The whistle and swoosh of a train engine cuts into your thoughts as you look around the vast maize fields in the nondescript little town of Taoru, Gurgaon. You don’t expect a railway platform in the middle of nowhere and much less a steam engine. But the Heritage Transport Museum in Taoru has not stopped springing surprises on visitors. The team at the museum unveiled a 1953 Jung Steam locomotive, totally restored and in perfect working condition huffing, puffing and rumbling on its journey along a 100-metre track gauge (broad gauge) specially laid out on the front lawns of the museum complete with quaint signals.
The Story Behind the 1953 Jung Steam Locomotive
Built in 1953 by the Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik (Arnold Jung Locomotive Works) – a locomotive manufacturer established in 1885, in Kirchen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany –it bears the registration number 11736. The engine is 12.5 feet tall and 31-feet long, and weighs over 47 tonnes in service. The locomotive can carry 1,320 gallons of water and over 4 tonnes of coal to feed its voracious appetite. Its wheel configuration is 0- 6- 0.
Always on the lookout for interesting things to add to the museum’s collection, Tarun Thakral, the founder and managing trustee of the museum found this locomotive in a derelict condition at Rohtas Industries, Dehri-On-Sone, Bihar, that had been there for decades.
Rohtas industries had purchased six such locomotives between 1953 and 1957 and this locomotive was the first to arrive and named RIL-2. I began negotiating with the Indian Railways’ Heritage cell to sell me the locomotive as a scrap as it is impossible to buy anything in open auctions. We paid about Rs 7 lakh and put another Rs 3 lakh to get it running on the tracks. It’s like going back to a bygone era with a steam engine whistling and puffing, something that millennials have never seenTarun Thakral, Founder and Managing Trustee, Heritage Transport Museum
The Restoration Project
It took just about three months for a team of engineers from Chennai headed by MS, Rangaswamy, a retired engineer from the Indian Railways to transform the decrepit, forgotten engine to a shiny new smoke spewing wonder that will undoubtedly be nouvelle attraction for visitors as this is the first time in India that a private museum has a working steam locomotive.
Interestingly, Rangaswamy was the man who restored the Fairy Queen, the oldest working Steam Locomotive in the world, built in 1855 and certified as the world's oldest working locomotive by the Guinness Book of World Records. It now runs between Delhi and Alwar.
Hot, Hot, Hot
This beauty requires half tonne of good coal to fire up but we had to use large wooden chunks as good coal is not available right now. The temperature inside the locomotive is between 900 to 1100 degree Fahrenheit. I am now working on another steam locomotive, which the museum has acquired, a 1921 Kerr Stuart .MS, Rangaswamy, Heading the team of engineers restoring the locomotive
“It’ll just be a matter of days before we get this engine back on the tracks,”says Rangaswamy with a quiet smile as he explains the dynamics of how the engine works to a group of eager visitors. For Mohan Ram, the driver of the engine who has driven trains for 40 long years, firing up this steam locomotive was a cakewalk. He didn’t mind the blistering sun or the enormous heat emanating from the boiler and proudly explained how the engine works to anyone who could brave the heat and climb up to stand alongside him.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
For Amit Aneja, a visit to the museum was a great discovery as he was surprised to see a steam locomotive after so long.
The moment I hear the train whistle, I go back in time to my childhood days. It was fun to travel in trains which had steam engines and after all these years to think I would actually see one plying on a track is an amazing feeling. My grandchildren are all so excited to see this new thing which they have only seen pictures of in booksAmit Aneja, Visitor
Opened to the public on 7 December 2013 as India’s first comprehensive transport museum, the Heritage Transport Museum has been awarded the National Tourism Award for being the most innovative and unique tourism project in the country. The museum is home to more than 2,500 curated objects on display that weave a tale of India’s colourful transportation history.
(The writer is a public relations professional. She can be reached at @anabee588)
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