A silent sentinel of the ancient engines

The rhythmic movement of your body to the sound of chug-chug, the vast countryside moving swiftly past your window, the familiar smell of the metal bars and the cool breeze on your face as you have a snack or perhaps some tea. At the same time, your co-passengers endlessly chatter away in different dialects.

All of a sudden, it's years ago and you are travelling in one of these old, obsolete trains. Or so you'll feel as you step into nostalgia at the Rail Museum in Chennai.

Amidst the pulsating city, the Chennai Rail Museum, formerly known as the Regional Rail Museum, brings time itself to a pause, as if an engine at full steam has come to a halt, with its penetrating whistle now diminished and vanished into the air. Where railways are still the lifeline of a nation, this museum has been standing as the guardian of bygone eras since 2002.

Stroll the museum's grounds for both reminiscence and learning. From the vintage steam engines that once traversed the length and breadth of undivided India to the opulent coaches that carried passengers from all walks of life, each piece here is a testament to the rich history of the Indian Railways.

Within its 6.25-acre expanse, the museum invites you on a journey through time. Inside, you'll discover captivating working scale models of trains, meticulously crafted to replicate their real-life counterparts. There is a stunning collection of 19th-century heritage exhibits, including colonial-era artefacts. Apart from these, you get to indulge in many attractions, such as a 90-seater air-conditioned Dolby Digital movie theatre screening railway heritage films, Natyarangam, an amphitheatre where cultural performances take centre stage, and the Rail Coach Restaurant for a unique culinary experience inside a refurbished rail coach.