World Heritage Nilgiri Mountain Railway | YDM4 and X Class Diesel + Steam Action!

July 2022. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway was on my bucket list for many years, and I made the most of this chance that I got in July. In this video, the Udhagamandalam-Mettupalayam special service gently rolls down the grade into Coonoor station, where the diesel YDM4 beast makes way for the legendary X Class steam locomotive - 37397 'Betta Queen' on this day. The train then departs towards the plains of Mettupalayam and we managed to shoot the train twice, first in the middle of beautiful tea estates soon after it began its descent and then at the end of its descent near Mettupalayam. The section from Ooty to Coonoor is a 'normal' mountain section, while the much steeper Coonoor to Mettupalayam section (steepest gradient is 1 in 12.5) features the Abt rack and pinion system. The steam locomotives are equipped with two high-pressure and two low-pressure cylinders, located outside the locomotive's frames. The low-pressure cylinders drive the rack gears, and are positioned above the two main high-pressure cylinders which drive the main wheels. Hope you like this video, do give a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel for more! #indianrailways #nilgiris #toytrain