Pairi Daiza: Historic “Reine Elisabeth” Locomotive Arrives at Zoo

(eap) A steam locomotive built in the Belgian province of Hainaut in 1900 is set to operate once again in its home region after a 126-year history spent largely elsewhere in Europe. In future, it will run on the steam railway at Pairi Daiza under its new name “Reine Elisabeth” – a tribute to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876–1965).

Built in the same region where Pairi Daiza, today a zoo and wildlife park known far beyond Belgium’s borders, is located, the locomotive subsequently spent almost 70 years working in the Spanish mining industry. When operations on the respective railway line ceased in 1969, it was purchased by British collector and railway enthusiast Peter Rampton. Following his death in 2019, the locomotive became part of the collection entrusted to the Vale of Rheidol Railway, a heritage railway in Wales.

© Foto: PAIRI DAIZA Pairi Daiza subsequently entered into discussions with the organisation to facilitate the historic locomotive’s return to its country of origin. The negotiations resulted in an agreement allowing it to be transferred to Pairi Daiza with the aim of restoring it to working order. Upon its arrival at Pairi Daiza, it was initially given the name “La Couillet” – a reference to the district of Couillet in Charleroi, Hainaut. At the same time, Pairi Daiza announced that the locomotive would undergo a complete restoration at the Museum of Old Machines and Technologies in the Czech Republic, in close collaboration with the Pairi Daiza Steam Railway team. After almost four years of work, the restoration has now been completed and the locomotive, renamed “Reine Elisabeth”, is ready to return to service on the Pairi Daiza railway.

On 12 and 13 September, the locomotive will be presented to visitors under steam for the first time following its restoration. Soon afterwards, it is expected to join the other historic locomotives operating on the Pairi Daiza Steam Railway, bearing witness to the important role narrow-gauge railways once played in mining, forestry, industry and agriculture.

© Foto: PAIRI DAIZA Jason Van Landschoot, responsible for Pairi Daiza’s railway collection, explains: “A train journey at Pairi Daiza is much more than just another way to discover the animals and their habitats. When the locomotive sets off, with the sound of steam and machinery, you are also immersed in the past. This railway heritage is part of our history. Preserving it is important; bringing it to life and giving visitors the chance to experience it is even better.”

Seated in open carriages, passengers can board the steam trains at Cambron-Abbey station for a journey to and through Pairi Daiza. The trip begins in the world of dinosaurs at “Préhi Daiza” before continuing through “The Land of the Cold”, past the Asian elephant plain and through the themed areas “The Austral Cape” and “The Land of Origins”. The train then leaves the zoo area along the lakeside and the lighthouse of Cambron-by-the-Sea before returning to its departure station. ■