The southern section, from Mettupalaiyam to Coonoor, is steam operated, with a daily service. The line ascends a rugged valley on an average grade of 1 in 12.5, with stunning views out over the South Indian plains as it rises. Dramatic cliffs and waterfalls are interspersed with tea and coffee plantations producing some of the world's finest brews. The video was filmed in January 1997 and April 1999, but incorporates four short scenes taken in 1990 on Super-8 film, and professionally transferred to video. Some stills are incorporated, dating back to 1973.
Scenes focus mainly on the rack, including trains ascending and descending.
Railway was to make South Australia the leading State, and Australia's gateway to the north. But the proposed railway ran through country which was mostly unsettled, and was likely to be very uneconomic. Although the Northern Australia railway was gradually extended from Darwin to Birdum between 1878 and 1929, this still left a gap of over 1700km. The southern end of the Central Australia Railway, as it became known, was the most difficult, with sharp curves and gradients through the Pichi Richi Pass east of Port Augusta. This location was chosen so as to serve new wheat-growing settlements east of the Lower Flinders Ranges, and proposed copper mines further north.