The National Rail Museum is a museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 in Chanakyapuri

Chanakyapuri

Chanakyapuri ,is an affluent neighborhood and Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi, established in 1950s, and located about 14 km. from Delhi Airport. Chanakyapuri, literally meaning "City of Chanakya", is named for Chanakya, a third century BC Maurya advisor and prime minister.Chanakyapuri plays...

, New Delhi

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

 which focuses on the rail heritage of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 it opened on the 1 February, 1977. It is located in over 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of landhttp://www.travelgodelhi.com/delhi-museum/national-rail-museum.htm with both indoor and outdoor exhibits. A toy train offers rides around its site on regular days. The museum houses the world's oldest operational steam locomotive the 1855 built Fairy Queen

Fairy Queen (locomotive)

The Fairy Queen, built in 1855, is the world's oldest steam locomotive in regular operation today, plying between New Delhi to Alwar in India. The locomotive was certified by the Guinness Book of Records to be the oldest operational locomotive after the Rajasthan government invoked it in 2004 to...

 certified by the Guinness Book of Records.

Main Exhibits

• Fairy Queen: Fairy Queen is the oldest running steam locomotive in the world. It was built in 1855.

• Patiala State Monorail Trainways
  Patiala State Monorail Trainways
  Patiala State Monorail Trainways was a unique rail guided, partially road-borne railways system running in Patiala in the State of Punjab from 1907 to 1927.Unusual railways by Mr. J. R. Day and Mr. B. G...
  
  : This unique steam monorail was built in 1907. This unusual train is based on the "Ewing System
  Ewing System
  The Ewing System was a system for balancing monorails developed by British inventor W. J. Ewing in the last part of the 19th century. The Ewing System places wheels of the train on that a single steel rail. The system had been proposed in 1868 by William Thorold, a civil engineer from Norwich,...
  
  ", and connected Bassi with Sirhind (6 miles). This was designed by Col. Bowles. The unique train system consists of a track of single rail. This mono track, the load-carrying wheel are run while one big iron wheel at other side to balance it and to keep the train upright. This train as built by Orenstein & Koppel of Berlin. This train ran till October 1927. In 1927 the line was closed with advent of better and faster modes of transportation such as cars and buses. Somehow, an engine and Chief Engineer's inspection car escaped being sold as scrap and remained in railway's scrap yard. In 1962, the remains of Patiala State Monorail Trainways
  Patiala State Monorail Trainways
  Patiala State Monorail Trainways was a unique rail guided, partially road-borne railways system running in Patiala in the State of Punjab from 1907 to 1927.Unusual railways by Mr. J. R. Day and Mr. B. G...
  
   was discovered by a railroad historian Mr. Mike Satow. Thereafter, one engine was restored to full working order by the Northern Railway Workshops at Amritsar. They also reconstructed the Chief Engineer's private inspection car on an old underframe. The two are now in running condition after being restored and are on display at National Rail Museum, New Delhi.

• Fire Engine: Morris Fire Engine was built by the famous fire engineers M/s. John Morris and Sons Ltd of Salford, Manchester in 1914. Only two Morris-Belsize fire-engine are known to exist in world today. Apart from the one with National Rail Museum, New Delhi, a 1912 model is preserved by the Enfield and District Veteran Vehicle. The fire engine preserved at the Enfield and District Veteran Vehicle, Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, Clay Hill, London
  Clay Hill, London
  Clay Hill is a small area of Enfield, London, England. It is located to the north of Enfield Town. Mainly a residential area which almost borders Crews Hill to the north and forms part of London's Green Belt...
  
  , has been converted to use pneumatic tyres by Dennis Bros. Thus, the fire engine at National Rail Museum is the only one left in the world running on solid rubber tyres.

• Saloon of Prince of Wales: this saloon was built for Prince of Wales
  Prince of Wales
  Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
  
   (later King Edward VII) for his visit to India.

• Saloon of Maharaja of Indore: This is saloon of Holkar
  Holkar
  The Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
  
   Maharaja of Indore
  Indore
  Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
  
  .

• Saloon of Maharaja of Mysore: This is personal saloon of Maharaja of Mysore. The saloon is designed using teak, gold, ivory, etc.

• Electric Locomotive Sir Leslie Wilson: This WCG-1 locomotive belonged to the Great Indian Peninsular Railway (presently Central Railway). It is one of India's first generation electric locomotives. Railway employees fondly remember this locomotives as "khekdas" (crabs) since they make a curious moaning sound when at rest and while on the run an unusual swishing sound from the link motion can be heard. Its unusual features included an articulated body, which made them ideal for use in heavily curved ghat sections. They were in operation as shunting locomotives until 1994 at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
  Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
  The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus , is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Situated in the Bori Bunder area of Mumbai, it was built as a new railway station on the location of the Bori Bunder Station in 1887...
  
  .

• Electric Locomotive Sir Roger Lumley: This WCP-1 engine has wheel arrangements which are not seen these days. The locos were supplied from the Vulcan Foundry, UK in 1930. It was an electric locomotive which operated under 1500 Volts Direct Traction. It is famous for hauling the Mumbai--Pune Deccan Queen Express in the early years when it was launched. A prototype of this locomotive has been placed at the Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai for public viewing.

• CRANE TANK

• Kalka Shimla Rail Bus

• Matheran Rail Car No 8899

• Fireless Steam Locomotive

• Steam Locomotive A -885 HASANG

• Steam Locomotive X -373885 - This engine was used for trains to Ooty.

• MG Diesel SR 203 ( Fowler Diesel )

• Electric Locomotive YCG -E1/21900

• Betty Tramways ( Fowler Diesel ) - This used to run in Rajkot owned by Rajkot-Beti Tramways.

External links

• Article on National Rail Museum, Delhi by Rangan Datta