Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal & Mines, Shri Pralhad Joshi dedicated Railway Museum at Hubballi through video conferencing today i.e.09th August, 2020. The event was presided over by Minister of State of Railways, Shri Suresh C. Angadi and was attended by other dignitaries and senior officials.
This Rail Museum is first of its kind in North Karnataka and second in South Western Railway after historic Mysuru Rail Museum at Mysuru. It is centrally located next to second entry of Hubballi Railway Station on Gadag Road opposite to Central Railway Hospital. This museum is set to enthrall the visitors with its beautiful surroundings. The visitors from all over the country and abroad can have a treat of Railway Heritage items of yester years at Railway Museum at Hubballi.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal said, “Railways has an emotional connect with all of us. Railways has played an important role in our lives and has been witness to our personal journeys of life in different phases. He referred to Mahatma Gandhi and said that Gandhi Ji also preferred to understand India through trains. Railways have itself gone through great transformations. Story of evolution of Railways from steam era to modern bullet trains era is truly remarkable. Museum is monument of tribute to that extraordinary change. Moving into a post Covid era would also see many changes. The museum will help in sensitizing society about shared history and culture. It will tells us about our roots and our foundations. We must preserve memories and legacy . We are now making Railways fully electrified and 100 % green . It will be world class passenger and freight services organization. Railways will continue to change and transform. Legacy will continue to be great and would require to be constantly preserved.
He congratulated all the Railway officials for extraordinary work during the lockdown. He also mentioned that Railways has pledged to contribute to 5 trillion economy and Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pralhad Joshi said, “Museum is most relevant as Hubballi is an important Railway junction historically as well. This will become another prominent tourist destination in the region.”
He thanked Shri Goyal for the new Museum. He also thanked Railways for running 229 special shramik trains from Region. Shri Joshi also conveyed his thanks to Indian Railways for undertaking renovation Hubballi Railway Station.
Addressing the function, Shri Suresh C. Angadi said that it was a great occasion for Hubballi people today . He suggested one coach as people with Mask and one coach as Shramik coach for the sake of posterity to remember these times.
The museum aims at preserving and portraying the glorious heritage of various branches of Railways and displays the gradual evolution of advanced systems in all spheres of Railway working. At Hubballi Museum, the artefacts are broadly arranged in three sections i.e., at the two cottages named Malaprabha and Ghataprabha and the outdoor section.
The Highlights of the Museum:
• Galaxy of Rolling Stock
• Malaprabha and Ghataprabha cottages
• Theatre Coach
• Suruchi Cafeteria
• Toy Train
• Memorabilia Shop
• Ticket Printing Machine
• Model train run
• Children’s Activity Room
A grand arch at the entrance welcomes one to the bygone era. Embellished with emblems of forerunners of South Western Railway, that served this region which is Southern Mahratta Railway, Mysore and Southern Mahratta Railway etc., the welcome arch beckons visitors to explore the world of Railways.
Outdoor landscape: Two narrow gauge locomotives (train engines) are the prime attraction in the Museum. All the exhibits that run on track and are related to track such as Rolling Stock (engines), Coach, wagon, tanker, Permanent way material like Rails, sleepers, Level crossing gate, signals etc are provided in the galleries setup amidst soothing greenery of the Museum.
A narrow gauge coach which depicts “Unity in diversity” with life size statues of passengers from various parts of the country is an added attraction for the visitors.
Two beautiful cottages constructed in 1907, are converted to two parts of museum named as Malaprabha and Ghataprabha after the two rivers of the region.
Ghataprabha cottage: The cottages define quintessential old age charm, house collection of indoor artefacts. Ghataprabha cottage features a model room with running train, signal instruments etc. History of Locomotives, wagons, coaches is presented along with antique Books and Plants. Glimpses of working of Railway in Medical and security fronts can be seen. A colourful children activity room with fun facts is also part of Ghatprabha. A memorabilia counter where souvenirs can be bought and a history corner where history of Railway companies is covered in the cottage.
Malaprabha Cottage: A series of beautiful charcoal sketches constitute art gallery at the entrance of Malaprabha. Booking office with ticket counter, printed tickets, iron cash chests reflect reminiscences of the ticketing of a few decades back. A station master room is simulated with Panel, all the apparatus, registers, furniture and even life size statues of station master and Points man. The adjacent room is designed on theme of waiting room with antique furniture. A parcel office setup is also recreated with 150 year old parcel weighing machine.
The evolution and progress on of Permanent way, rails, sleepers, track fitting, telecommunication, electrical items along with time in tune with technology, is illustrated in the museum.
Platform with Theatres & Restaurant Coaches: A majestic platform with ornate pillars provides access to restaurant car & Theatre Car. Short Movies and videos that are both entertaining and educative are planned to be played at fixed show hours in the coach Theatre.
Ride in a Toy Train: Colourful carriages steered by steam engine are sure to amuse children and elders alike. A toy train is manufactured by Hubballi workshop. Boarding and taking a short trip in this toy train that is equipped with sound and steam effects will transport visitors to vintage era and awaken child in us.
Suruchi Cafeteria: To satiate the taste buds of visitors, Suruchi Cafeteria provided in the museum offers a menu of regional delicacies in aesthetically designed exteriors with antique pillar.
The unique feature of this museum is everything is being done with available resources by mobilizing materials and man power.
In view of the precautions to be taken in wake of COVID pandemic, entry for visitors to the museum is restricted to only 30 members at a time. Visitors will be requested to sanitize their hands frequently using Sanitizer dispensers provided, compulsorily wear face mask and maintain social distancing when visiting the Museum. Theatre coach will remain closed until complete relaxation lock down and return of normalcy.
The regular working Hours for the Museum from 11th Aug 2020 are as below:
• Normal Days (Tuesday to Friday) 12 noon to 7 pm
• Weekends & Public Holidays 12 noon to 8 pm
• Every Monday is a Holiday
Entry Ticket Charges
• Adult (above 12 Years) INR 20/-
• Child (5-12 Years) INR 10/-
• Less than 5 Years Free
Theatre Coach
• Show timings (every one hour starting from 12.00 pm 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm)
• In Group of 10 members each ticket INR 10/-
• Show Time 15 mts
Toy Train Ticket (one trip)
• Each Ticket INR 10/-
* Three rounds of to and fro constitutes one trip.
