Title - Diesel locomotives, a distant dream for Nilgiris Mountain Railway

The dream of using diesel locomotives instead of oil-fired locomotives on the Nilgiris Mountain Railway (NMR) will remain a dream. Technical infeasibility has been stated as the official reason for not being able to make the move. Also, the operation of additional services on the NMR section has been ruled out claiming that the move ensures the safety of the passengers.

It was told that oil-fired locomotives had sufficient hauling capacity and the authorities see no reason in changing the system. They believe that the existing system is better off than what it replaced – coal fired locomotives, as it helped deal with many operational bottlenecks quite ably.

Measures will however be taken for clearing the rainwater drain systems which have got choked over the years, along the NMR section and steps would be initiated for using mesh nets which will help combat land slips. Increase in number of locomotives was also on the cards. What fails to get registered in their minds is that the increase in the number of operational locomotives will not help in introducing more services.

They also said that there was no reason to fret as Southern Railway has been offering world-class services despite all odds. The services have not diminished in standard although the budgetary allocation considerably has.