Vintage fire-fighting vehicle to be prized exhibit at Tiruchi rail museum

Steps will be taken to make it a working model at the museum, say railway officials

A vintage fire-fighting vehicle supplied to the Mysore Railways in the 1930s is set to become another prized exhibit at the upcoming Rail Museum here.

Railway authorities here have decided to refurbish the self-propelling unit and make it a working model.

Manufactured in 1931 by M/s. Dennis Brothers Limited, London, the ‘open type’ fire tender was supplied to the erstwhile Mysore Railways. After it was withdrawn from service years ago, the vehicle was brought to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Zonal Training Centre here and preserved as a heritage piece.

A few years ago, the vintage vehicle was sent to the Lallaguda railway workshop in Secunderabad to make it road-worthy again. With efforts to revive the petrol-driven vehicle proving futile, it was sent back to the RPF Zonal Training Centre.

The vehicle was designed in such a way as to accommodate 10 fire crew, including a driver–cum–pump operator. It was provided with a Hose Real Hose to tackle initial fires and fires involving saw dust and dry leaves.

It was also fitted with a fire pump to throw water and had inbuilt lockers to store equipment such as delivery hoses, branch pipes and suction house.

The vehicle could be taken close to an open water source such as static water tank from where water could be pumped and relayed through the delivery hoses .

The vintage vehicle was brought to the Diesel Loco Shed here a few days ago to refurbish it and give it a fresh coat of paint.

Steps would be taken to make it a working model at the museum, said railway officials.

The fire-tender would be another prized exhibit at the upcoming museum where rare photographs, heritage clocks, documents and drawings used during the colonial era and showcasing the rich heritage of the then South Indian Railway have been kept.

A toy train would be operated on a narrow gauge track to be laid within the museum to attract children.

Two coaches and a diesel-powered car of the toy train have already arrived from the Mysore railway workshop.

The museum is expected to be thrown open to public by July, authorities said.

The National Rail Museum at New Delhi would spare some exhibits, display boards, showcases and furniture to the Tiruchi museum.

A railway officials’ team from Tiruchi has left for New Delhi to collect the exhibits, the officials said.