China Railway Museum

China Railway Museum
Established	2002
Location	Beijing, PRC
Coordinates	39°59′47″N 116°30′37″E / 39.9963°N 116.5103°E / 39.9963; 116.5103
Website	Official website

The China Railway Museum (simplified Chinese: 中国铁道博物馆; traditional Chinese: 中國鐵道博物館; pinyin: Zhōngguó Tiědào Bówùguǎn) is a Chinese museum preserving locomotives that have operated on the railways of the People's Republic of China. The museum offers a total exhibition space of 16500m² and 8 exhibition tracks.

The museum is located in Chaoyang District of Beijing City, some 15 km northeast of downtown Beijing, inside the circular test track that is part of the China National Railway Test Centre. It also has a branch in downtown Beijing, in the former Zhengyangmen East Railway Station near Tian'anmen Square.

History

The China Railway Museum has its origins in the 1950s when the Ministry of Railways (MOR) created a temporary exhibit for the Economic Achievements Exhibition in Beijing. This exhibition, which was held by the National Economic Development Committee, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

The MOR then founded the Central Technical Library in 1958 to promote scientific and technological advancements and support the growth of the Chinese railway industry. This institution subsequently became the MOR Exhibition Group, then the MOR Exhibition Department, and finally the MOR Science and Technology Museum.

On 2 November 2002, the MOR Science and Technology Museum's locomotive exhibition hall was opened to the public and was officially renamed the China Railway Museum on 1 September 2003.

The museum expanded further in October 2009 when the Beijing Railway Museum was integrated into the China Railway Museum.^[1]

Downtown branch

The Beijing Railway Museum (Chinese: 北京铁路博物馆; pinyin: Běijīng Tiělù Bówùguǎn) was opened in 2008 in a building which includes the clock-tower of the former Zhengyangmen East Railway Station of the Jingfeng Railway (Chinese: 京奉铁路正阳门东车站; pinyin: Jīngfèng Tiělù Zhèngyáng Mén Dōng Chēzhàn), just southeast of the Tian'anmen Square. The rest of the building is entirely new-build, dating from the 1979 construction of Beijing Subway Line 4, which required the rest of the old station to be demolished. The historic facade was then reconstructed, in mirror-image, on the opposite (right hand) side of the clock tower. In October 2009, Beijing Railway Museum was renamed to the Zhengyangmen Branch (正阳门馆) of the China Railway Museum. This part of the museum contains only one full size historic locomotive - an 0-6-0 tank engine from the 19th century. The rest of the displays comprise models,^[2] maps (some in 3D relief), photographs,^[3] documents and displays about the development of railways in China, including architectural models of six new stations on the CRH China Railway High-speed system. Also on display is a CRH3 cab simulator.

Locomotives

No.	Class	Builder	Track Gauge	Wheel Configuration
23	SN Class	Baldwin Locomotive Works	1 ft 11+5⁄8 in (600 mm)	0-10-0
1001	RM Class	CSR Sifang Co Ltd.	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	4-6-2
1019	GJ Class	Taiyuan Locomotive Works	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	0-6-0T
1979	FD Class	Voroshilovgrad Locomotive Factory	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	2-10-2
KF1^{[Note 1]}	KF1 Class	Vulcan Foundry	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	4-8-4
4290	DFH1 Class	CSR Sifang Co Ltd.	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)	B’B’

Gallery

Triple gauge, from left:
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in),
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), and
600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
Inside the museum
A Ten'ine2 type observation carriage on display in the China Railway Museum.

References

^ Yang, Ling (Oct 2011). "World Railway Museums (part 2) - China Railway Museum" (PDF). Japan Railway & Transport Review (58): 42–44.
^ "China Railway Museum – Zhengyang Gate | Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South, Beijing | Attractions".
^ "China Railway Museum – Zhengyang Gate | Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South, Beijing | Attractions".

^ Chinese Government Railways KF1 was renumbered 006.

External links

Official website

[1] Yang, Ling (Oct 2011). "World Railway Museums (part 2) - China Railway Museum" (PDF). Japan Railway & Transport Review (58): 42–44.

[2] "China Railway Museum – Zhengyang Gate | Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South, Beijing | Attractions".

[3] "China Railway Museum – Zhengyang Gate | Temple of Heaven Park & Dongcheng South, Beijing | Attractions".

[4] Chinese Government Railways KF1 was renumbered 006.

v t e Museums in Beijing
Palace Museum National Museum of China
National Art Museum of China China Millennium Monument China Railway Museum China Science and Technology Museum Geological Museum of China Paleozoological Museum of China Chinese Aviation Museum Beijing Air and Space Museum Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution Museum of the Chinese Communist Party Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression
Beijing Ancient Observatory Beijing Exhibition Center Beijing Liao and Jin City Wall Museum Beijing Museum of Natural History Beijing Planetarium Beijing Art Museum Capital Museum Cultural Palace of Nationalities Dabaotai Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum Guanfu Museum Prince Gong Mansion Today Art Museum Tuancheng Fortress Western Zhou Yan State Capital Museum Yuan Center

v t e Notable buildings and structures in Beijing from the modern era
Ten Great Buildings	Beijing railway station Cultural Palace of Nationalities Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Great Hall of the People Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution Minzu Hotel National Museum of China Workers' Stadium 1959–2020 2023–present
Olympic Green	Beijing National Stadium Beijing National Aquatics Center Beijing National Indoor Stadium Beijing Olympic Tower China National Convention Center Digital Beijing Building National Tennis Center
Tiananmen Square	Chairman Mao Memorial Hall Monument to the People's Heroes National Centre for the Performing Arts
Museums	Beijing Planetarium Capital Museum China Aviation Museum China Railway Museum China Science and Technology Museum Museum of the Chinese Communist Party Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression National Art Museum of China
Transportation	Beijing Capital International Airport Beijing South railway station Beijing West railway station Beijing Daxing International Airport
CBD	Beijing TV Centre Beijing Yintai Centre CCTV Headquarters CCTV Tower The China World Trade Center Fortune Plaza Jing Guang Centre China Zun
Other government buildings	National Library of China Workers Indoor Arena
Others	IAP Meteorological Tower New Beijing Poly Plaza Galaxy SOHO Wangjing SOHO Leeza SOHO