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A 94-year-old steam locomotive, 'Little Red Horse' manufactured in England, has been restored and occupies a prominent place in the revamped heritage lawn of the Western Railway at the Mumbai Central Terminus, officials said here on Saturday.
Once considered the pride of the erstwhile BB&CI Railway, the front-runner to the modern WR, the locomotive was manufactured by Kerr Stuart & Co. in 1929, and operated on the Dabhoi-Miyagam narrow-gauge line in Gujarat, considered the oldest narrow-gauge line of Asia. Today, the 'Little Red Horse', standing proudly atop a special pedestal in the WR Heritage Lawn was inaugurated by Kshama Mishra, President of Western Railway Women's Welfare Organisation, in the presence of WR General Manager A.K. Mishra, DRM Neeraj Verma and other top officials. According to WR Chief Spokesperson Sumit Thakur, the 'Little Red Horse' was the symbol of growth and modernity during the 19th and 20th centuries till she was 'retired' at the age of 61 in 1991 and found a resting place at the Mumbai Central Terminus, which was celebrating its Platinum Jubilee that year. Recently, the WR's Mechanical Department embarked on a major restoration work of the 'Little Red Horse' - procured in those days for Rs 34,423, or less than half the price of an ordinary two-wheeler today. The teams of engineers went to work on all its worn out or rusted parts which were thoroughly repaired, and the loco was carefully painted to revert to its old glorious self. 'Little Red Horse' has been enhanced further with arrangements to create artificial steam using fogging machines, play recorded sounds of its shrill whistles and chug-chug running 'music', and fixed power supply has been provided for its head-lights, tail-lights and dome-lights to enhance its attraction all 24 hours. The beautification also covered the garden with the Ashok Pillar Emblem adorning the site with replacement of glass enclosures and beautiful landscaping, protective fencing and other attractions for the viewers. Incidentally, the new avatar of 'Little Red Horse' was possible after it was removed from its original location four years ago to facilitate the construction of the Mumbai Metro 3 station nearby, which has now been completed. --IANS qn/pgh ( 373 Words) 2023-04-15-19:00:03 (IANS)
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