Indien: Freight trains in Nilgiri & Darjeeling  
15. February - 02. March 2025

My umpteenth train tour to Darjeeling and for the third time I'm going to Nilgiri with its wonderful meter gauge steam locomotives - I'm delighted to be able to travel on two of the most spectacular narrow gauge steam railways in India again! I've completely revised the programs for the DHR (Darjeeling Himalayan Railway) and the NMR (Nilgiri Mountain Railway) compared to the previous tours and we'll now spend even more time with charter trains on both railways.
The tour itinerary is split into 2 parts and as usual, you can join at any time according to your own schedule.

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TOUR ITINERARY

Part 1 (Nilgiri): 

16. February 2025, Sunday:
Ideally, you arrive in Mumbai early at night, enter India and fly on to Coimbatore early in the morning. Transfer with our minibuses to Coonoor and first visit to the meter-gauge train station and the depot under the management of the Southern Railway. In the afternoon, the steam-hauled regular passenger service returns from Coonoor to Mettupalayam, which we can photograph for the first few kilometers before it disappears into the inaccessible mountain jungle. The railway line from the lowlands at Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam in the Blue Mountains is 46 kms long, traverses more than 250 bridges and runs through 16 tunnels. The maximum gradient is 120 per mille.
Overnight stay in a 3* hotel in Coonoor. Dinner.

17. February 2025, Monday:
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway connects the town of Mettupalayam with the town of Coonoor and the hill station of Udagamandalam (Ooty) in the Nilgiri Mountains in southern India. It is the only Indian rack railway and uses rack and pinion systems based on the Abt system. The railway is now one of only a few railways in India that still operate daily steam trains. In the early 2000s, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was to be electrified due to the high operating losses in coal fired steam locomotive operations, but UNESCO added the NMR to the World Heritage List in 2005 and the electrification plans were abandoned. However, from 2011 to 2021, a different approach was taken to reduce steam locomotive costs: the Golden Rock Workshops of the Indian Railways converted a total of six old steam locomotives built by SLM in Winterthur to oil firing. Traditionally, the X-class steam locomotives are used on the section between Mettupalayam and Coonoor. Two of the remaining coal-fired steam locomotives were left behind and kept as back-ups for years. However, as there were more oil-fired locomotives available than were necessary for the only pair of passenger trains hauled by steam locomotives, the coal locomotives were retired and plinthed. The upper section of the railway line has no rack and pinion gear and can therefore be operated with diesel locomotives. Large parts of the railway run through inaccessible jungle and chasing by car is only possible to a limited extent, some stations in the mountains have no road access at all!

Today we are focusing on the section between Coonoor and Runneymede, where the railway winds very photogenically through the tea fields. The scheduled train pair in this sector runs uphill in the morning and downhill in the afternoon - so we have plenty of time to photograph our steam-hauled charter freight train in the morning and afternoon, followed by night shots in Coonoor.
Overnight stay in Coonoor, breakfast and dinner.

18. February 2025, Tuesday:
In the morning we run another freight charter train from Coonoor to Lovedale and back, a section that is normally only served by diesel locomotives. We pay particular attention to the impressive Wellington Viaduct! The landscape here changes completely compared to the jungle section and is much more open and accessible. We are back in Coonoor around midday and will watch the preparations for the departure of the scheduled train to Mettupalayam, which we will photograph again in the afternoon.
Overnight stay in Coonoor, breakfast and dinner.

20. February 2025, Thursday:
After the steam-hauled scheduled passenger train has left Mettupalayam in the morning, we will also leave the low-lands and tackle the gradients towards to Coonoor - including many photo stops along the way. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway operates the trains with the locomotive being on the downhill-site of the train. The consists is being pushed uphill, with the control being carried out from the platform of the leading car. The rack starts at  the small Kallar station and continues in several sections through the impassable jungle to Kateri Road, where the topography made it possible to build the line without the rack support.
Overnight stay near Mettupalayam, breakfast and dinner.

21. February 2025, Friday:
Early morning transfer to Coimbatore airport. Part 1 of the tour ends here.
Participants who want to leave the group today fly home via Delhi or Mumbai, arriving in Europe on the afternoon of the next day (22. February 2025). Participants who continue the tour (Darjeeling) fly to Bagdogra.
Breakfast (possibly packed).

Part 2 (Darjeeling):

20. February 2025, Thursday:
If you start your Indian adventure today, you will fly to Mumbai (Bombay) today. The flight is not included in the tour price, I am happy to book a flight ticket at current rates from your preferred departure airport.

21. February 2025, Friday:
For the new participants: arrival in India around 01:00 in the morning, immigration and customs followed by a domestic flight to Bagdogra. Meeting of all participants at Bagdogra airport. Transfer to our 4* hotel in Siliguri. Night photo shooting at the small Siliguri locomotive shed. Dinner and overnight in Siliguri. 

Our charter train starts at Siliguri this morning. As we are under tight supervision of the local North East Frontier Railway staff as long as we haven´t left the joined section of narrow gauge (610 mm gauge) and broad gauge, we will pas the level crossing between broad and narrow gauge without a dedicated photo stop. From there on things are a bit more relaxed but I am sure that there will be other issues to keep us busy! After Siliguri we face  about 8 km of fairly boring "straight ahead" track before we reach Rangtong station. Here we have to take water again. Behind Rangtong we find the first hairpin bends and the real mountain track!

Anyone who has already traveled with me on the DHR will know that in recent years it was always my goal to run a freight photo charter on the entire line from Siliguri to Darjeeling. We managed it 2 times but we always started with more freight cars in Siliguri than actually arrived at Darjeeling. Unfortunately, the freight wagons tend to derail very easily. The basic problem is the sometimes irregular track geometry of the route. If, in addition to poorly laid rails, there is also a tight curve radius, derailments are inevitable. On the last tour I started with 4 wagons and had to say goodbye little by little to 3 wagons that the DHR absolutely did not want to move anymore... In addition to the effort of re-railing the wagon(s), this also led to disruptions to scheduled services, sometimes up to several hours. I will therefore limit the use of freight wagons to a few sections. Our charter train in the lower sections will therefore consist of older passenger wagons and will travel to Tindharia today!
Overnight stay in a 3* hotel in Tindharia, breakfast and dinner.

TOUR PRICE
Entire Tour
4.970 Euro per person sharing a double room (no air ticket included)*
   860 Euro Single room supplement
Minimum number of participants 20, Maximum 30.
Booking deadline 31. December 2024, after that on request. * Domestic air ticket Coimbatore-Bagdogra included!

GOOD TO KNOW
In order to enter India, you need a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon entry and a visa that can be applied for online and is not included in the tour price. Participants of other nationalities than German should inquire about the entry regulations that apply to them.

The steam locomotives on the railways visited are in regular operation and are serviced daily, but breakdowns or technical problems cannot be ruled out. Derailments can also occur. I cannot guarantee the use of a specific locomotive or a photo stop at a specific location. On the Nilgiri Railway we cross the mountain jungle with wild animals such as big cats and elephants. Photo stops can be made dependent on the presence of large game. The DHR in particular is often hit by the summer monsoon and sections of the line are washed away by the torrent floods. Frequent interruptions of the train services occur due to weather issues or social unrest. No refunds will be given in cases of force majeure. You take part in this tour at your own risk.

India is a country of contrasts: it is often only a few steps from "very poor" to "unbelievably rich" and the unfiltered Indian reality is sometimes difficult to bear. People's everyday lives are often still shaped by caste and religion. Unfortunately, some of the bad British traditions have also survived, for example extreme bureaucracy and an addiction to paper and stamps. Many offices in the railway administrations could have existed just as well during the time of British colonial rule, if you ignore the current office holders. Nothing happens on the railway without authorization from the person higher up in the hierarchy. The administration is made up of career officials who are rotated every 4-6 years - if things go well, up the career ladder. This means that not every official wants to ruin the career with unusual topics such as a photo charter. A "wrong" decision that someone in the higher levels of the administration doesn't like can cost the next promotion. Therefore, it is better to do nothing or to reject a request straight away. My partner agency in India is very experienced in dealing with such challenges and a lot is possible, although there are always surprises, even those at extremely short notice. For these reasons too, the program can change at any time without entitlement to reimbursement.

I expect pleasant daytime temperatures and cool nights - with higher temperatures around 20°C during the day in Nilgiri. In Darjeeling it can get quite cold at night. The chances of rain are low. There is a small risk of malaria in Nilgiri.
Please remember to arrange your travel insurance: no one is immune to unpleasant health surprises or life events that make a trip impossible. Budget air fares are often not refundable except for a few pittances from the airline and hospital and doctor visits abroad can quickly reach very unpleasant heights. 

This trip is not suitable for people with limited mobility. Please note that our railfan tour includes getting in and out on uneven ground, in high-entry vehicles or in environments that do not meet German standards. If you are unsure whether this trip is suitable for you, please contact me.
A very nice video of my 2018 trip to Darjeeling can be found on Youtube!