Regional Railway Museum, Chennai
| Established | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Location | Perambur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600 038, India |
| Type | Rail museum |
| Visitors | 5,500 per month |
| Curator | Varghese Joshua |
| Public transit access | Perambur Loco Works railway station, Villivakkam railway station |
| Website | Regional Railway Museum |
The Regional Railway Museum is a railway museum in Chennai, India. The museum was founded in 2002 on the premises of the Integral Coach Factory at Perambur,[1] near South Colony near Villivakkam. It is situated near ICF bus terminus and has a host of both technical and heritage exhibits. It has a sizable collection of steam engines belonging to various decades of the British Raj. The museum also exhibits various vintage coaches such as Ooty trains endemic to the Indian railways. Most of the older models were manufactured by the North British Locomotive Company[2] and some of the collection dates back more than one hundred years as it covers the railway history of South India.[3] The museum is maintained by the Integral Coach Factory.
Development
The museum was started to showcase the heritage of the Indian Railways. Work began for it in 2001 and the museum was inaugurated in March 2002 by then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar. Several additions have been made since then. The museum recently constructed a joy ride for children to teach them about the history of trains. Close to 5,500 people visit the museum every month,[4] comprising mostly students and locals,[5] but the railway struggles from a lack of awareness and publicity despite people's connection and the role of the railway in India's growth.[3][6] While celebrating the museum's 10th anniversary in 2012, the museum announced plans for future growth.[7]
The museum
The museum covers an area of 6.5 acres and has two galleries, a host of outdoor heritage exhibits dating from the 1800s, a toy train that takes visitors around the premises, and a playground.[5]
The museum's collection includes both indoor and outdoor exhibits. The indoor galleries include various photographs detailing the early years of Integral Coach Factory and the Indian Railways. The museum also houses a working scale model of trains and rare artifacts from the colonial days. This will be where new exhibits, planned for the museum's second decade, will be located.[7] There is also an opportunity to view a video about Neal's ball token system, which was used for signalling between trains and a coach in which Gandhi[8] travelled.
In the museum's outdoor spaces, there are more than 40 different models of trains. An 1895 model of the Fowler steam ploughing engine made by Sir John Fowler[9] for agricultural purposes and 1860s Double Decker coaches are some of the recognizable coaches displayed in the museum. The models also include Coaches of Inspection car RA 30 made by Metropolitan Carriage and Finance Co. Ltd., Crane Hercules (used for emergency relief) and luxury trains coaches. Almost all coaches in the museum are accessible to visitors.[10]
The exhibits are interspersed with posters of high-speed trains from around the world, the history of the Indian Railways and models of coaches made for other countries, namely, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Vietnam and Zambia. The exhibits also include a coach from the Mumbai suburban train network, old railways map of India, century-old clocks, and engine block of diesel locomotives.[5]
Future plans
In 2014, the museum planned to tie up with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) to include the museum in its Chennai itinerary and in package tour offers to increase the number of visitors. Other plans include opening a restaurant in an air-conditioned coach, making the exhibits more interactive and creating a park within the premises.[5]
References
- ↑ "location". wikimapia. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ↑ "Meter gauge Diesel locomotive, Western Railway.". Regional Railway Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- 1 2 Janardhanan, Arun (20 April 2012). "Here, past comes chugging to you". Times of India. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ "Housing the history of Indian Railways for a decade". The Hindu. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Hamid, Zubeda (22 March 2014). "Rail museum looks to make inroads into tourism". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ↑ Sreevatsan, Ajai (16 August 2010). "Rail museum far from public gaze". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- 1 2 "Housing the history of Indian Railways for a decade". The Hindu. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ↑ "A peep into the Rail Museum". The Hindu Business Line. 28 October 2002. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ↑ "Fowler Ploughing Engine". Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ↑ "Outdoor Exhibits: Narrow Gauge Engine (Darjeeling Himalayan Railways)". Regional Railway Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
External links
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Coordinates: 13°6′1″N 80°12′27″E / 13.10028°N 80.20750°E
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