Imagine a Fairy Queen, all decked up in finery, a twinkling star wand in her hand, leading you past a phantom lake to a tiger den. Sounds more like a dream sequence. But all this is true and more. There is a Fairy Queen, which does not fly, but instead glides on wheels. It rides on the wings of poesy; it still has the power to transport you to a time warp; it brings together man and nature completely in a bind; it holds you enthralled by the spectacular display of smoked stars streaming out of its wand; it perhaps can still grant you magically, a wish.

The engine built for the then East Indian Railway in 1855 and christened “Fairy Queen” by its fond makers, lives a life true to its name.

This petite engine worked from Howrah to Raneegunje (121miles) on its maiden journey in 1885. Till 1908, it was a faithful servant to its masters, hauling trains, chugging distances, when it was considered for retirement. The years 1908 to 1971 were spent in oblivion, but it survived the ravages of time. In 1971, it became an exhibit of the National Rail Museum as many fossilised items do. But, in its chequered history, destiny had written many great things. Life changed for the Fairy Queen dramatically in 1997 when after a complete overhaul in Perambur workshop of the Southern Railway, it panted back to life. It pulled its first tourist load on October 18, 1997, and graduated to the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s oldest working locomotive in January 1998. It is wonderful to be part of history, to re-live the lost world. And that is precisely what you do on the Fairy Queen Tour.