Hong Kong Railway Museum

For a little bit of context, I've been fascinated by trains for most of my life. I can't make any claim to being a true fanatic - my knowledge of different engine classes is severely limited - but I do consider it, when done right, to be the most civilised, romantic, and joyful form of transport that exists.

Which of course means that when gifted a free weekend in Hong Kong, my first point of call was to the Hong Kong Railway Museum.

The museum is sited in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong, which is in the New Territories. About equidistant from Tai Po Market Station and Tai Wo Station on the East Rail Line, it's a bit of a trek if coming from central Hong Kong,

The Tai Po area has a distinctly different feel to it than the urban center of Hong Kong. It also has the high-rise apartments common throughout the city, but smaller buildings sit alongside those, and the bustle of the place has the feel of a local community more than the business and tourist centres found closer to the bay.

As a museum, the Hong Kong Railway Museum is a little on the small side. Its hub is the 1913 Tai Po Market Station building. Unlike other stations of the time that were built in a colonial fashion, Tai Po Market was built in a Chinese style.

Entrance to Tai Po Market Station.

Passenger's waiting hall of the station.

Waiting hall looking into former accommodation quarters for the station master, now an exhibition gallery

Ticket office / station master's office

Signal cabin.Levers would be used to control semaphore signals, railroad switches and level crossings

Distant signal semaphore at stop or danger signal

Outside the station building, two separate lines of track hold a diesel-electric locomotive, and separately six coaches. To the side, a narrow gauge locomotive is also preserved. Two other vehicles that can also be found outside the station are a pump trolley and a diesel-driven maintenance car.

Sir Alexander. The first diesel-electric engine in Hong Kong.

1911 Third Class compartment. Built in London.

Pump trolley

motor trolley

Narrow gauge steam locomotive. Originally ran on the Sha Tau Kok Railway

A small miniature railway is also present. Lacking in sophistication, it still seemed to be a hit with one of the small people at the museum who, judging by the wailing, was extremely put out by having his go interrupted by his younger sibling.

Aside from genuine rail enthusiasts, the museum is probably not worth the journey from central Hong Kong alone. However, along with Tai Po's markets and temples, it makes an interesting diversion for about an hour or so.