A Railroad expert from the German city of Leverkusen, Dr Frank August Wingler, 83, whose fascination of Matheran's 'baby trains' compelled him to pay a visit recently, was devastated to see the havoc this year's monsoon caused on the line.

The Light Railway line was washed away at 21 locations along the 21-km Neral-Matheran stretch. Dr Wingler, after voluntarily examining the trains and the line for over a week, opined that the toy train's long-term survival is doubtful. mid-day caught up with the international expert on Friday, just before he left for Germany. Dr Wingler, who also interacted with locals, believes that only a mega-scale operation to rebuild bridges and embankments — like the one being done on the Mumbai-Pune line — can restore it. This would require huge investment and initiative. On the other hand, there is also the option of converting a part of the line into an electric one to keep the supplies going.