CHENNAI: Priceless railway heritage has been left to rust at the Chennai Rail Museum in Perambur, as many of the outdoor exhibits including 100-year-old steam locomotives, first-class coaches, postal coaches and others are exposed to the elements without any maintenance.
Though railways ensured that the campus and its greenery had been preserved during the lockdown, they could not carry out work to ensure that the locomotives and coaches that tell the story of growth of railways in the country are protected.
The roof, doors and seats of coaches are broken and interiors are not swept and dusted. The museum, which was closed due to the pandemic, opened two months ago. The giant DC electric locomotive stands with a tonne of dry leaves on its roof. Metal parts have begun to rust on many of the exhibits. The machines were last given a coat of paint in 2019.
Though schools have shown an interest to visit after it was reopened, the officials are not prepared. he scale models of coaches and locomotives, which were a hit among visitors in the pre-Covid days, are not available. The staff at the store hardly show interest when visitors walk in. “We do not have stock,” he says the person at the counter, looking bored, when asked about scale models.
Hari Ananth, a former railway employee and a rail enthusiast, said: “We need to build a story around the locomotives and explain to people how they would work and how they evolved over the years.” Sridhar Joshi, member of the Indian Railways Fan Club IRFCA, said the museum has potential.
A railway official said coaches and locomotives could not be maintained because the outsourced companies who were in charge are in trouble due to the pandemic. “A tender has been floated and refurbishing and painting work are planned in the coming months,” he said.
