Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan V

A Train Journey Back in Time

Ferrying passengers, freight and mail from one place to another, the railways have served as one of the most important symbols of India. Started in 1853, Indian railways have served as a lifeline for more than 150 years in India. In 1947 at the time of independence there were over 3,000 steam engines under operation, the largest fleet in the world. Today, with the arrival of electric engines, only a handful of those are left. The rest, they say is history. And this history is carefully preserved in the National Rail Museum in Delhi, which has some of the oldest and the only engines in the world.

National Rail Museum in Delhi is the focus of India’s vast and significant Rail Heritage, spanning over more than 150 years. Formally inaugurated in February 1977, this is one of its kind museums in Asia having an interesting collection of history, heritage, romance and nostalgia. It has a collection of some of the most unique types of locomotives, royal coaches, wagons etc.

The ‘Gadar’ Engine-WP series
This is the steam engine that all cinema goers are familiar with. Used in films like ‘Gadar’, ‘Rang De Basanti’, etc. it is a favorite of filmmakers in India. Once during one of my visits at the museum, D.S. Hanspal, head of the archives department of the museum told us, “Any film maker who is making a period film hires this steam engine for shooting. It is in perfect running condition.”

Built in 1947, these locomotives were the main stay of Broad Gauge passenger train operations on the Indian Railways for a very long time till 1995 when they finally retired.

Mr. Hanspal also revealed a trivia about the engine, “for shooting of the film ‘Gadar’, the engine was hauled from Delhi to Amritsar by a diesel locomotive. After arriving at Amritsar the steam engine had to be activated. The steam engine was in running condition but was not strong enough for long runs. However during the shooting of the climax the front part of the engine was damaged and one can see this in the film.”

The Fairy Queen
Certified by Guinness Book of World Records, this prize exhibit is the oldest preserved and working steam locomotive in the world. This is the first exhibit to be brought to this museum at the time of laying the foundations in 1971.

Built in 1855, this locomotive also hauled troop trains to Raniganj during the famous 1857 War of Independence. It served Indian Railways till 1908. With the initiative of Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Tourism, it rolled again on February 1,1997.

Currently serving as a heritage train for tourists, it runs from Delhi to Alwar. This over whelming journey includes the tour of the picturesque town of Alwar and Sariska Forest Reserve.

Mono Rail
Running on a single track, it is the only one of its kind in the world. Built in 1907, it was used in the State of Patiala. The track was a single rail along one side of the road. On this ran the load carrying wheels of the train while a large single wheel at the end of an outrigger ran on the road to keep the train upright.

Mr. Hanspal narrated the story to us, “Maharaja of Patiala loved to collect unique items. Once when he went to Germany, he saw this monorail and got it for his Palace. In the beginning he used it in the big garden of his palace. Later the public urged him to allow it for common people too as it belonged not only to the Maharaja but also to the people of the state.”

Col. Bowles who designed this system became the state engineer and laid the Patiala State Monorail Trainways. It was about 50 miles in length from Sirhind to Alampura and Patiala to Bhavnanigarh.

Saloon of Prince of Wales
This four-wheeler saloon was one of the most luxurious saloons during its time. It was built specially for the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) during his visit to India for the Royal Durbar of 1876. This milky white saloon has seats for four armed guards, outside two on each side of the coach and has sunshades on both sides. Two emblems representing the British Crown are painted on the sides. Built in 1875, all its fittings and furnishings are intact.

Saloon of Maharaja of Mysore
Considered as an engineering marvel, this specially engineered saloon shows the expertise of the Bangalore workshop of Mysore State Railways. Built in 1900, this coach could be run on both broad gauge (5’6”) as well as metre gauge (1 metre). It is possibly the only one of its kind in the world.

This saloon was a part of a special three-coach train used by Maharaja Krishan Rao Wodeyur of Mysore. The other two coaches were, namely, the Maharani’s coach and a dining cum kitchen car. The furnishings, beautiful floral pattern paintings on ceiling and brass fenced ‘Verandah’ gives a taste of the glory of those days.

Some Other Wonders
Beside these, there are some other wonders too which can be found only in this museum. On one side there is the tiny ‘Hasang’, which is the world’s smallest steam engine ever used, running on a two feet gauge. On the other hand there is ‘Garatt’, the heaviest and most powerful steam engine ever used. There is a small elegant ‘Rail Car’ with a sitting capacity of six people and then there are the gigantic HP Class engines with the wheel measuring 6.5 feet in diameter. This museum can definitely boast of the best samples of railway engineering in the world.