Nerve Endings Firing Away

Matheran has been the favorite ‘hill-station’ for Mumbaites and thanks to its proximity to the city, it is quite popular. Matheran is also one of the rare places in the world that aren’t open to vehicles. All vehicular traffic stops at Dasturi Naka, 3 kms from the town center. You either walk it down from there or better still, get a horse ride. The other mode of transport is the narrow gauge train that takes you from Neral, the town at the bottom of the hill to Matheran.

This ‘toy train’ is one of the slowest forms of transport (12 miles per hour) and we’ve usually taken the cab up its tricky roads although we always took the train ride back down. But for the fans of nostalgia and leisure, the train ride is an amazing experience. This light railway is nearing hundred years of operations this year which by itself is an amazing feat. The Matheran train is also a remarkable feat of engineering as it was built on treacherous slopes and has only one tunnel. It is a 21-kilometer track from Neral to Matheran laid out by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, India’s first Railway company now renamed as Central Railway.

Starting from Neral, the narrow gauge two feet line runs parallel to the main broad gauge line leaving the road to the West of Hardal Hill, then turning sharply east. The ascent commences and road and rail meet at the end of the third mile near Jummapatti station. They part company again to meet a mile further just beyond the steep slope of Bhekra Khud.A narrow stretch of level ground terminates in the abrupt rise underlying Mount Barry. To avoid a reversion station, a large horseshoe embankment was constructed. Round this the line runs for a mile in the north direction till it turns back through the only tunnel on the route.

The line now lies under Mount Barry, and to negotiate the rise here, the line zigzags sharply backwards and forwards twice passing through two deep cuttings. The line pursues its may more decorously and reaches out more or less straight for panorama point after skirting it and then returns by Simpson’s tank and terminates close to the Matheran Bazaar [source].

The Matheran train is also slated to be added on the World Heritage List which definitely is a worthy honor and is needed to preserve its historic character. The torrential rains and landslides in 2005 had temporarily shut down operations.

Although Matheran as a destination was popularized by Lord Elphinstone, the railroad was the handiwork of Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy. He spent Rs. 16 lakh, a princely sum back then to develop the railway and even traveled to Germany to produce special engines from Oriensten & Kopple. Incidentally, his grandson Ali Akbar Adamjee Peerbhoy wanted to honor his memory by renaming the Matheran Station after his grandfather who built the railroad. But his offer was shot down as the railway officials said it was not possible for us to rename Matheran as tourists across the globe know this place by this name [source]. Yeah, right! Like that has stopped us from renaming everything under the sun. Anyway, his family is now focusing on getting at least some prominent memorial installed in Matheran and frankly, I think their demand is justified.

[image source]

Whatever the name, the Matheran railway is one of the most scenic and charming must-do things in Maharashtra. From where we live in New Bombay, Matheran is a mere hour’s drive away. If you are a avid hiker, it is even closer; all you have to do is drive up to Dhodhani [Gadeshwar dam] from Panvel, park your car in the adivasi village and hike up the mountain. I had the opportunity of making a contour model for the entire valley and spent many glorious hours especially in the monsoon at the bottom of the Matheran hill admiring its lush green slopes. There were plans to build a trolley and an amusement park at that spot but somehow I am thankful that never got built.