Tourists get a locomotive to enjoy old-world ride

Tourists get a locomotive to enjoy old-world ride
KOTA NEELIMA

NEW DELHI, FEB 17: Retired engineers were brought back to the railway shed to resurrect a 1944 vintage steam locomotive that was retired from active service in 1993.

The revived train, called the Metre Gauge American War Disposal Steam (MAWD), will chug off again along the 10-km Guwahati-Pandu route. Meant for tourists only, the narrow-gauge locomotive would be commissioned officially soon after a dry run on February 18.

The Railways poured in Rs 1.5 lakh and a reward of Rs 10,000 for the retired engineers to breathe life into the train. Built in 1944, the MAWD was shunted out after a 50-year run. Later, it plied on the Northeast Frontier Railways' Guwahati division in Assam.

The black, silver and crimson locomotive, with the wheel configuration of the typical Pony Cabin Radial, can store 10,000 gallons of water and 8 tonne of coal.

B.M.S. Bist, general manager, Northeast Frontier Railways, first spotted the rare train lying idle in the shed. ``The biggest problem we faced with the renovation was to look for spare parts for the brass and copper original. We had to find ways to coax the engine into motion again. We even consulted the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.''

``It was also a big problem finding the right boiler for the engine because the old one was damaged. We had to stick to specifications of the Boiler Act too before we got the locomotive ship shape,'' Bist said.

Other than the Fairy Queen, the MAWD would be the only other locomotive that would be used exclusively by tourists. The locomotive will have three to four coaches and run on routes that are 20 km or shorter.

Bist said: ``It would be a slow train. It will bring back the nostalgia for steam engines -- in the way it moves and whistles. People can get on and off the train while its moving. So they can enjoy a truly old-world ride.''

The Northeast Frontier Railway has plans to revive the world's third surviving Garrott locomotive that now lies in a locoshed. The only other working Garrotts in the world are in Spain and Britain.