Fairy Queen - world's oldest steam loco

Fairy Queen started departing from Delhi for an under three-hour journey to Rewari, Haryana. She was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest steam locomotive still in operation. The loco was constructed in 1855 by Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson at Leeds, England.

In late July 2004 some almost irreplaceable parts of the 'Fairy Queen' were stolen. Although the Police recovered some of the stolen parts she had to go through a restoration. In April 2011 thieves again made off with crucial parts that were irreplaceable. The loco workshop in Chennai stepped in and custom made the missing parts, some 32 pieces in all to ensure that the Fairy would run once again. The retrofitting was completed in 2013.

Photo courtesy of Harsh Vardhan