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The ''Fairy Queen'' is a steam locomotive, plying between the Indian capital of New Delhi and Alwar, in Rajasthan. It was certified by the ''Guinness Book of Records'' in 1998 as being the world's oldest one in regular operation after being restored to haul a luxury train in order to boost tourism in Rajasthan. The ''Fairy Queen'' runs on the same basis as the ''Palace on Wheels'', the tourist train launched in 1982, and in 1999 was awarded a National Tourism Award. The Indian gauge locomotive was built in England in 1855, and has a two-cylinder engine with a power output of , producing a top speed of . It was placed in service by the East Indian Railway Company in West Bengal, where it hauled troop trains during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and was withdrawn from service in 1909 and displayed on a pedestal in Howrah until 1943. Heritage status was accorded in 1972 and the locomotive was restored as an exhibit at the National Rail Museum in Delhi. Restored to full working order, in 1997 the ''Fairy Queen'' returned to commercial service for the first time in 88 years. In 2011, it was discovered that rare locomotive parts that were "as good as irreplaceable" had been looted. After a substantial rebuild, the engine was returned to working order in December 2012. ==History== The locomotive was constructed by Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson at Leeds, in England, in 1855, and reached Kolkata, then known as ''Calcutta'', in the same year. On arrival, it was given fleet number "22" by its owner, the East Indian Railway Company, not receiving a name until 1895.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.pitara.com/discover/5wh/online.asp?story=108 )〕 Initially, the gauge locomotive was used to haul light mail trains in West Bengal, operating between Howrah and Raniganj, and during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 hauled troop trains. It was later consigned to line construction duty in Bihar, where it served until 1909.〔 The ''Fairy Queen'' spent the next 34 years on a pedestal outside Howrah station. In 1943, the locomotive was moved to the Railway Zonal Training School at Chandausi, in Uttar Pradesh, where it served as a curiosity object for many of the students based there.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fairy Queen (locomotive)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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