A Railway shame

The website of the National Rail Museum boasts an entry: “The Fairy Queen with the privileged ones will reach the picturesque town of Alwar in Rajasthan the same day… The selected 50 guests will go back with fond memories of once-in-a lifetime experience. If you are fast enough you could be one of them too.” This should have been devastating in its irony,but for the callous disregard that it otherwise points to. The Fairy Queen,which the railways was once rightfully proud of,does not ply any longer. Instead,what was the world’s oldest running steam locomotive is stripped of its original parts — the shiny dome,portions of its trademark crown,even the steam whistle — while in the care and custody of railways.

The Fairy Queen went out ceremonially — for an annual Delhi-Alwar ride — but it was more than a touristy outing,hauling a couple of carriages and travelling at the quaint speed of 40 km an hour. It was intended to celebrate and maintain its place as the oldest steam locomotive still in action. It carried history in its flanks — locomotive No 22 of the East Indian Railways,it began its journey in 1855,just two years after the first steam trains were introduced in India. In 1972,the government gave it heritage status. Such things as history and heritage seem to have become inconsequential for the railways,which is a shame.

The inability of the railways to overhaul itself,to move with the times,is no longer news; now even protecting the past seems to be beyond them. If the railways are unable to maintain our heritage trains,then it should step out of that domain and entrust these with those who know better.