A railway to connect the beautiful hill stations of Coonoor and Ooty, to the plains became necessary. The idea was mooted in 1854, but work on this dream project could begin only in 1891 and was completed in 1908.

A Swiss inventor named Riggenback offered to construct the Nilgiri railway on his patented Rigi pattern. But his conditions could not be met and his proposal fell through. However, in 1882 he came to the Nilgiris on the invitation of the Government and submitted a detailed estimate for laying the line. A local company called "The Nilgiri Rigi Railway Co. Ltd." was formed. But it was 1886 before work finally commenced on the Rigi-system in metre gauge.

Coonoor was the destination until 1899 and then the tracks were extended to Fernhill in 1908 and finally to Ooty a month later. The Madras Railway Company managed the railway line for the government.

This rail system is unique because it uses the Alternate Biting System (ABT) or the rack and pinion system. A special toothed-rack rail is mounted on the sleepers between the running rails. The train is fitted with cog wheels, that mesh with the rack rail. From Coonoor to Udhagamanadalam, it runs on a non-rack system.

Normally when we travel by train we see the engine in the front. But in the NMR don't be surprised to see the engine at the tail end when climbing. This is because it has to push the train up. And while descending the engine is in front making sure that the train comes down gradually.

The maximum speed of the train is 33-km per hour. It traverses 16 tunnels, 26 bridges, with one big viaduct over the Bhavani. These are indeed feats of engineering, as they merge with Nature — never incongruous, never unattractive.

The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a World Heritage Site now.