The railway Museum

General presentation

   Every town no matter where, has something original, everyone has a past.
    The memories of the past gain personality culturally and historically through memorial houses and museums. In such locations, significant events are kept alive in the minds and consciences of the people.
    No matter what a museum is dedicated to, it promotes culture and civilization.
    The capital of Romania has many museums; many renowned in the country and abroad. A special place takes the Railway Museum. We find here a part of every railway man’s soul.
    That is why, in order to better understand some aspects related to this museum’s activity, we would make a succinct presentation of its history and exposed items.
    In 1924, the idea emerged for a Railway Museum. Thus were saved from certain ruin several locomotives and wagons that were rotting away in depots all around the country, waiting to be sent to “scrap metal.” It is then that the renowned “Calugareni” locomotive escaped doom. This was one of the first engines that ran the Bucharest Filaret-Giurgiu route.
    As a first solution, the curators chose to park the engines on the lines of the Giulesti Stadium. It is here that the nucleus of the Museum was formed. The Museum was inaugurated the 10 June 1939, 70 years since the Bucharest Filaret-Giurgiu route became operational. All the other items were displayed in a 45 meter-long room improvised in one of the arenas of the stadium.
    In the spring of 1953 the Technical Railway Museum was inaugurated in the building where it remained until today on Calea Grivitei 193B. The Museum opened its doors the day they celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the Bucharest Filaret-Giurgiu route opening in 1969.
    The collections were enriched over the time with original documents, scale models, photographs, uniforms, clocks and many others.
    Upon orders from the leadership of the Transport Ministry, many original items were categorized, filed managed. For instance the steam engines from the Locomotive Museum at the Sibiu Depot are the propriety of the CFR Museum in Bucharest.
    Presently efforts are made to display the Museum yard the narrow rail steam locomotive 763.106 that is currently stored in improper conditions. We can mention a few locomotives that are currently national patrimony:

• the steam engine 046 Calugareni at the Passengers Depot Bucharest;
• the steam engine 1467 at the Sibiu Depot;
• the Diesel Electric engine 241-242 at the Dej Triage Depot.

    Aside from those inside the museum there are also items belonging to the patrimony:

• the edict from the sultan Abdul Madjid from 1857;
• the work desk placated in marble, belonging to the engineer Anghel Saligny;
• the diesel injector Theodor Dragu;
• the “activity certificate” belonging to engineer I V Cantacuzino, issued by the Swiss Railways.

    The museum hosts a real history of Romanian railways that is best remembered.
    In the halls of the museum, the items are displayed in several ways.
    The main hall hosts scale models of steam engines among which, a central place occupies the renowned Pacific.
    A giant diorama is also here, depicting the evolution of wagons and locomotives over the time. In the middle, of the diorama there is an ancient train made of a 231 locomotive and two freightliner wagons. The train is 9 meters long; the locomotive is 5 meters including the caboose.
    Then there are plates that were once mounted on the ancient steam engines: Maffei, Hanomag, Resita and others.
    The functional scale model is a great attraction for children and not only.
    In the middle room there are scale models for wagons and a table that a station chief used in the 19^th century. Also there are clocks Siemens-Halsche, old tools amd a flag that used to belong to the Locomotive Mechanics Union from Cluj in 1927.
    The middle hall hosts a mechanical bicycle that circulated on the rails between the Wars.
    An interesting tunnel separates the halls. A crossing hall hosts lanterns. As a curiosity you can admire a mini-lantern that was used by train companions.
    In the last hall there are items of great historic value that would honor any museum in the world. Among them there are:

• the original desk that belonged to engineer Anghel Saligny (a worktable silver inkpot, glasses, paintings, a carpet and a marble table with the ancient map of the country) that his family donate;
• fast tele-printer Hughes (30 words/minute without decoding the message with a unique design – piano keys);
• the edict signed by the sultan Abdul Medjid (1857) for the concession of the Cernavoda-Constanta railway;
• the ransom papers for the same line from 1862 by the Romanian state;
• tele-printer Siemens with metallic keys;
• a sword for gala uniforms CFR;
• medals of great value;
• uniforms, hats, clocks from all over Europe;
• the “grease box” Gheorghe Cosmovici – a great invention that innovation that facilitated the functioning of the steam engines with an oil change every three years;
• original parts from old steam engines .

    All these items are real witnesses to the beginnings of the railways. Every piece has a special significance. The CFR Museum takes a special place in the cultural landscape of Bucharest. Every railway worker can find a piece of himself here, remembering the work of his ancestors.
    Every one of us can become “a steady traveler of an unchanging world” as the poet Octavian Goga said.
    The CFR Museum awaits visitors with opened arms.

Curator Camil Gheorghe Pavel