Hong Kong Railway Museum (Chinese: 香港鐵路博物館, Cantonese: heung1 gong2 tit3 lou6 bok3 mat6 gun2) is a railway museum in Tai Po, Hong Kong.[1] It is now under the management of the Leisure and Cultural Service Department. Opened in 1985, it is located at the site where the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station was built in 1913. Admission to the museum is free.
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The Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) opened in 1910 in Tai Po Market was one of the stops in the New Territories. The station building was erected in 1913. Since then, it acted as a centre of administration and trade which indirectly boosted Tai Wo Market's economy by bringing traders there.
The KCR was electrified in 1983 and the station was taken out of service, with new stations being opened to the north (Tai Wo) and south (Tai Po Market) of it. One year later, the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station was declared a monument. The site, together with the buildings and relevant exhibits, were then given to the government by the KCRC for the construction of the Museum.
The building of the station is unique in the way of architectural style among original Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section). It is of indigenous Chinese architectural style, with many small figures decorating the exterior, such as are commonly found in existing old southern Chinese temples.
On the left of the museum, there is an exhibition room of train tickets and train models of not only KCR trains but also Japanese Shinkansen and Eurostar. The further internal part of the room is a refurnished ticket office and signalling house.
Two locomotives are on exhibition at the museum:
There are six coaches on the tracks for public viewing and appreciation of the contrast between the old and the new.
Besides, there are a pump trolley and a diesel-engined railcar.
A 1:1 scale model of a non-refurbished East Rail Line Metro Cammell EMU was once on display at the Museum, but was removed to make space for locomotive #51.[2]