All said and done, the British Colonial Rule in India had had its own nicer aspects too. If today we are proud of our strong infrastructure of transportation and communication, the credit goes to the British.

In the mid nineteenth century, several proposals were mooted for the construction of a rail line from the foothills of Nilgiris at Mettupalayam to the Udagamandalam peak. But, it took over three long decades for the Mountain Railway to become a reality. The "Nilgiri Rigi Railway Company Ltd." was formed in 1885 with a capital of Rs.25 lakhs with the mandate to undertake the construction of the Mettupalayam - Coonoor Railway Line. The Mettupalayam - Coonoor section was thrown open to public traffic on June 15, 1899 but it was extended upto Udhagamandalam only in 1908 after the ownership shifted to the Indian Government in January 1903.

The Coonoor - Fernhill section was opened on September 15, 1908 and the Coonoor - Ooty section was opened on October 15, 1908. The extension of the line from Coonoor to Ootacamund cost Rs. 24.4 lakhs and took 60 months for construction. The ruling gradient (the steepest grade in the section) on Mettupalayam - Coonoor section is 1 in 12.28. This is the steepest gradient in Asia.

No wonder, the World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO declared the Nilgiri Mountain Railway as a World Heritage site, describing it as an outstanding example of the interchange of values on developments in technology, and the impact of innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multicultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world." The Committee also added that "The Mountain Railways of India are outstanding examples of a technological ensemble, representing different phases of the development in high mountain areas."

Let us, on the centenary of Asia's steepest and longest metre gauge mountain railway, salute this technological wonder.