For the first time, Golden Rock Railway Workshop has refurbished two conventional coaches of Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) by providing vista dome facility.
A slew of other facilities have also been provided in the two metre gauge coaches, which came in for overhaul a month ago, so that passengers travelling on the lush hilly terrain can enjoy the scenery on the 46-km stretch of Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam. Of the two coaches that were refurbished, one will be air-conditioned, and both will have reclining seats.
The NMR coaches are sent to the Golden Rock workshop for periodic overhaul, in addition to steam locomotives which hauls the coaches periodically. Chief Workshop Manager P.N. Jha said, “Although improvements were used to be carried out in NMR coaches, this is for the first time that vista dome facility has been provided.”
The transparent roof is made of polycarbonate material and passengers can enjoy viewing the sky from their seats while travelling on the NMR section which has received World Heritage status.
“The two refurbished coaches will also have LED lights and better flooring. The interiors and exteriors have aesthetic vinyl wrapping for a bright and swanky look,” Mr. Jha said. Each coach is 13 metres long and can seat 46. The generator to supply power to the two AC units in one of the refurbished coaches would be provided in the luggage van with stainless steel flooring.
The two vista dome coaches were dedicated to the nation by Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal through video conference from New Delhi on Friday. The coaches are expected to be dispatched to NMR section shortly.
The over 80-year-old workshop has refurbished more than 10 NMR coaches in the current financial year. It has also overhauled a steam locomotive of the NMR section. Overhauling of the second steam loco is underway and it is expected to be dispatched by this month-end.
