkward position because of a possible war imminent. Cleo leaves Hook. In episode 14 Hope and Hook meet, quarrel, make peace and start searching for Cleo together. Hope finds her just in time as she was about to commit suicide. Olga demands Morton to give him the book. When he accuses her of killing Burke, she wants to strike him with a dagger, but he kills her instead. The police enter and Olga, dying, points at the culprit. Mahlin has seen it all and steals the book and a package Olga had with her. In the final episode 15, Cleo is kidnapped by Mahlin and Tatsuma. Hope, searching for Cleo, meets Morton and hears about Olga's secret. He agrees to meet Mahlin and Tatsuma and give the book in exchange for Cleo. A fight follows and Tatsuma flees through the window. Holding him at gunpoint, Hope forces Mahlin to uncover Cleo's hiding, but it is only after a month of searching in vain that Hook finds Cleo at a miserable beach. Hope stops the submarine he is on and jumps on the motor boat with Cleo and Hook: reunited at last!
(Plot description based on a longer description at IMDb, drawn from the Motion Picture World synopsis.)
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India - Tamil Nadu - Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway - 66bb The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the site then became known as "Mountain Railways of India." After it satisfied the necessary criteria, thus forcing abandonment of the modernisation plans. For the past several years diesel locomotives have taken over from steam on the section between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. Local people and tourists have led a demand for steam locos to once again haul this section.
OPERATION
The NMR track is 1000 mm metre gauge and the railway is isolated from other metre gauge lines. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor, the line uses the Abt rack and pinion system to climb the steep gradient. On this rack section trains are operated by 'X' Class steam rack locomotives manufactured by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland. These steam locomotives can be used on any part of the line (either with or without the rack section), but the newer diesel locomotives can operate on the entire section, between Mettupalayam and Udagamandalam. This signals the beginning of the process to phase out the coal-fired vintage Swiss engines that took scores of passengers on the rack and pinion track to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam, covering 41.8 kilometres, 108 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges.
Hence, the Southern Railway decided to replace the coal-fired locomotives. The work was entrusted to Golden Rock Workshop of Southern Railway at Tiruchirapalli. Each of the new engines weighs a little over 50 tonnes and cost Rs.10 crore.
The new engine has been provided with pilot and primary burners with separate tanks to hold about 850 litres of diesel and 2,250 litres of furnace oil. The hauling capacity of this new engine is 97.6 tonnes and it can run at a speed of 30 kilometres per hour in plains and at 15 kilometres an hour on a gradient.
Officials hoped to put the engine to use by Sunday on the Mettuppalayam–Coonoor section. The arrival of the new engines raises hopes of eliminating the disruption in service that occurred frequently over the last two years.
For long, the X Class locomotives manufactured by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland lent that distinct charm to NMR. These locomotives are six to eight decades old, railway officials said
The steam locomotives are always marshalled at the downhill (Mettupalayam) end of the train. The average gradient in this rack section is 1 in 24.5 (4.08%), with a maximum of 1 in 12 (8.33%). Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam the train is operated by a YDM4 diesel locomotive using conventional rail adhesion principles. On this section the locomotive is always at the Coonoor end of the train as although the line is not steep enough to need a rack rail, the ruling gradient out of Coonoor is still very steep at 1 in 25 (4%).
As of 2007, there is one train a day over the rack section, which starts from Mettupalayam at 07:10 and reaches Ooty at noon. The return train starts from Ooty at 14:00, and reaches Mettupalayam at 17:35. The train is scheduled to connect to the Nilgiri Express, which travels from Mettupalayam to Chennai via Coimbatore. A summer special service is also run during the months of April and May, starting from Mettupalayam at 09:30 (AM) and from Ooty at 12:15 (PM). Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam, there are four daily trains each way.
Even though the NMR stations have networked computerised ticketing systems for onward journeys, it still issues Edmondson style manual tickets for the Ooty-Mettupalayam journey to preserve the 'World Heritage Site' status of the railway. However, ticket booking is similar to other conventional trains and can also be done via the Indian Railways' website. It is advisable to book tickets for this railway well in advance, especially during peak season.
The majority of repairs to the locomotives are carried out at the Coonoor shed but many of the steam locomotives have been rebuilt at the Golden Rock Workshops. Carriages are repaired at Mettupalayam but, like the locomotives, are taken to one of the big railway workshops for major work. Due to its popularity, a number of passengers using the NMR have requested that the Southern Railways convert the section from Coonoor to Udagamandalam to steam locomotive, extending the present steam traction between Mettupalayam and Coonoor.
ROUTE
The 'Nilagiri Passenger' train covers a distance of 26 km, travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and across 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 290 minutes, and the downhill journey takes 215 minutes. It has the steepest track in Asia with a maximum gradient of 8.33%.
METTUPALAYAM STATION
Station with the 1676 mm (Indian Gauge) line from Coimbatore Junction. Passengers cross the platform to board the Nilagiri Passenger train (NMR). There is a small locomotive shed here and also the carriage workshops for the line.
Leaving Mettupalayam, the line is adhesion worked and actually drops for a short distance before crossing the Bhavani River, after which it starts to climb gently.
KALLAR STATION
Closed as a passenger station, this is where the rack rail begins. As the train leaves the station, the gradient is 1 in 12 (8.33%).
ADDERLY STATION
Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
HILLGROVE STATION
Block post and water stop, also has refreshments for passengers.
RUNNEYMEDE STATION
Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
KATERI ROAD STATION
Closed as a passenger station, trains do not stop here.
COONOOR STATION
Main intermediate station on the line at site of the locomotive workshops as well as the top end of the rack rail. Trains must reverse a short distance before continuing their climb to Ooty. It is normal for the locomotive to be changed here with diesel traction, being normal for all trains to Ooty.
LOVEDALE STATION
From a short distance before Lovedale, the line descends into Ooty.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
In the UK, the BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, with the NMR being featured in the second programme shown in February 2010. (The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway). The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly, and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010.
Coonoor station was one of two used as locations in David Lean's film A Passage to India. You can also see Coonoor station and its heritage locomotive in many of the Indian films. Wellington station always finds a place in most of the films casting the Indian army or army training storyline mainly due to the MRC Indian Army Regiment, Defence Services Staff College, the Cantonment and the Cordite Factory. Ketti station was used as the location in a Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem Lovedale station is very picturesque and has featured in many popular films including the famous Tamil hit, Moonram Pirai. The famous Hindi song Chaiyya Chaiyya from the film "Dil Se" featuring Shahrukh Khan was shot on the roof top of NMR. Ooty station has featured in many of the Tamil and other South Indian language films. It is also prominently featured in some of the Bollywood films.
WIKIPEDIA
India - Tamil Nadu - Coonoor - Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway - 61cc The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the site then became known as "Mountain Railways of India." After it satisfied the necessary criteria, thus forcing abandonment of the modernisation plans. For the past several years diesel locomotives have taken over from steam on the section between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. Local people and tourists have led a demand for steam locos to once again haul this section.
OPERATION
The NMR track is 1000 mm metre gauge and the railway is isolated from other metre gauge lines. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor, the line uses the Abt rack and pinion system to climb the steep gradient. On this rack section trains are operated by 'X' Class steam rack locomotives manufactured by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland. These steam locomotives can be used on any part of the line (either with or without the rack section), but the newer diesel locomotives can operate on the entire section, between Mettupalayam and Udagamandalam. This signals the beginning of the process to phase out the coal-fired vintage Swiss engines that took scores of passengers on the rack and pinion track to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam, covering 41.8 kilometres, 108 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges.
Hence, the Southern Railway decided to replace the coal-fired locomotives. The work was entrusted to Golden Rock Workshop of Southern Railway at Tiruchirapalli. Each of the new engines weighs a little over 50 tonnes and cost Rs.10 crore.
The new engine has been provided with pilot and primary burners with separate tanks to hold about 850 litres of diesel and 2,250 litres of furnace oil. The hauling capacity of this new engine is 97.6 tonnes and it can run at a speed of 30 kilometres per hour in plains and at 15 kilometres an hour on a gradient.
Officials hoped to put the engine to use by Sunday on the Mettuppalayam–Coonoor section. The arrival of the new engines raises hopes of eliminating the disruption in service that occurred frequently over the last two years.
For long, the X Class locomotives manufactured by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland lent that distinct charm to NMR. These locomotives are six to eight decades old, railway officials said
The steam locomotives are always marshalled at the downhill (Mettupalayam) end of the train. The average gradient in this rack section is 1 in 24.5 (4.08%), with a maximum of 1 in 12 (8.33%). Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam the train is operated by a YDM4 diesel locomotive using conventional rail adhesion principles. On this section the locomotive is always at the Coonoor end of the train as although the line is not steep enough to need a rack rail, the ruling gradient out of Coonoor is still very steep at 1 in 25 (4%).
As of 2007, there is one train a day over the rack section, which starts from Mettupalayam at 07:10 and reaches Ooty at noon. The return train starts from Ooty at 14:00, and reaches Mettupalayam at 17:35. The train is scheduled to connect to the Nilgiri Express, which travels from Mettupalayam to Chennai via Coimbatore. A summer special service is also run during the months of April and May, starting from Mettupalayam at 09:30 (AM) and from Ooty at 12:15 (PM). Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam, there are four daily trains each way.
Even though the NMR stations have networked computerised ticketing systems for onward journeys, it still issues Edmondson style manual tickets for the Ooty-Mettupalayam journey to preserve the 'World Heritage Site' status of the railway. However, ticket booking is similar to other conventional trains and can also be done via the Indian Railways' website. It is advisable to book tickets for this railway well in advance, especially during peak season.
The majority of repairs to the locomotives are carried out at the Coonoor shed but many of the steam locomotives have been rebuilt at the Golden Rock Workshops. Carriages are repaired at Mettupalayam but, like the locomotives, are taken to one of the big railway workshops for major work. Due to its popularity, a number of passengers using the NMR have requested that the Southern Railways convert the section from Coonoor to Udagamandalam to steam locomotive, extending the present steam traction between Mettupalayam and Coonoor.
ROUTE
The 'Nilagiri Passenger' train covers a distance of 26 km, travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and across 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 290 minutes, and the downhill journey takes 215 minutes. It has the steepest track in Asia with a maximum gradient of 8.33%.
METTUPALAYAM STATION
Station with the 1676 mm (Indian Gauge) line from Coimbatore Junction. Passengers cross the platform to board the Nilagiri Passenger train (NMR). There is a small locomotive shed here and also the carriage workshops for the line.
Leaving Mettupalayam, the line is adhesion worked and actually drops for a short distance before crossing the Bhavani River, after which it starts to climb gently.
KALLAR STATION
Closed as a passenger station, this is where the rack rail begins. As the train leaves the station, the gradient is 1 in 12 (8.33%).
ADDERLY STATION
Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
HILLGROVE STATION
Block post and water stop, also has refreshments for passengers.
RUNNEYMEDE STATION
Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
KATERI ROAD STATION
Closed as a passenger station, trains do not stop here.
COONOOR STATION
Main intermediate station on the line at site of the locomotive workshops as well as the top end of the rack rail. Trains must reverse a short distance before continuing their climb to Ooty. It is normal for the locomotive to be changed here with diesel traction, being normal for all trains to Ooty.
LOVEDALE STATION
From a short distance before Lovedale, the line descends into Ooty.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
In the UK, the BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, with the NMR being featured in the second programme shown in February 2010. (The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway). The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly, and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010.
Coonoor station was one of two used as locations in David Lean's film A Passage to India. You can also see Coonoor station and its heritage locomotive in many of the Indian films. Wellington station always finds a place in most of the films casting the Indian army or army training storyline mainly due to the MRC Indian Army Regiment, Defence Services Staff College, the Cantonment and the Cordite Factory. Ketti station was used as the location in a Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem Lovedale station is very picturesque and has featured in many popular films including the famous Tamil hit, Moonram Pirai. The famous Hindi song Chaiyya Chaiyya from the film "Dil Se" featuring Shahrukh Khan was shot on the roof top of NMR. Ooty station has featured in many of the Tamil and other South Indian language films. It is also prominently featured in some of the Bollywood films.
WIKIPEDIA
India - Tamil Nadu - Nilgiri Blue Mountain Railway - 14cc The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a railway in Tamil Nadu, India, built by the British in 1908, and was initially operated by the Madras Railway. The railway still relies on its fleet of steam locomotives. NMR comes under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Salem Division. In July 2005, UNESCO added the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the World Heritage Site of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the site then became known as "Mountain Railways of India." After it satisfied the necessary criteria, thus forcing abandonment of the modernisation plans. For the past several years diesel locomotives have taken over from steam on the section between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. Local people and tourists have led a demand for steam locos to once again haul this section.
OPERATION
The NMR track is 1000 mm metre gauge and the railway is isolated from other metre gauge lines. Between Mettupalayam and Coonoor, the line uses the Abt rack and pinion system to climb the steep gradient. On this rack section trains are operated by 'X' Class steam rack locomotives manufactured by the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland. These steam locomotives can be used on any part of the line (either with or without the rack section), but the newer diesel locomotives can operate on the entire section, between Mettupalayam and Udagamandalam. This signals the beginning of the process to phase out the coal-fired vintage Swiss engines that took scores of passengers on the rack and pinion track to Coonoor and Udhagamandalam, covering 41.8 kilometres, 108 curves, 16 tunnels and 250 bridges.
Hence, the Southern Railway decided to replace the coal-fired locomotives. The work was entrusted to Golden Rock Workshop of Southern Railway at Tiruchirapalli. Each of the new engines weighs a little over 50 tonnes and cost Rs.10 crore.
The new engine has been provided with pilot and primary burners with separate tanks to hold about 850 litres of diesel and 2,250 litres of furnace oil. The hauling capacity of this new engine is 97.6 tonnes and it can run at a speed of 30 kilometres per hour in plains and at 15 kilometres an hour on a gradient.
Officials hoped to put the engine to use by Sunday on the Mettuppalayam–Coonoor section. The arrival of the new engines raises hopes of eliminating the disruption in service that occurred frequently over the last two years.
For long, the X Class locomotives manufactured by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works of Winterthur in Switzerland lent that distinct charm to NMR. These locomotives are six to eight decades old, railway officials said
The steam locomotives are always marshalled at the downhill (Mettupalayam) end of the train. The average gradient in this rack section is 1 in 24.5 (4.08%), with a maximum of 1 in 12 (8.33%). Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam the train is operated by a YDM4 diesel locomotive using conventional rail adhesion principles. On this section the locomotive is always at the Coonoor end of the train as although the line is not steep enough to need a rack rail, the ruling gradient out of Coonoor is still very steep at 1 in 25 (4%).
As of 2007, there is one train a day over the rack section, which starts from Mettupalayam at 07:10 and reaches Ooty at noon. The return train starts from Ooty at 14:00, and reaches Mettupalayam at 17:35. The train is scheduled to connect to the Nilgiri Express, which travels from Mettupalayam to Chennai via Coimbatore. A summer special service is also run during the months of April and May, starting from Mettupalayam at 09:30 (AM) and from Ooty at 12:15 (PM). Between Coonoor and Udagamandalam, there are four daily trains each way.
Even though the NMR stations have networked computerised ticketing systems for onward journeys, it still issues Edmondson style manual tickets for the Ooty-Mettupalayam journey to preserve the 'World Heritage Site' status of the railway. However, ticket booking is similar to other conventional trains and can also be done via the Indian Railways' website. It is advisable to book tickets for this railway well in advance, especially during peak season.
The majority of repairs to the locomotives are carried out at the Coonoor shed but many of the steam locomotives have been rebuilt at the Golden Rock Workshops. Carriages are repaired at Mettupalayam but, like the locomotives, are taken to one of the big railway workshops for major work. Due to its popularity, a number of passengers using the NMR have requested that the Southern Railways convert the section from Coonoor to Udagamandalam to steam locomotive, extending the present steam traction between Mettupalayam and Coonoor.
ROUTE
The 'Nilagiri Passenger' train covers a distance of 26 km, travels through 208 curves, 16 tunnels, and across 250 bridges. The uphill journey takes around 290 minutes, and the downhill journey takes 215 minutes. It has the steepest track in Asia with a maximum gradient of 8.33%.
METTUPALAYAM STATION
Station with the 1676 mm (Indian Gauge) line from Coimbatore Junction. Passengers cross the platform to board the Nilagiri Passenger train (NMR). There is a small locomotive shed here and also the carriage workshops for the line.
Leaving Mettupalayam, the line is adhesion worked and actually drops for a short distance before crossing the Bhavani River, after which it starts to climb gently.
KALLAR STATION
Closed as a passenger station, this is where the rack rail begins. As the train leaves the station, the gradient is 1 in 12 (8.33%).
ADDERLY STATION
Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
HILLGROVE STATION
Block post and water stop, also has refreshments for passengers.
RUNNEYMEDE STATION
Closed as a passenger station but is still a water stop.
KATERI ROAD STATION
Closed as a passenger station, trains do not stop here.
COONOOR STATION
Main intermediate station on the line at site of the locomotive workshops as well as the top end of the rack rail. Trains must reverse a short distance before continuing their climb to Ooty. It is normal for the locomotive to be changed here with diesel traction, being normal for all trains to Ooty.
LOVEDALE STATION
From a short distance before Lovedale, the line descends into Ooty.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
In the UK, the BBC made a series of three documentaries dealing with Indian Hill Railways, with the NMR being featured in the second programme shown in February 2010. (The first film covers the Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway and the third the Kalka-Shimla Railway). The films were directed by Tarun Bhartiya, Hugo Smith and Nick Mattingly, and produced by Gerry Troyna. The series won the UK Royal Television Society Award in June 2010.
Coonoor station was one of two used as locations in David Lean's film A Passage to India. You can also see Coonoor station and its heritage locomotive in many of the Indian films. Wellington station always finds a place in most of the films casting the Indian army or army training storyline mainly due to the MRC Indian Army Regiment, Defence Services Staff College, the Cantonment and the Cordite Factory. Ketti station was used as the location in a Malayalam film Summer in Bethlehem Lovedale station is very picturesque and has featured in many popular films including the famous Tamil hit, Moonram Pirai. The famous Hindi song Chaiyya Chaiyya from the film "Dil Se" featuring Shahrukh Khan was shot on the roof top of NMR. Ooty station has featured in many of the Tamil and other South Indian language films. It is also prominently featured in some of the Bollywood films.
WIKIPEDIA
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