On Wednesday 9 September, Pairi Daiza’s 126-year-old steam locomotive ‘La Couillet’ was renamed ‘Reine Elisabeth’ / Queen Elisabeth and is now ready to return to service under steam.

The fully restored former ‘Couillet’ has been given a new name: ‘Reine Elisabeth’. The name pays tribute to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876–1965), a remarkable figure in the country’s history who was closely associated with its artistic, scientific and cultural life.

There is also a fitting connection with the world of railways. In 1923, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium left Brussels aboard the Belgian royal train on her journey to Egypt, travelling by rail to Genoa before continuing to Alexandria. She would become one of the first prominent visitors to the recently discovered tomb of Tutankhamun.

Her name now travels on a locomotive that tells another distinctly Belgian story. Belgium inaugurated the first public railway on continental Europe and went on to become one of the world’s leading locomotive-building nations. ​

With the same attention to authenticity and the same respect with which Pairi Daiza preserves totems, temples and rice barns, Pairi Daiza cherishes a deep connection to Belgium, to the history of this country and to the heritage that previous generations have built. The industrial history of Hainaut and its mining past are also an integral part of this.

This locomotive is a tangible and exceptional testament to this, with a remarkable international history of its own. She was built in this region, travelled to Spain to serve in the mining industry for many years, and has endured more than a century of history and hard labour. Thanks to a British collector who recognised her historical value, she has been preserved.

Pairi Daiza chose to thoroughly restore this remarkable artefact of our industrial past, whilst respecting its original character and history. Today, she is returning to Hainaut, just a few kilometres from the place where she was once built. Here, she will once again have a home where her story can be cherished, preserved and passed on to future generations.

Built in Belgium

The locomotive, with construction number 1318, left the workshops of the Société Métallurgique de Couillet, near Charleroi, in 1900.

Around the turn of the 20th century, the Charleroi basin was one of the most important centres for the construction of locomotives and trainsets. Mining, the steel industry, metalworking and railway construction had developed expertise there that was recognised far beyond our borders. The Société Métallurgique de Couillet contributed to this reputation.

No. 1318 set off for Spain, as part of an order for three identical 9.5-tonne locomotives, with three driving axles, intended for the industrial railway of the mining company Hulleras de Sabero, in the province of León. She was numbered 3 and given the Spanish name Olleros, after a village through which the railway line runs.

For almost 70 years, this locomotive hauled trains along a 600-millimetre narrow-gauge line connecting the mines of Las Quemadas, Sotillos and Herrera with Olleros de Sabero and the processing plant at Vegamediana.

In 1969, operations on the railway line ceased. ​

2022: ‘La Couillet’ returns to Belgium

Pairi Daiza took steps with the Vale of Rheidol Railway to facilitate the locomotive’s return to its country of origin. The negotiations led to an agreement permitting its transfer to Pairi Daiza, with the aim of restoring the locomotive to working order.

In December 2022, 122 years after its departure, the Couillet 1318 returned to Belgium for the first time in 122 years.

On her arrival at Pairi Daiza, she was given a name that was as simple as it was obvious: ‘La Couillet’. ​ The Garden of Worlds then announced that this locomotive would be fully restored at the Museum of Old Machines and Technologies (Czech Republic), in close collaboration with the Pairi Daiza Steam Railway team.

After almost four years of work, this restoration has been completed. The locomotive is once again ready to run.

Pride in Belgium’s industrial history

The Pairi Daiza Steam Railway now has six historic locomotives, which bear witness to the history of steam trains and the role that narrow-gauge railways played in the mines, forests, industry and agriculture.

Among these locomotives, the ‘Reine Elisabeth’ holds a very special place. She was built in Wallonia in 1900 and returned to Belgium 122 years later; she is an integral part of our country’s industrial heritage.

Pairi Daiza is proud of this history and is keen to help pass it on. By preserving, restoring and, above all, getting these locomotives running again, the heritage, technology and expertise that have shaped our country are kept alive.

On 12 and 13 September, the ‘Reine Elisabeth’ will be presented to visitors under steam. She will soon join the historic locomotives running on the Pairi Daiza Steam Railway.