Trackmen working on this line frequently face grave danger from wild animals, even risking their life. Here a plaque in remember of a brave soul! (Harish Kumar)

The steam loco works hard as it pushes into Runneymede station. (Benhur)

The passenger arrives at Runneymede... note the end of rack, as the station is level. (Naveen)

and expertly positions herself for the water filling at Runneymed. (Benhur)

Water being filled into the boiler of the loco. (Naveen)

After a much needed halt, the passenger proceeds to rise up to the mighty Nilgiris. (Benhur)

Next up, we meet the passenger slowly making its way up near Kaateri Village. Note the 1 in 12.5 gradient mark to the left of the picture. (Harish Kumar)

The passenger slowly pulls past the erstwhile Kaateri road railway station. Trains used to stop here until 1982. (Raghu Jayaraman)

The three-coach tiny train climbs rapidly towards Coonoor. (Raghu Jayaraman)

The passenger train is about to reach Coonoor station well ahead of scheduled time. The arrival at Coonoor also marks the end of rack and pinion system. (Harish Kumar)

Time to say bye to the steam loco: The loco decouples from the 3 coach rake and moves to the shed for a well-deserved rest. (Harish Kumar)

At Coonoor, two more coaches were attached to accommodate more passengers / tourists between Coonoor and Udhagamandalam. Now another little master, a YDM-4 class loco from Golden Rock takes charge of the passenger towards Udhagamandalam. (Naveen)

All red, as the train comes to a stand still on a loop. Now the points will be set for its onward journey, with the engine pushing the rake. (Benhur)

The loco smokes and notches up hard as it takes on steep gradient out of coonoor station, and in the process, it smokes out the cabin. (Naveen)

After its scheduled halt at Wellington, the train takes a huge 180 degree curve, passes the bridge across a small river and road. (Raghu Jayaraman)