The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has renovated and put on display a 112-year-old steam locomotive of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) at the NFR headquarters in Maligaon, Assam.

The revamped locomotive — No 808-C Class NG Loco Type (4-6-2) Pacific — was unveiled on Tuesday by Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, the general manager of NFR, in the presence of senior railway officials and staff.

Back in 1914, the heritage locomotive was built and manufactured by the North British Locomotive Company Limited based in Glasgow, UK.

“It is a rare symbol of India’s railway legacy. The locomotive had already been installed and displayed at Maligaon, but now it has been given a new lease of life through extensive repair, painting and renovation at the railway workshop in New Bongaigaon,” said a railway official, adding the display site had also been done up.

“It has been enhanced with decorative lighting along with real sound and smoke effects, thus making it an attractive heritage display for visitors,” the official added.

Sources said that in 1914, the locomotive was introduced under the DHR, along with its twin engine No. 807.

“It played an important role in hauling freight trains of up to 800 tonnes on the Kishanganj extension section of the DHR. After the Siliguri-Kishanganj line was converted to metre gauge in 1948, the locomotive served as a shunting loco in Siliguri before being decommissioned in the 1960s,” the source added.

In due course, the steam engine was preserved as a reminder of the steam era and the engineering excellence of the railways of the early 20th century.

“The railways conserve and promote historical assets. This is one such initiative to create awareness about the legacy of steam locomotives in India,” said an official.