Viceroy Special
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Sri Lanka |
| Transit type | inter-city rail charter |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1986[1] |
| Operator(s) | Sri Lanka Railways (owner) & J.F. Tours & Travels (Ceylon) Ltd (operator).[2] |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) (Indian gauge) |
The Viceroy Special is a special passenger train service operated by J.F. Tours & Travels (Ceylon) Ltd.[2] Powered by the sole steam locomotive kept in operation in Sri Lanka, it is operated as a private train on all railway lines in the island. The 75-year-old luxury train has two air-conditioned observation saloons and a restaurant car.
History
The launch of the Viceroy Special was spearheaded by Hemasiri Fernando and Cliff Jones.[3]
During the Second World War, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India and Supreme Commander of All Forces in the South East Asian Command (SEAC) used a special train called the SEAC Special to travel to and from his headquarters in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This train was the inspiration for the Viceroy Special.[3]
The Viceroy Special has been running for over 25 years.[4]
Features
The Viceroy Special acts as a heritage service. Passenger carriages on the train are fitted with nineteenth-century period fittings and include a restaurant car, an observation car and a bar. It is also given some modern features like air-conditioning.[2]
It is run by the only steam locomotive still in operation in Sri Lanka.
Charters
| Route | |
|---|---|
| Hill Country Odyssey | Colombo to Nanu Oya |
| Route | |
|---|---|
| Sense of Heritage | Colombo to Kandy, with an excursion to Pinnewela |
| Route | |
|---|---|
| Glimpse of the Ocean | Coast line to Galle |
Rolling stock
Currently three steam locomotives run the Viceroy Special service.[5]
- Class B1a No. 251 "Sir Thomas Maitland"
- Class B1d No. 340 "Frederick North"
- Class B2b No. 213
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Viceroy Vintage Train Tours
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.infolanka.com/org/mrail/locos1.html
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