Fairy Queen - World Oldest Running Steam Engine

[hyzercreek]

Oldest operable is the john bull in the smithsonian. Built 1831 gets fired up and running at the museum every 30 years or so, last time I think was 1990's

[denaltheclonetrooper]

What about furrniss railway no.20

[vpsn99]

It is interesting to see that oldest running engine in India rather than Britain where such engines were used to built. Planing to take a trip on this train with my family in coming year.

[appleintosh]

looks like something you'd find at disneyland

[jrkepler]

I thought the John Bull was the oldest. Though from 1855, the General is certainly older.

[GenghisKhan44]

@jrkepler But the Faery Queene's record is the oldest *regularly running* locomotive.

[Fireheart528]

@GenghisKhan44 The USA can make a claim similar to that too. #844, which was built in 1944, is STILL running, and has never been retired.

[GenghisKhan44]

@Fireheart528 Not quite. The Lion was built in the 1830s.

[Fireheart528]

@GenghisKhan44 True, #844 hasn't been around as long. Still one of the best locomotives to ever ride the muzza chunku of the USA's railroad network.

[GenghisKhan44]

@Fireheart528 I don't know what a muzza chunku is, but I believe you. Big American locomotives have a grandeur of their own. Ever seen videos of the Challenger? Quite a majestic engine, she is. :)

[Fireheart528]

@GenghisKhan44 #3985 is the best one out there thats currently running; 'twould be my dream job if i could get a job with that one's crew. The words 'muzza chunku' are Native American for 'iron road', but the word 'muzza' means practically any kind of metal. A lot of people also refer to it as the 'high iron', but i have no idea where that one came from.

[ananasproducties]

wait if this is a british build loco then why does it have a dutch flag on top?

[JBofBrisbane]

@ananasproducties - Indian flag, mate - Indian.

[ComputerKing240]

Is this India?

[dylanbobby1]

I still think that Talyllyn is still old a shit

[ludwigviper4468]

@dylanbobby1 145 years

[trainlover657]

thats a little beauty

[tcharmon74]

This piece of shit is NOT the worlds oldest steam locomotive..

[treewindle]

No, however it's the oldest still running. The oldest ORIGINAL one is from 1813.

[TheDodgyDoubleAct]

@treewindle when was theis built, Prince on the Ffestiniog is built in 1863 and still on it's original railway

[treewindle]

@TheDodgyDoubleAct according to wikipedia 1855

[TheDodgyDoubleAct]

@treewindle Even so but that fairy queen retired then was reconditioned whereas prince has had overhauls but never retired.

[treewindle]

@TheDodgyDoubleAct regularly running, Prince is the oldest, but Fairy Queen is just the oldest running, since Lion doesn't look set to move under steam in the near future

[TheSteamdriver]

that looks like a modified stirling single whee; arrangment 2.2.2 the first ones I belive had tenders and not tanks and bunkers but I suppose it had to modified to work on the indian railways a very good example of british engerneering to build and design trains and very good indian engerneering for maintaing stuff in such good working quailty well done to both india and us brits

[protikmaitra]

@TheSteamdriver Agree with you. Indian Railways has put to steam yet another marvel of British Engineering. It is a Beyer-Peacock Manchester built Garratt of the erstwhile Bengal Nagpur Railway. Check this out: watch?v=U22NW0_yjaI

[Bidone1967]

Nice locomotive!

[All2Meme]

Is this a 2-2-2 locomotive? It looks like a near cousin to the "John Bull", a very old British-built locomotive from 1831. It was built for a predecessor to the Pennsylvania Railroad called the Camden and Amboy Railroad. The John Bull is in the Smithsonian, but was last run in 1981 on its 150th birthday.

[awolfpack343]

1981 wow i didnt know that. Well like my dad says if ou take care of it, it could last foreever

[rocketlauncher2]

I laughed at the yelling baby you could almost hear in there

Once a locomotive, now a kid's joyride!

[magicalmachines]

I talk about the stirling engine on my website, feel free to take a look and tell me what you think

[rocketlauncher2]

No.

[WhyAyeMann]

She's always been a joyride for anyone whos took one. And this is more locomotive than most trains made nowadays!

[rocketlauncher2]

Yeah, funny the way things change these days.

Unless it was some sort of show and some bitch brought her kid along

[SteffanLlwyd]

Great.  Reminds me of a LNWR 2-2-2.

[GayBoyRunning]

thats not the Oldes there one in the Uk that was the 1ST steam enging ever

[jaybee66]

You are thinking of a replica not an original.

[Rickyrab]

It's only the oldest because we stowed away the "John Bull" on static display instead of keeping it running after the 1980s. Otherwise our "John Bull" of the Smithsonian would be the oldest.

[SimonLawrenceMoore]

Built by Robert Stephenson and Company, Newcastle, England, both are British in the end.

[Rickyrab]

(shrugs) but JB ran on our railroad.

[SimonLawrenceMoore]

I know, I'm just stating it is a British-built loco.

[Rickyrab]

true dat. The British started the practice of running locomotives on railroads (Richard Trevithick), although the French claim to be the first with a steam-powered road vehicle (Nicholas Cugnot, I think), back in the 18th century.

[SimonLawrenceMoore]

Indeed, wasn't very succesful from what I've read, didn't steam well, the weirdest thing was that it was meant to be a steam powered gun carriage.

[railenthusiast88]

Correct but roads were not up to much in the early to mid 1800s. The case of the French proved it was possible. The British made it possible.

[GenghisKhan44]

Course, Britain's "Lion" could overtake The Faery Queen, too, if its museum reps wouldn't be so scared of taking her out for a steam.

I wonder why they let her out for a steam in 1952, then? (Titfield Thunderbolt and all that, eh, chappies?)

[17473039]

@GenghisKhan44 If you watch Titfield Thunderbolt carefuly, just after the coach breaks away, as it is pushed back into place by the locals you can clearly see a massive jolt on the tender and it bounces in the air somewhat. This bent quite badly the chassis of the tender and I think I'm right in saying a buffer was damaged too... to be fair if I owned the engine I would be VERY wary of having her steam after that...

[73Datsun180B]

@GenghisKhan44 They don't steam it anymore because apparently there's a lot of stress cracks appearing throught the locomotive. What else would you expect from a loco thats been in regular use for 180 years!!

[RCdash9]

153 years later and the engine is still in fine condition.

[dwarflord812]

Yorkshire engineering at its finest

[ajflanders]

What sides troops did she move? Puts the age of this lovley engine in context.

[ogwen040]

Yorkshire engineering at its finest, thanks for looking after her for us!

 War of independence? We call it the Indian Mutiny.

[marshallsahib]

Yes, only some of the native regiments mutinied and murdered their British officers (and their wives, families, and many innocent civilians). Many Indian regiments remained loyal to the Brits at the time and fought on the side of the Brits. With later emergence of an Indian nation, it is convenient to refer to this as the first war of independence, but there was no unified India at the time. It was a bloody business all round and best forgotten except to honour those who died on both sides.

[bobbystar101]

And they are only just 1 or 2 years older than english steam engines still on the little tourist lines in wales.

[Soundwave3591]

not to correct you, but the oldest running engine is the John Bull, of the Camden and Amboy in the U.S. it was built in 1830.

[gguru1]

Though 25 years younger than John Bull, the Fairy Queen is still the oldest operable steam locomotive.

John Bull was last steamed in 1981 when the locomotive was 151 years old.

Fairy Queen is still regularly operated, and she is now 153 years old, two years older than John Bull was at it's last steaming.

We Yanks would have to steam John Bull again to win the record back, but until then Fairy Queen reigns as the oldest working engine.

[bobbystar101]

actually, you couldnt really win the record back since its england record anyway, as both were made here.

[gguru1]

That would be like saying you can't win a national land speed record with an imported car.

Sure the locos were English built, but they were both basically built to be exported and spent their entire lives in India and the US respectively.

[nicholasbreeden]

didn't they build a replica of the john bull. and the real one is in a museum. The William Mason of the B&O Railroad was also built in 1855.

[SR722]

yes, they did. It resides in the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in Strasburg, PA. The real John Bull is at the Smithsonian in D.C. You're right about the William Mason, and since it's still steamed, it should hold the same record as the Fairy Queen.

[SR722]

Beautiful locomotive- amazing that its still in service . I don't want to put a damper on things but I thought the John Bull was the oldest steam locomotive in operational condition.

[arkaan79]

what a beauty

[smokine2001]

what year was it made

[ghostshot1004]

omg a 2-2-2

[is1943]

an interesting video. thank you for showing it. does it make regular appearances

[SteffanLlwyd]

Amazing survivor!

[Chris9017]

She is a beautiful engine.