162-year-old Fairy Queen train to grace railway tracks again

New Delhi: The world’s oldest steam locomotive, the 162-year-old Fairy Queen, will leave the railway museum and go on a journey from Delhi Cantonment to Rewari in Haryana on Saturday.

It will travel at a pace reminiscent of the 1850s when the railways had just been introduced in India and trains used to be powered by steam.

Saturday’s will be the first journey in 5 years that Fairy Queen will be undertaking a journey. The last journey was between Delhi and Alwar.

Constructed by Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson at Leeds, in England, Fairy Queen was brought from England to Calcutta in 1855. The steam locomotive was initially used to haul light mail trains in West Bengal, operating between Howrah and Raniganj. The locomotive retired in 1909 after 54 years of service.

The engine was restored and given a special spot in the National Rail Museum at Chanakyapuri, in New Delhi, 40 years back, on 1 February 1977. The locomotive was restored to full working order in 1997, in preparation for its first mainline journey in 88 years.

The train, which is a great attraction among steam engine lovers across the globe, is run occasionally on different routes by Indian Railways as a treat to adventure lovers.

An Indian Railways spokesperson said the tariff for the journey are nominal. It’s ₹ ,480 for adults and ₹ 3,340 for children for a two way journey, while for a one way journey the fare is ₹ ,240 and ₹ ,620.

The train will leave Delhi around 10.30 am and reach Rewari by 1pm, covering a distance of around 80 km in 2.5 hours meaning a pace of around 30 km per hour.