First Train on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway

On June 3, 1893, the first revenue train ran on India's Nilgiri Mountain Railway, connecting Mettupalayam to Coonoor through the Western Ghats. Built by the British with a unique Abt rack system to handle 1-in-12.5 grades, it used X-class steam locomotives designed for the terrain. This engineering marvel overcame monsoon landslides and dense forests, serving tea plantations and hill stations. Key figures included engineer Wolfgang Hesse. The railway's significance lies in demonstrating colonial-era infrastructure innovation, later becoming a UNESCO site. It continues to inspire model railroaders with its dramatic switchbacks and scenic routes.