In yet another initiative to preserve the heritage and as a reminiscence of the past, Western Railway has redeveloped the heritage lawn at Mumbai Central along with the heritage steam locomotive ‘Little Red Horse’. This garden was inaugurated by Kshama Misra, President of Western Railway Women’s Welfare Organization (WRWWO). Ashok Kumar Misra – General Manager of Western Railway, Niraj Verma - Divisional Railway Manager of Mumbai Central Division, Principal Head of Departments, and other senior Headquarters officers & Divisional officials were also present on this occasion.
According to a press release issued by Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, the garden has been redeveloped by the Engineering Department of WR after completion of the ongoing Metro Rail work. Beautiful landscaping and fencing work has been done thereby uplifting the beauty of the garden, including a pedestal for the steam locomotive.
Thakur further stated that the steam locomotive “Little Red Horse” was a pride of BB & CI Railway. This Steam locomotive is a symbol of development and modernity through the 19th & 20th century. This locomotive was manufactured in 1929 by M/s. Kerr Stuart & Co. at England. It was operated between Dabhoi - Miygam Line which is considered as oldest Narrow Gauge (NG) Line in Asia and was maintained at Pratapnagar Workshop. It was decommissioned after 61 years of service and laid to rest at Mumbai Central Station in the year 1991 on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee year of the station. The recent work of restoration of the steam locomotive was undertaken by Mechanical Department of Western Railway. The corroded parts were thoroughly repaired and was beautifully painted to restore its yesteryear glory. To add to its beauty, an artificial steam using fogging machine and a recorded sound of whistle & chugging has been introduced. All head lights, tail lights and dom lights are provided using fixed power supply, as a part of restoration. In addition to this lawn, the garden at the entrance of Mumbai Central station with Ashoka Emblem has been beautified with glass enclosure replacement and landscaping.
