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Railway Museum
 Location
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Mysore, Karnataka
Significance
:
First Regional Museum in India
Set up in
:
1979
Located behind the railway station is the little-known but impressive Rail Museum with its priceless locomotives, coaches and collection of paintings and photographs narrating the 'Rail Story.' The prize exhibit of the museum is the Maharani's Saloon built in the U.K Set up in 1979, the Museum boasts of valuable collection of antiquities and sets a good pattern for regional display.
A circular gallery called Chamundi Gallery has exciting collections of photographs, series of paintings showing the development of the Railways and signaling signs right from its inception.
The adjacent building named Sri Ranga Pavilion houses two Royal coaches that formed part of the Royal train of Maharaja of Mysore reflecting the era of bygone splendor.
This pavilion incorporates in its construction beautifully carved wooden pillars, doors and balustrades from the old Srirangapatna Railway Station.
It is said that these carved wooden works came from the wooden royal palace of Mysore , destroyed in a fire accident. The saloon used by the Maharajas is now at the National Railway Museum at Delhi.
Mysore Rail Museum has the Maharanis' saloon, kitchen and dining care unit. The eight wheeler Maharanis' saloon was built at Mysore Railway workshop in 1899 AD adjustable to both the broad gauge and meter gauge.
One of the sections displays various small items relating to the then Mysore State Railway including the telephone by the late Maharaja of Mysore, Mysore Station Railways clock made in New York, model of the longest bridge in Hassan-Mangalore Railway Projects and the working model of the steam engine.
In outdoor exhibits are the various locomotives, coaches and rail motor car. The star attraction of the museum is the battery operated mini train especially for the children.
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