Viceroy Special
The Viceroy Special is a special passenger train service operated by J.F. Tours & Travels (Ceylon) Ltd. 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.
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.
The Viceroy Special has been running for over 25 years.
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.