37th Foundation Day of National Rail Museum Celebrated
Chairman, Railway Board, Inaugurates Patiala Statew Mono Rail & Lanunches Audio Guide at the Museum
Winners of All India Drawing & Painting/Essay Competition Organised by RWWCO Felicitated

National Rail Museum of Ministry of Railways, celebrated its 37th Museum Foundation Day here today. Shri Vinay Mittal, Chairman, Railway Board, was the Chief Guest at the celebrations. On this occasion, Shri Vinay Mittal inaugurated and dedicated to the public, Patiala State Mono Rail TRAMWAYS (PSMT) which has now been displayed at the museum after restoration by the Railways’ engineers and technicians. Shri Mittal also launched the unique Audio Guide System for the benefit of enthusiastic visitors coming to the National Rail Museum. On the occasion, Shri Mittal also felicitated the winners of the All India Drawing & Painting/Essay Competition which was earlier organised for children of Railway employees by the Railway Women’s Welfare Central Organisation (RWWCO). RWWCO is the apex body of the chain of women’s welfare organisations spread over all Indian Railways and engaged in the task of welfare of railwaymen and their families through various need-based socio-welfare activities. Smt. Poonam Mittal, President, RWWCO was specially present on the occasion. A cultural progamme presented by railway employees was also organised on the occasion.

PSMT was a unique rail guided, partially road-borne railways systems running in Patiala in the state of Punjab from 1907 to 1927. It is the only operational locomotive – hauled Railway system built using the Ewing system in the world i.e. monorails using a balancing wheel for balancing the train. Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh ji of Patiala got this unique railway system constructed under supervision of Col Bowles to facilitate movement of people and goods in his state. Four locomotives for PSMT were built and delivered by Orenstein & Koppel of Germany (O&K) in 1909 at a cost of $ then 500 to $ 600 (about Rs. 7,000/-) each. National Rail Museum, New Delhi took the initiative to get the PSMT loco and saloon revived and restored. With the help of Amritsar workshop, Rewari Steam Shed staff and NRM staff the loco has been brought back into operational condition.

Audio Guide at the museum is a system in which the historical significance of these exhibits has been recorded in a story telling formal. This Audio Guide system will overtake the role of a Human Guide. It will enhance the overall experience of visiting and learning about collections of the museum. This will also ease the overcrowding of visitors at a particular place of exhibits as the peak Footfall per day registered is as high as 5500 and average Footfall is 1700-1800 visitors. The system has been designed in both English & Hindi languages and also for the children separately to suit the interest of public of all generations.