What is the best way to learn about heritage then traveling with it? The Indian Railways are the best option a tourist can ever have while traveling within India to get to know the cultural diversity of the country. Just like special trains like the Palace on Wheels and The Royal Orient, the Fairy Queen is another train whose journey one won't easily forget.

Fairy Queen is the oldest running vintage steam locomotive in the world and was built in the year 1855 by the British firm Kinston, Thompson & Hewitson for the British firm East India Railways. This train has got only a first class chair car having 50 seats and a pantry car for on board catering. A Guinness Book of World Records holder and winner of the National Tourism Award, this pristine beauty rolled again on 1st February 1997 from Delhi, after a gap of 142 years.

A Memorable and Exciting Journey
Indian tourism department has tried its level best to present the tourist with a time of their life while travelling in Fairy Queen and the attractions that come with the tour package is certainly hard to resist. First stop is the picturesque town of Alwar in Rajasthan on the day when it departs from Delhi. After departing from Alwar the guests are taken to the Sariska Tiger Reserve for an over night stay. Accommodation provisions are done at the Heritage hotel Sariska Palace and for entertainment there are traditional cultural programmes and last but not the least Jeep Safari in the Tiger Sanctuary. Sounds interesting isn't it!

The petite engine worked from Howrah to Ranigunj (121 miles) on its maiden journey in 1885. Till 1908, it was a faithful servant to its masters, hauling trains, chugging distances, when it was considered for retirement. The years 1908 to 1971 were spent in oblivion, but it survived the ravages of time. In 1971, it became an exhibit of the National Rail Museum as many fossilised items do.

But, in its chequered history, destiny had written many great things. Life changed for the fairy queen dramatically in 1997 when after a complete over haul in Perambur Workshop of the Southern Railway, it panted back to life. It pulled its first tourist load on October 18, 1997, and graduated to the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s Oldest Working Locomotive in January 1998. It is wonderful to be part of history, to re-live the lost world. And what is precisely what one does on the Fairy Queen tours.

Down The Memory Lane
The queen was all gloss and shine. A bronze chimney was spewing out thick smoke from its crown into the air, which thinned to a misty vapour as the engine warmed. There was a metal windsock consisting of four cups fixed on a pole, for the wind to be playful. Steam gushed out in spurts from various crevices, until the driver decides to let it out in a rush. Some show of strength that can impress anyone around! The fairy queen in its effort of building up steam, had caged the power of vapour so studiously.

Finally, the journey starts with a sweet long whistle, then the train heaves and haws, and puffs, and coughs, and pants purposefully to Alwar, some 145-km away. It keeps on guzzling coal and water till it deposits the passengers in a medieval setting at Alwar.