n a first, 24 British rail enthusiasts on Saturday enjoyed the public steaming up a heritage steam engine in Palampur at Kangra district.
The steam engine had been restored at Amritsar locomotive workshop.
Travel Pal’s India proprietor Amit Chopra from Delhi said, “We had on demand of British rail enthusiasts on Saturday, steamed up ZB66 heritage engine in Palampur at Kangra district after more than about two decades.”
The steam engine was last seen in operation in early 1990’s and there are plans to regularise this with Indian Railways in due course for the group operations of Travel Pal’s.
“This is part of programme of our travel company in India since 1994, prompting and operating heritage train tours in India over 23 yaers for railway enthusiasts covering hill railways of Shimla-Kalka, Kangra Valley, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Neral-Matheran and other relevant narrow gauge trains in central India,” he said.
He disclosed that if the demand picks up for private charter the steam engine will run on the Baijnath – Paprola railway track from this October in Kangra Valley.