Pakistan Railways Heritage Museum is located at Golra junction railway station near Islamabad, some 1,994 feet above sea level, in the southeast of the Margalla Hills and east of the cradle of Gandhara civilization, the ancient city of Taxila.
In the museum hall, there are rare items on display including watches, pendulums, kerosene Tilley lamps, gate signal lamps, crockery, fans, arms and ammunition, surgical items used at railway hospitals, a 1904 hand pump, long armed chairs used in waiting rooms and Dak bungalows, a Railway time table of 1943 and historic photographs.
A majority of the items displayed at the museum belong to the North West Railways, as Pakistan Railways was called before Independence, dating back to year 1890. The attempt is to preserve and display vintage items and artifacts related to the history of railways at the Heritage Point.
Items on display outside the museum include a hand pump of 1901, and a ‘Heritage Special Train’, driven by an ancient steam engine accompanied by passenger coaches. The 110-year-old narrow gauge steam locomotive, steam cranes, 100-year-old hand crane, saloons, passenger and freight coaches. The saloon was said to belong to the Viceroy-e-Hind but no name was mentioned on it.
An interesting fact about the 110-year-old steam engine is that, it was in regular use, as early as 1990 and was still in running condition. The narrow gauge steam engine was run on the less frequent lines. A display model of the lane changing and up and down signal had also been installed. Different kinds of hand railway carts were also put on display and would offer a unique photo-moment to picnickers.
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