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The 160 year old institution, railways of India came across many evolutions over the course of time. During this period, it embraced many innovations and adapted many technologies in its astonishing journey. Moving and adapting with the times is one of the prime missions of Indian railways that have surely made this institution the largest recruiter in the world. India rail mesuem
But, the engines that are not the part of innovative modern fleet of trains are not discarded, but are displayed as the heritage artifacts of historical importance in the museums. Here at the rail museums, the exhibits of the coaches, engines and other rare artifacts bring a lot of awareness in the present generation about the trains’ past. Also, these museums offer the visitors more reasons to cherish the railways in India.
There are many rail museums in India that display the historical developments of railways in India. Below is the description of the most famous rail museums in India, each boasting a rich fleet of special heritage engines, coaches and toy trains.
rail mesuemThe first prominent museum here is the National Rail Museum in Delhi. Spread over 10 acres of the area, this museum has intriguing indoor and outdoor segments. Around 30 locomotives and 17 old carriages and other varieties of railway memorabilia are put to display here. Star exhibits here include an old 1855 steam engine, still in working, the 1886 gold painted saloon car of the Maharaja of Baroda and the salon that carried the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) on his travels to India. The prized possession of this museum is the model of India’s very first train that journeyed first from Mumbai to Thane in 1853. A steam hauled toy train monorail running on the grounds is another prime attraction of visiting this heritage museum.
delhi rail meseumThe second prominent museum herein belongs to Mysore, the seat of erstwhile royalty in Karnataka. Set up in 1979, this museum has a good collection of photographs and artifacts related to the development of the railways. A striking feature of the museum is the 1899’s wood panelled Mysore maharani’s saloon having kitchen, dining car unit and royal restroom. Also, there are five steam engines, each narrating its own story. The Chamundi Gallery here showcases a distinctive fascinating collection of paintings and photographs illustrating the growth of the railways. Other than that, many steam engines and signals exhibited here. Also, the museum has a battery-operated mini-train available to ride around the museum grounds, which is a prominent attraction here.
railThe third museum, at Howrah in Kolkata, West Bengal is an open-air railway museum displaying the two-storey model of the Howrah train station. Also, the museum displays the best known 19th-century steam locomotives and also offers the joyful toy-train ride.
The Ghum Railway Museum is located in the premises of one of the highest railway station in the world on the route of the Darjeeling Himalayan Express. Here, the rare rail artifacts are put to display on the world heritage site of DHR.