Bringing alive the magic of steam-hauled trains, the Indian Railways put into service its renovated heritage steam loco Azad WP 7200 for hauling the iconic tourist train, the Palace on Wheels, on a trip from Delhi Safdarjung station to Patel Nagar station on the Ring Railway circuit Wednesday. Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani flagged off the steam-hauled luxury tourist train in the presence of senior officials of the board and the Northern Railways.
WP 7200, also called Azad, was built in 1947 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, USA.
The pride of the steam loco fleet, the bullet-nosed WP locomotives were the mainstay of broad gauge passenger train operations of the Indian Railways for a long time till 1995 when they were finally retired.
Thereafter the heritage steam locos were revived by a committed Railway team. They now undergo regular maintenance and overhauling at the Railway’s Steam Centre, Rewari.
The running of the heritage steam trips on popular tourist sections is undertaken by Railways from time to time.