Rewari Railway Heritage Museum

The Rewari Railway Heritage Museum (formerly the Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed) is a c.1893 railway museum in Delhi NCR at Rewari city in Haryana, India. Built in 1893, it is the only surviving steam locomotive shed in India, and houses some of India's last surviving steam locomotives as well as the world's oldest still-functional 1855-built steam locomotive the Fairy Queen. It is located 400 m (1,300 ft) north of the entrance of the Rewari railway station, 50 km (31 mi) from Gurgaon and 79 km (49 mi) from the National Rail Museum at Chanakyapuri in New Delhi.[1]

Rewari Railway Heritage Museum
रेवाड़ी रेल संग्रालय
Rewari Railway Heritage Museum
Location in Rewari, India
Rewari Railway Heritage Museum (India)
Former name
Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed
Established2 February 1893 (1893-02-02)
LocationNorth end of Rewari railway station, Rewari, Haryana, India
Coordinates28.2085056°N 76.6120139°E / 28.2085056; 76.6120139
Typerailway museum
Key holdingsRewari Queen
Collectionssteam locomotive
OwnerNorth Western Railway zone of Indian Railway

History

Steam locomotive shed

Built in 1893, the Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed was the only locomotive shed in North India for many years, and part of the railroad track connecting Delhi with Peshawar.[2] After steam engines were phased out by the 1990s and steam traction on meter gauge tracks was discontinued in January, 1994,[3] the loco shed remained in neglect for many years before it was rehabilitated. The steam shed reopened in May, 2002.[4]

Heritage museum

The Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed was refurbished as a heritage tourism destination, its edifice restored, and a museum added by the Indian Railways in December 2002.[4] The shed exhibited Victorian era artifacts used on the Indian rail network, along with the old signalling system, gramophones, and seats. The refurbished heritage museum was opened in October 2010. The engines are still available for live demonstrations.[2][5][6]

Exhibits

The shed and compound has 11 (of 16 functional in India)[7] of the world's oldest steam locomotives, restored and still functional, including the following:[8]

Development plans

In January 2018, Indian Railway prepared a proposal to develop an 8.8 Hectare railway heritage theme park adjacent to the Rewari Rail Museum. It will be built in collaboration with the Government of Haryana and India's Ministry of Tourism based on a concept similar to the Devon Railway Centre in UK, the Edaville Railroad Theme Park in the USA and the Ferrymead Heritage Park in New Zealand. The Railway has asked the Haryana Government to include this heritage museum in the state subsidised "Swadesh Darshan scheme" under the under-development Madhogarh-Mahendragarh-Narnaul-Rewari heritage circuit of the Tourism Ministry being implemented at the cost of INR1.47 billion (INR147 crore or US$23 million).[15]

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has launched a drive to increase the awareness of this museum among the students.[16][8]

Facilities

The museum is open daily.[17] It has a 3-D steam loco simulator simulating Darjeeling Himalayan Railway steam locomotive ride, 3-D virtual reality coach simulator, a toy train, educational yard model train system, indoor exhibition gallery, a 35-seater conference room with projector, a century-old dining car, cafeteria and souvenir shop. In the museum, there are exhibit halls showing models of small engines, old railway equipment, hand-held brass signal lamps, and old photos. The facilities at museum include 30 minute long documentaries and films shows, once or twice a day in museum's conference hall with seating capacity of 50, about the history and present operations of railways in India.[16]

Fairy Queen steam-locomotive ferries tourists from Delhi to Rewari every second Saturday from October to April.[15]

The Rewari steam locomotive shed has rented locomotives for various film shoots and part of the film Gandhi, My Father was shot here.[2][18] Locomotives have appeared in films such as Barfi!, Guru, love aaj kal, Rang De Basanti and Veer-Zaara among others.[19] The locomotive Akbar has featured in several movies shot here, including: sultan, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Gandhi, My Father, Ki & Ka, Sultan (2016 film), Gangs of Wasseypur (film series), Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017 film), Partition (2007 film), Pranayam (2011 Malayalam movie), Ek Tha Chander Ek Thi Sudha (TV serial)[10]

See also

References

  1. Google map of Rewari Railway Heritage Mesuam and national Railway Museum at New Delhi
  2. {{citeAnushka paliwal loves janakinath news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-10/delhi/28274419_1_steam-engine-rewari-locomotive|title=Eye on Games, black beauties gather steam|date=10 Aug 2010|work=The Times of India |location=India|first1=Dwaipayan|last1=Ghosh}}
  3. Overview of Bikaner Division
  4. "National Conference on Steam Heritage Tourism inaugurated". Ministry of Railways. 2 December 2002.
  5. "Gathering steam". The Indian Express. India. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  6. "Rewaristeamloco.com". Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  7. "Rewari Museum needs some steam". business-standard.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  8. "Rewari locomotive: The only steam loco shed that remains in India". economictimes.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. [1945 Baldwin AWE]
  10. "Learn- about Gadar's 'Akbar', has run in more than 40 films". Hindi News. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  11. "Tourist train 'Akbar' to commence tiger sighting journey in October". dnaindia.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  12. "A walk around the 'Akbar steam locomotive #1761". youtube.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  13. '150UP Delhi Cantt – Alwar STEAM EXPRESS'
  14. "Bullet Nose WP-7200 at Safdarjung 13 Jan 2007". youtube.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  15. "Railway heritage theme park on the anvil at Rewari". Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  16. "Rewari heritage rail museum to attract students". timesofindia.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  17. "Rewari Steam Loco Shed". mycity4kids.com. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  18. "Charm of Chhuk-Chhuk". The Tribune. India. 3 July 2005.
  19. "Full Steam Ahead: Photo exhibition pays tribute to steam locomotives". indianexpressd.com. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
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