Hong Kong Railway Museum reopens on October 4, exhibiting new collection: diesel-electric locomotive No. 60
Hong Kong Railway Museum reopens on October 4th, exhibiting the new collection No. 60 diesel-electric locomotive
The Hong Kong Railway Museum has completed the exhibition renovation project and will reopen to the public for free admission (October 4th), and exhibit its latest collection No. 60 diesel-electric locomotive - "Joe Petty".
Diesel-electric locomotive No. 60 has been in service since 1974. It is one of the last batch of diesel locomotives introduced to Hong Kong by the Kowloon-Canton Railway. It has been in service on the East Rail Line and witnessed the golden age of railway freight between Hong Kong and the Mainland. After the Kowloon-Canton Railway was fully electrified in 1983, locomotive No. 60 was withdrawn from passenger service, but was still used to pull freight trucks and engineering vehicles. It is the last locomotive in Hong Kong to be named after a person, and was named "Peter Quick" after the second general manager of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation. After serving Hong Kong for nearly half a century, locomotive No. 60 was officially retired in 2021. The train was earlier transferred by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTR) to the Hong Kong Railway Museum for permanent collection and exhibition, with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)'s Conservation Office assisting in supervising the restoration work.
Speaking at the handover ceremony on October 3, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Lau Ming-kwong, said that the Railway Museum had once again added a large railway artifact after receiving historic carriage No. 313 in 2020, which was great news for train fans and the general public. It is believed that locomotive No. 60 will further increase the public's interest in the historical development of local railways.
Other officiating guests at the ceremony included MTR Managing Director – Hong Kong Passenger Services Ms. Jennifer Yeung, MTR Director of Operations and Innovation Dr. Kevin Lee, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Company Secretary Mr. Wong Chung-leung and Hong Kong Heritage Museum Chief Curator Mr. Lam Kwok-fai.
Locomotive No. 60 is mainly made of metal materials. Due to long-term exposure to outdoor environment during service, the iron parts will inevitably rust and paint peel off. Before being stationed at the Railway Museum, restoration experts from the Heritage Conservation Office carried out restoration work on Locomotive No. 60 at the MTR Locomotive Operation Room in Lo Wu to re-coat it with a protective coating to slow down the rusting of the metal body when on outdoor display.
To complement this precious and historically significant new exhibit, the museum provides visitors with multimedia exhibit information through the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s “Smart Museum” mobile app, bringing the public a richer and more interesting museum experience.
This year also marks the 110th anniversary of the construction of the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station, the original site of the Hong Kong Railway Museum. The Railway Museum specially presents the "Building and Carrying People's Feelings - 110th Anniversary of the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station" exhibition, hoping to showcase the history and development of the Old Tai Po Market Railway Station, as well as the relationship between the station and the Tai Po community through precious historical pictures from different institutions. Citizens can recall the memories of riding the railway in the past through the pictures.
In addition to the newly added collection of diesel-electric locomotive No. 60, the Hong Kong Railway Museum also has other special collections, including Hong Kong's first diesel-electric locomotive No. 51, a narrow-gauge steam locomotive that once ran on the Sha Tau Kok branch line, and many historical carriages from different eras. Railway enthusiasts should not miss it. The Hong Kong Railway Museum is located at 13 Chong Tak Street, Tai Po Market, Tai Po, Hong Kong.
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