The world’s oldest functional steam engine is back on tracks after five years. The Fairy Queen will make a journey from Delhi Cantonment to Rewari in Haryana on Saturday to the delight of scores of steam engine lovers across the world.
With a maximum speed of 50 km/hour, the journey from Delhi Cantonment to Rewari and back will be completed in a day. The train will leave Delhi Cantonment at 10.30 am and reach Rewari at 1 pm. On its return journey, the train will depart Rewari at 4.15 pm and reach its destination at 6.15 pm. However, the fare for this trip has yet to be made public. The Fairy Queen has two coaches that can carry 60 passengers, reported The Hindu.
Built by Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson in England in 1855, the 5 feet 6 inches gauge locomotive reached Kolkata the same year. Till 1895, it was known as number 22. It was used by the East India Company to run light mail trains between Howrah and Raniganj in West Bengal. During the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, the steam engine was used to ferry troopers. Later, it was sent to Bihar to be used for line construction. The engine retired in 1909.
In 1977, the engine was restored and since then it has been kept at the National Rail Museum in Chanakyapuri, Delhi. Twenty years later, the locomotive was restored to full working condition and was used for trips between Delhi and Alwar in Rajasthan.
Fairy Queen entered the Guinness World Records in 1998 as the world’s oldest steam locomotive in regular operation. In 1999, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was the prime minister at that time, conferred a National Tourism Award to Fairy Queen for being the most innovative and unique tourism project.
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