10 Nov SUN: National Rail Museum

Since I told David that there was a Rail Museum in Delhi it had to go on the itinerary.    We had decided not to visit any temples here as we'd seen the major ones, plus the Red Fort during our last trip to Delhi so this afternoon we travelled to the outskirts of town to visit the museum.

Plans to build a Transport Museum were made in the early 1960s.  However nothing really materialised till a rail enthusiast named Michael Graham Satow took charge in 1970.

The concept starting becoming a reality on 7th October 1971, when the foundation stone was laid by the then President V. V. Giri at the site in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

It took about six years to complete the museum and it was finally inaugurated on 1st February 1977, had a name change and became the  National Rail Museum  

There are over 100 exhibits there dating from the mid 1800s.    Although it wasn't really to my taste, I was impressed with how many of the mighty machines (and the small parts) came from the UK and they're still so visible today.

So these really are just a selection of train pictures - fee free to skip the post.

Firstly,  there is no escaping the words of Gandhi even here:

I Googled 'Sir Roger Lumley' to check whether he is one of Joanna Lumley's relatives as she has links with India, but it appears they aren't connected

Well he didn't get his mug of Tea and Bacon Butty … he had to settle for a curry pasty and a cup of Chai!

This sheep transporter with its double deck was built to carry up to 176 sheep - all I can say is they must have been stacked in sideways on top of each other!