Coonoor Station Water Tower — Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Chutes and Ladders

This is our entry in Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Chutes and Ladders.

In February of this year we rode the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) toy train from Coonoor to Ooty in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  This railway is a meter gauge, or cog, railway, having a middle rail with a rack that allows a train to climb steep inclines.

Our tour company had arranged to get us tickets for the afternoon run, but a taxi drivers’ strike scheduled for that day threw our plans in disarray.   Our guide, who lives in Coonoor, worked his magic to get us tickets for the earlier train, but even then it was uncertain whether the train would run at all that day.

We arrived early to be sure of a seat, since two trains-worth of passengers could be expected to queue for the one train ride (if it happened at all).  We were early enough that the morning’s haze had not burned off yet, but swirled mistily a few feet above the ground.  Any object photographed even a short distance away was muted by this mist.  The water tower shown below finally rose above the mist that enveloped the shrubs below it, but the sky beyond was featureless.

Coonoor Station Water Tower

This photo was taken on February 5, 2019. Specs are:

Canon 100D, ISO 320, f/9.0, 1/500 sec, 106 mm.