Railways' story, as told by stamps

Young and old alike admire the stamps on display at the Philatelic Exhibition on Wheels that arrived at the Central railway station in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Photo: S. Mahinsha

The first ever ‘Philatelic Exhibition on Wheels' that arrived in the capital on Sunday to coincide with the Railway Week offered, through stamps, a glimpse of the Indian Railways' story since 1853.

The exhibition train comprising three coaches arrived Thiruvananthapuram Central in the morning. The stamps on display were collected by renowned philatelist Mohammed Mujibullah of Eastern Railways.

They portray important phases in railways' development such as steam locomotives, metro rail, monorail, super fast trains, heritage stations, signals, bridges, tracks, tunnels, mountain railways, railway ferries, mail trains and Railway Mail Service.

Mr. Mujibullah's collection includes stamps of 156 countries, besides a $500 stamp issued by Guatemala.

Rare pieces include the New Brunswick stamps of 1860, the first postage stamps in the world depicting locomotives.