Chennai Rail Museum facts for kids

The Chennai Rail Museum is a fun railway museum in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It opened its doors on April 16, 2002. You can find it near Perambur, inside the Integral Coach Factory (ICF).

This museum covers about 6.25 acres (2.5 hectares). It has many cool things to see, like old train parts and historical items. You'll find a big collection of steam engines from the time of British rule in India. There are also old train coaches, like the special ones used for Ooty trains. Many of the really old trains were made by the North British Locomotive Company. Some trains in the museum are over 100 years old!

You can even take a toy-train ride around the museum. Inside, there are three air-conditioned galleries: the ICF Gallery, the Rail History Gallery, and the Art Gallery. There are also two other galleries and a movie theater that shows films about railways. The museum also has metal sculptures made from scrap, a 3D mural, and cartoon characters you can spot from the toy train. You can even eat at the Rail Coach Restaurant! The ICF manages and takes care of the museum.

Where is the Chennai Rail Museum?

The museum is located in the Perambur area of Chennai. This area is famous for the Integral Coach Factory, which builds train coaches. You can get to the museum easily by bus. Buses from the 71 series connect the museum to important places like Broadway, Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Kilpauk, Ambattur, and Avadi.

How did the Museum Start?

The museum first opened in March 2002. It was originally called the Regional Rail Museum (RRM). The Railway Board was very interested in this museum. They wanted it to be a good example for other railway museums they planned to build in Kolkata and Pune.

The idea for the Chennai museum came up in 1993-94. The Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, officially opened it on March 31, 2002. It welcomed visitors starting April 16. On August 22, 2016, the museum changed its name to the Chennai Rail Museum. This was to celebrate the 377th Madras Day. Later, on October 2, 2016, a new Art Gallery was opened.

What Can You See at the Museum?

An 1895 Fowler ploughing engine at the museum.

The museum covers about 6.5 acres (2.6 hectares). It has two main galleries and many old train exhibits outside. There's also a fun toy train that takes you around the museum grounds. Plus, there's a playground for kids!

The indoor galleries have old photos. These photos show the early days of the ICF and Indian Railways. You can also see small working models of trains. There are even rare items from the colonial period. One cool exhibit shows a video about the Neal's ball token system. This was an old way to signal between trains. You can also see a special coach that Mahatma Gandhi once traveled in.

Outdoor Train Exhibits

Outside, the museum has 41 different train models. You can see an 1895 model of a Fowler steam ploughing engine. This engine was used for farming. There are also double-deck coaches from the 1860s. Other models include an Inspection car (RA 30) and a Crane Hercules, which was used for emergency help. You can even see fancy luxury coaches. Most of the coaches outside are open for visitors to explore!

The outdoor area also has posters of fast trains from around the world. You can learn about the history of Indian Railways. There are models of coaches made for countries like Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Zambia. You'll also find a coach from the Mumbai suburban train network. Old railway maps, century-old clocks, and a big diesel-locomotive engine block are also on display.

Some of the life-size outdoor exhibits include:

• A Nilgiri Mountain Railway coach
• A GM inspection car
• A hospital van
• A hand-operated crane
• Different types of engines (steam, diesel, and plough)

Galleries and Art

The museum also has photos of important people visiting the ICF. These include world leaders, kings and queens, and other special guests. There are model trains that run on three levels. Over 150 photos show the history of the ICF and Indian Railways.

The ICF Diamond Jubilee Gallery has old photos by Ian Manning that were fixed digitally. One photo shows a steam-engine turntable. You can also see a first-class train seat. There's a small model of third-class coaches that ICF made for Uganda. This gallery also has photos of famous people like Queen Elizabeth II, K. Kamaraj, and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The art gallery has more than a dozen paintings. These paintings show scenes you might see at railway stations. For example, M. S. Murthy's painting Gandhi is a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. In Shahid Pasha's painting Kanhaiya's Journey, a young Krishna helps his mother Yashoda find her way home at the Bangalore railway station. This painting shows that gods can be everywhere to guide us.

Right at the museum entrance, there's an old steam engine that used to run in the Nilgiri Mountains. The area around it is decorated with plants and herbs. A walking path lets you get a close look at this antique train.

Visitors to the Museum

A blue-and-white diesel engine on display at the museum.

The museum was created to show off the amazing history of Indian Railways. It opened in March 2002. Since then, many new things have been added, including the train ride for children.

About 5,500 people visit the museum every month. Most of them are students and people who live nearby. However, the railway wants more people to know about this great museum. In August 2017, the museum had 14,792 visitors, which was a big jump from the 10,809 visitors in August 2016.

Train Restaurant

On August 31, 2018, a special restaurant opened at the museum. It's called the Chennai Express restaurant, and it's inside a real train coach! This air-conditioned coach was given by the ICF. It's only the second restaurant like this in India. The first one opened in Bhopal in 2015. The Chennai Express restaurant serves Chinese, continental, North-Indian, and South-Indian food.

The path leading to the restaurant looks just like a railway platform. The restaurant can seat 64 people, both inside the coach and on the "platform." The inside of the coach looks like the fancy Maharajas' Express and the Deccan Odyssey trains. The kitchen is even made from a reused shipping container! Artists painted the outside of the coach.

Museum Theater

The museum also has a small, air-conditioned theater. It opened on August 15, 2018. The theater can seat 90 people. It shows films about the Integral Coach Factory, Indian Railways, and railway history from around the world. It's a great way for visitors to learn more about trains!

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