This article is about a locomotive. For the work of Renaissance poetry by Edmund Spenser, see The Faerie Queene.

The Fairy Queen, built in 1855, is the world's oldest steam locomotive in operation today, travelling between New Delhi and Alwar in India. The locomotive was certified by the Guiness Book of World Records to be the oldest operational locomotive after the Rajasthan government employed it in 2004 to pull a deluxe train in order to boost tourism in the area. The Fairy Queen is run on the lines of the Palace on Wheels, the internationally renowned train.

The Fairy Queen was constructed in Leeds, England in 1855, and reached Calcutta in 1895 where it was christened the Fairy Queen. The train was given its serial number 22, by its then owner, The East Indian Railway. It began to haul light mail trains between Howrah and Ranigunj, but was soon consigned to line construction duty in the state of Bihar, where it served till 1909.

The locomotive spent the next thirty-four years on a pedestal outside the Howrah Railway Station near Calcutta. In 1943, it was shifted to the Railway Zonal Training School at Chandausi, where it served as a curiosity object for many of the students based there. In 1972, the Indian government granted heritage status to the engine, making it an official national treasure. The train was spruced up and given a special spot in the newly built Rail Transport Museum, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

On October 23, 2004, the Rajasthan government reintroduced the locomotive after the runaway success of the Palace on Wheels. The two-day excursion sees the train plying from New Delhi to Alwar to the Sariska Tiger Reserve. The train can accommodate thirty-eight passengers and the ticket is priced at Rs. 7,500 for adults and Rs. 3,750 for children.

External links

• http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railway/tourist/fairy_queen.htm
• http://www.railmuseum.org/fairy/
• http://www.travelcentre.com.au/travel/asia/india/Fairy_queen.htm