:: suomi > english :: main :: Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography :: Buddha's life and Buddhism :: Thakuri Fund :: current activities :: publications :: for your health :: states of India :: exotic train travel > Fairy Queen :: Royal Orient :: Palace On Wheels :: mountain trains :: record-breaking India :: contact information and feedback :: links		:: Fairy Queen duration of trip: 2 days route: Delhi, Alwar, Delhi price: 400 USD/2 days more information: > Luxury trains in India This old-timer spends its time mainly in the National Railway Museum, but in winter (November-February) it has time for transporting tourists. When the Fairy Queen returned to traffic in 1997 after decades of leisure, it became the world's oldest steam locomotive still in active duty. Once a month the smallish Fairy Queen does a two-days trip, respectable for its age, with New Delhi as the station of departure and arrival. Alwar in Rajasthan is the destination of the visit. The journey takes five hours. From Alwar variable car trips are done to Lake Palace Siliserh and other places. A jungle safari is also included in the program. Alwar has a history reaching back for centuries. During the 13th century the city was subject to the Muslim regime of Sultan Bulban. In 1771 Maharajah Pratap Singh restored Hindu control of Alwar. In the beginning of the 19th century the British began to infiltrate Alwar. Their power grew and remained in the city until the independence of India in 1947.