What it takes.

What is it that is really needed to get a steam locomotive out from the leaky locomotive sheds where one has been rotting for decades and bring them back to life? Forget all that you would have previously heard. There is more than just the usual love, dedication, longing, etc. That gets you started but when one is drowned by a heap of paperwork and red tapism coupled with draconian laws errected in the last to last century things are not as rosy as one would want them to be. There is more than what we may imagine that is required to get the old and grand to see the light of day. In short the local government is what should come first because it is they who create the greatest of hurdles. I am begining to wonder as to just how many private railways could be run in a country like India with so many unused steam locomotives and so many rail routes all of which have a long long history and tradition attached to them. and by this I am not just refering to Rajasthan or Gujrat. God! for the average western tourist to this country India is simply Delhi-Taj Mahal-Jaipur-Delhi! No there are others as well. In all directions.

Would it not be great if the government allows private operators to run heritage trains of their own. Okay this way they will keep out of the Indian Railway's main area of interest, ie. ferrying passengers and freight and the state could earn an extra revenure from them. Look at it this way. If we can have private airliners and hotels then why not private heritage railways? Imagine what it could do for all of us who can no longer ride on one. The steam locomotive is soon appearing as the plaything of the rich. A two day ride on the Fairy Queen costs INR 7000! This is insane.

Let us have private ownership here and let it bring in not only good money and opportunity but that will give us more options to choose from. The good steam loco can then chug again.