Soon, Delhiites will be able enjoy a ride on a special train hauled by the 161-year-old Fairy Queen - the world’s oldest working locomotive.
Plans are afoot to start a tourist train service between Delhi and Rewari, which will allow travellers to enjoy a ride of the Fairy Queen and also give them a chance to experience the steam locomotive workshop of the Railways in the Haryana district.
The Fairy Queen has earlier been used for similar tourist trips between Delhi and Alwar, Rajasthan.
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“We intend to run the Fairy Queen between the Delhi Cantt. railway station and Rewari. The re-introduction of the steam engine is awaiting approval from the Railway Board,” said Uday Singh Mina, Director, National Rail Museum.
For now, the Fairy Queen is on display at the National Rail Museum here and is proving to be a hit with visitors. The museum authorities, which had initially planned to display it only for two weekends, have now extended it to the coming weekends as well. According to Mr. Mina, the Fairy Queen is in perfectly good shape to hit the rails once it gets the required nod.
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He added that the Delhi to Rewari trip would be a one-day affair, unlike the earlier service between Delhi and Alwar, which took two days and included a visit to Sariska. The train to the heritage railway shed in Rewari is likely to depart from Delhi Cantt. around 10 a.m. and head back the same evening.
Fare yet to be decided
Though the fare for this service is yet to be formalised, Mr. Mina said that it would be an economical price. The Fairy Queen, which can reach a maximum speed of 50 km/ph, hauls two specially decked up coaches that can carry 50 to 60 passengers.
First rolled out in 1855 for the erstwhile East Indian Railway, the Fairy Queen retired from service in 1908.
It was the first locomotive to be brought and conserved in the National Rail Museum in 1971. It was brought back in February 1997 when it started its run from Delhi to Alwar.