The Rail Museum in Mysusu, with its display of steam locomotives conjuring up images of iron horse spewing smoke, is set to be expanded under a three-phase programme.
The authorities expect to spend around ₹4 crore to upgrade and embellish the museum, which was the second in India at the time of its inauguration in 1979. “Of the available funds, the Railways will spend ₹1.14 crore during this financial year,” said Atul Gupta, divisional railway manager, Mysuru Division, South Western Railway.
On the anvil is an audio-visual gallery complete with sound and light to give a real immersion into the rhythm and beat of the steam locomotives that huffed and puffed across the subcontinent till the 1980s, before they were phased out and replaced by the more mundane diesel and electric locomotives.
In a departure from the current trend of museums tending to display the past, there will be efforts to shed light on future rail projects as well, with the museum highlighting the projected technological evolution in the pipeline.
The three-phase expansion programme includes conservation and preservation of the existing artefacts besides augmenting the collection, building upgrade and landscaping, besides expanding the museum area, Mr. Gupta said.
The toy train, chugged by a mini engine, is a popular attraction among the visitors, and the authorities want to popularise it more by increasing the route length. “We have adequate land in the vicinity and it will be used for additional exhibits and expansion of the museum, apart from increasing the route length of the toy train,” he said.
The existing ticketing counter, which also serves as a souvenir shop, will be expanded with a complete array of collectibles and railway-related publications.
The Mysuru Rail Museum has a rich collection of vintage steam locomotives, rail bus wagons, narrow-gauge, metre-gauge and broad-gauge coaches, besides a gallery depicting the evolution of the signalling system. The Maharani’s Saloon built around the 1890s is another attraction. Its counterpart, the Maharaja’s Saloon, is exhibited at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi.
The expansion of the museum has been in the pipeline for many years but never took off. One it is completed, the museum will be a must-visit in the tourist’s itinerary.
Heritage gallery to be shifted
The country’s first miniature gallery, which is located on platform number 1 of Mysuru railway station with models of trains besides a miniature model of the entire Mysuru Divisional Railway – complete with major places of tourist interest and geological features in the division, will be shifted to the railway museum.
Though inaugurated more than 10 years ago, the miniature gallery is rarely visited by the public. Atul Gupta, divisional railway manager, Mysuru Division, SWR, said it should ideally be located at the museum and not on the platform where people are busy disembarking or boarding trains.
Designed by a private entrepreneur who is also a rail aficionado, the miniature gallery has a slew of photographs depicting the important landmarks in the evolution of the Railways. The miniature terrain depicted in the gallery gives a snapshot of the entire division.
