My Visit to the Rail Transport Museum in Delhi, the Capital City of India

Railway is one of the oldest and vital services available in India. Indian Railways has the biggest network of the trains in the world. The railway was started in the year 1853 in India during the British rule. It has grown to a mega large network today. Around 4 millions of people travel everyday in the train in India. Hence, railway is the main and most important link of transportation in India. If you are interested in the history of Indian Railways, you must visit the Rail Transport museum, situated in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi, the capital city of India. This museum has a unique collection of all the most historical specimens pertaining to Indian railway. Most of the tourists visiting Delhi do visit this museum.

This rail museum is very big and you will need to walk long distances to see all the specimens. This museum has a very special collection of railway engines, starting from the oldest steam engine, which was started in 1853 and is still in service to the most recent electric engines. There are total 26 engines stored here for view. The write up and the importance of each type of engine are given in the museum so that you can get the complete background information. There are around 20 railway bogies kept here. The British Viceroy's luxurious saloon and the dining car built in the year 1889 is the most important attraction here. The British Viceroy was traveling in this saloon in India. The saloon of Prince of Wales, built in the year 1877 is also kept here. Some of the railway saloons resembling to the most luxurious reception area of the hotels are also stored here at this museum.

The most favorable aspect of this museum is that all the visitors are allowed to get in the engines to see and study all the minute details of each model. Various stages in manufacturing of steam engines, diesel engines, and the electrical engines are shown here with proper explanation of each stage. The design of the ever first railway compartments in India is also displayed here. Around 12 passengers could be accommodated in such compartments at that time. Starting from such most basic design, the most latest and the prestigious railway carriages of Rajdhani express are stored here. The scenarios and the circumstances of all the major railway accidents since the Independence of India are explained here at this museum in detail. There is also a children's toy train here at this museum that gives the ride to the children all through the day. The museum also narrates the entire history of Indian trains and the stage wise developments that have taken place.

It takes around 5 to 6 hours to view this interesting museum completely. It opens at 10 am in the morning everyday and closes at 5 pm in the evening. It remains closed on all Tuesdays. You need to buy the entry ticket of around Rs.30 (seventy five cents) per head. The children under 5 years of age are free and the children from 5 to 12 years are charged half. There are also couples of restaurants here that serve standard North Indian food delicacies. You can have your lunch here if you want. Most of the sites seeing buses in Delhi cover this museum in their route. However, make sure with your travel bus management in advance that this museum is covered by them. You can also independently visit this museum by traveling in taxi or auto rickshaw from your destination in Delhi. This museum is located in the central part of New Delhi in Chanakyapuri area. Try to avoid visiting this museum on Saturdays and Sundays as there can be heavy rush of visitors on these days. Make sure to carry your children with you as they will really enjoy this museum tremendously. It would add to their general knowledge also. Please also make sure to allot sufficient time of around 5 to 6 hours to see this museum so as to enjoy all its attractions.

I am sure this article shall encourage all my AC friends to visit this unique railway museum at least once during their next visit to India.