Dasara festivities to showcase world's oldest engine

Mysore, Sep 11 (UNI) The South Western Railway is making efforts to promote tourism and showcase world's oldest engine Fairy Queen in action during the ensuing Dasara festivities.

Addressing the media, South Western Railway general manager Praveen Kumar said the majestic Fairy Queen will roll out on a heritage trip from Mysore to Nanjangud town for three days on October 2, 5 and 8., The locomotive will run twice a day and purely for the guests and invitees only.

The Fairy Queen would, however, be kept in the Mysore railway station for general public.

The Fairy queen had rolled out for the first time in 1855 for the East Indian Railway. After 142 years, it had rolled out again on February 1, 1997 from Delhi.

Winner of National Tourism Award and occupying a place of pride in the Guinness Book of world records, this prestigious pristine beauty graces the National Railway museum New Delhi.

Fairy Queen is to New Delhi as Monalisa is to Paris, Mr Kumar observed and said the steam engine has a very special appeal. It displays awesome power, chugging sounds and unique smell. These imposing marvels of engineering were once young, fiery and going full steams ahead.

Stating that the 153-year-old Fairy Queen would roll out during the Dasara festivities for the first time, he had it would be another attraction in the city of palaces and Railway authorities intend to provide this opportunity to visitors as well as domestic public to have a glimpse of the glorious heritage monument.

The charming Fairy Queen chugged its way majestically across Indian terrain. This was one of the first locomotives in India introduced during the early days of the revolutionary steam engine, Mr Kumar said.

The Fairy Queen was build by Kiston, Thompson and Hewitson of the United Kingdom for the erstwhile East Indian Railway in 1855. The total weight of the engine is 26 tonnes coal tender- two tonnes.

3000 liters (under slug water tank), 130, gauge.

Maximum speed of the engine was 40 kmph.

UNI BSP SLD ND0842