Bhubaneswar: Anil Dhir, Conservationist and Historian, has expressed concern for rotting the Heritage PL-692 steam engine stored in front of the BNR hotel in Puri.
He urged the train to give a coat to the old century machine to check the rust further.
He said the saline air from that place had damaged the engine and rust was completely destroyed.
“The engine roof has withered.
There is rust scales in boilers, wheels, and chimneys.
I asked the Indian train to preserve it at the coming train museum in Bhubaneswar,” he added.
Dhir said the old machine was shown in one of the postage stamps issued during the 1987 centenary celebration of the South East Railway.
This century train locomotive was imported by Maharaja Paradanghemundi at a cost of Rs 12,000.
It is run by Parlaki Light Railway (PLR).
The paralleakhemundi engine known as the PL class was built by Kerr, Stuart and British company in 1904.
The weight of the ‘PL-692’ engine was 20 tons.
It runs at a size of 2 feet 6 inches PLR in the naupada-gunupur section (90.6km).
The train has brought the train to Naupada in 1884.
Then Maharaja Parlakiimedi (now Paralahemundi) has decided to connect the capital of Paradahhemundi with Naupada with a lightweight train and approach the government for sanctions.
After getting permission for the light train in 1898, the 39km line was opened on April 1, 1900 by spending RS 7 Lakh.
After the Indian Railway Law, 1890, it began to apply to this line, Bengal Nagpur Railway (BNR) has taken over PLR from January 1, 1902.
Initially this line losses.
After 1910, it began making marginal profits and increased profits after 1924-25.
Later the line was expanded to gunupur in 1931.
The narrow gauge of 2 feet 6 inches was then converted into a large gauge to paralleakhemundi in 2010 and until gunupur in 2011.
Diesel took over Steam on April 23, 1992 and these machines become history.
, Only five of them have been preserved.
Besides that PL 692 in Puri, PL 691 has been directed outside the South Railway headquarters in Chennai.
PL 693 was installed outside the Vizianagaram station at Andhra Pradesh, while PL 694 and 697 were in Visakhapatnam, one on the beach Ramakrishna and the others outside the station.
“Everything is well maintained, except those in Puri,” Dhir said.
Chairman of the East Coast spokesman (Ecor) KK Khadanga told Ti that this PL 692 engine would shift to the train museum to come in Mancheswar in Bhubaneswar.
When giving a coat to the machine, he said the train would see this problem.