History Behind Eir 21.docx

History behind EIR 21 The name ‘EIR 21 Express’ was given to the loco by its creators, Kitson, Thompson & Hewitson of England, who built it in 1855. The loco was shipped to the Indian subcontinent, to span high and low lands. It carried people from different walks of life and heavy cargos for over 55 years. Back in the day, travelling in the EIR 21 Express was nothing short of an adventure to passengers who cheered as the whistle blew. The loco service was discontinued in 1909. It was then used for exhibitions at Jamalpur Workshops and Howrah Station for over a century. After 101 years of serving as an exhibit, the loco endured harsh sun and heavy rains, which corroded several parts. While some parts went missing, some broke and some were deemed unfit for usage. Shining a ray of hope, Loco Workshop, Perambur, took up the challenge of reviving the Express EIR 21 in 2010. It has now been eternalized like its twin sister loco, Fairy Queen EIR 22, which also won the Guinness Book of World Records Title, ‘The World’s Oldest Working Steam Loco.’ But the ‘Express Loco’ is still considered older than the ‘Fairy Queen,’ both of which had a history of hauling trains full of troops from Howrah to Raneegunge to put down the Sepoy mutiny of 1857. The refurbished EIR 21 is also famous for effortlessly adapting to modern-day gizmos such as GPS-based speedometer. The second heritage run was conducted the following year on the same day from Chennai Egmore to Guindy, with the loco covering 11km in a duration of 35 minutes. The third heritage run was conducted as part of the 63rd Republic Day celebration, on January 26, 2012, from Chennai Egmore to Guindy. The loco pulled one coach with 60 seats covering 11 km at a maximum speed of 45 kph. The fourth heritage run was in commemoration of the loco’s 157th anniversary on February 6, 2012, from Chennai Central to Perambur with one coach having 60 seats covering 5km.

The fifth heritage run was conducted on January 26, 2013, as part of the 64th Republic Day celebrations, from Chennai Egmore to Guindy with one coach having 60 seats covering 11km. Authorities including Vashishta Johri, general manager, Southern Railway, P K Mishra, additional general manager, Southern Railway, R Kuppan, chief mechanical engineer, Naveen Gulati, divisional railway manager, Chennai Division, Elavarasan, chief signal and telecommunication engineer, and other railway officials bore witness to the sixth heritage run. The country’s oldest working steam locomotive, one which was used to transport troops during the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857, is all set to chug into Kochi, to ferry heritage enthusiasts and tourists to Vallarpadam island. EIR-21, the steam locomotive, dates back to 1855 and in Kochi it will, in all likelihood, traverse the country’s second-longest railway overbridge. “A movement plan will be finalised within a week. The vintage loco is most likely to operate in the Edappally-Vallarpadam route, providing passengers a scenic view of the Vembanad backwaters. The view will especially be spectacular when the train passes through the 4.62-km bridge,” said Harikrishnan, Ernakulam station director and area manager of Southern Railway. The bridge and the entire 9-km rail route to Vallarpadam are grossly underutilised and only two container-laden trains use the corridor every month. The steam loco rake is currently operating in the Madurai Railway Division.

In 10 days The rake will arrive in Kochi in about 10 days. A proposal to enter into tieups with operators of cruise ships that call at Kochi to enable high-end globetrotters to travel on the train is yet to materialise. Railway sources said that a skilled loco pilot would accompany the locomotive and be based here till the rake left for another railway division in a few months.

The fare for the train is yet to be finalised. “An alternative route for the heritage train is between the Cochin Harbour terminus, a heritage railway station on Wellington Island, and Ernakulam Junction, through the newly built Venduruthy railway overbridge, which too overlooks the backwaters. Though it will not halt at any station in either route, passengers can relish every moment of the journey,” Mr. Harikrishnan said. Built by Kitson Thompson and Hewitson Leeds in London, the EIR 21 loco was shipped to India in 1855 for use by the erstwhile East Indian Railway. EIR 21, along with her sister train Fairy Queen (EIR 22), was used for troop movement in 1857.

Back from museum After over five decades in service, it was withdrawn from regular service and displayed at railway museums. It was later overhauled and retrofitted with modern gadgets at Perambur Loco Works in Chennai. Technical details Made by: M/s Kitson Thomson & Hewitson Leeds Year:1985