Depicting the railway system in the Mysore division on a smaller scale, the model railroad layout — reckoned to be the first in the country — was thrown open to the public here on Friday.
The concept is a rage in advanced countries and entails showcasing miniature working models of locomotives, trains, signalling system, complete with the route and the surroundings.
The rail network in the Mysore division is depicted in the model with focus on Mysore, with a working model of an imaginary rail system in Kodagu too, even though Kodagu is not served by the Railways yet.
The scale models include the rolling stock, tracks, hillocks, bridges, tunnels, roads and some of the popular landmarks of Mysore and surrounding regions, including the palace, the Lalitha Mahal, St. Philomena's Church, the Krishnaraja Sagar, Chamundi Hills and the temple, K.R. Circle, Mysore zoo, etc. .
Plantations
In addition to Mysore, the railroad model also depicts the coffee plantations of Kodagu. The region was included in the model because the engineering-cum-traffic survey for a new broad gauge railway line from Mysore to Madikere via Kushalnagar was inaugurated in December 2011. The entire layout, spread over 200 sq. ft, is lit with nearly 500 bulbs and the Mysore railway station is the first in the country to create a railroad model, which has been depicted in the heritage gallery on Platform No. 1.
The concept was mooted by senior divisional commercial manager Anup Dayanand Sadhu while a city-based hobbyist Ramji Swaminathan, an expert in model-making, chipped in with his ideas and collections, spending nearly Rs. 8 lakh in pursuit of this concept.
The railroad model was inaugurated by A.H. Vishwanath, MP, and Mr. Sadhu.
