Timeless treasure trove: A visit to Heritage Transport Museum

On a chilly winter morning in January, I forced myself out of bed to get ready for the day ahead. I quickly packed a box of sandwiches and rushed down the stairs to get inside a cab that was waiting to take me to my destination – The Heritage Transport Museum, located in Taoru, Gurugram. After almost two and a half hours and over 80 kilometres later, I arrived at this place which encapsulates the evolution of transportation in India. In hindsight, the nearly 100 kilometres trip from my home in Ghaziabad to the museum in such little time would not have been possible some 125 years ago.  

With this thought in mind, I entered the sprawling 90,000 square feet campus dotted with innovative transport-themed installations. A huge tree-shaped model of traffic lights immediately caught my attention, setting the tone for my experiential ride ahead. While most of the exhibits are housed inside a four-storied building, some vintage locomotives have been displayed outdoors including a 1940’s wood-bodied tram from Kolkata and a 1953 Jung steam locomotive, earlier stationed in Bihar.  

At the building entrance, I was greeted with ‘Namaste’ – an art installation featuring two 2004 Maruti Alto cars joined together to resemble folded hands. It sits above square-shaped bricks made from vehicle scrap – singing an ode to those cars which once were part of some families.  

I then pushed bicycle handles attached to the building’s glass doors; these filled in for the traditional ones. I was teleported to the world of transportation on the word go. A large racing car replica hanging above, an idol of Lord Ganesha made from vehicle scrap and a 1951 red Morris Minor converted into a reception desk enchanted me. Painted tyres made up for a side table near the Minor and an Ambassador car boot served as a sofa at the souvenir stall. Tables at the cafeteria were decorated with car-themed clothes while rear-view mirrors from trucks lined up a wall in the loo, keeping me hooked to the theme of the day – transportation. 

An immersive experience

Established in 2013, the museum is divided into various vintage galleries intertwined with contemporary and tribal art installations. The significance of every object and collection is put into focus through placards and informative wall hangings. Visitors are also handed over headsets for personalized audio tour of each gallery, giving them an immersive experience.   

A tour of the museum costs INR 400 for an adult and INR 200 for children under 12 and students. It takes an average of one and a half hours to explore the exhaustive displays on the four floors. Interestingly, there are no stairs connecting these floors, but ramps and a lift, making for a wheelchair friendly place.  

A simulator van near the cafeteria takes you on a mesmerizing ride through the Great Wall of China while the library on the second floor is a knowledge hub for any vehicle enthusiast. The museum also hosts educational tours and weekend fun activities for students. Regular screenings of films on transportation are held in a mini auditorium. The venue can be hired for events and a conference room booked for meetings. 

The story of wheel

The tour starts at the helm of transportation – the wheel – showing its evolution over time. Wheel revolutionised the way humans traveled and propelled them towards civilization. It was invented in the 4th millennium BC in Mesopotamia or the modern- day Iraq but there is evidence that the concept existed in the Indus Valley civilization or present-day India and Pakistan around the same time.   

A miniature clay wheel – Bird Cart – dating back to 1000-800 BC from the Indus Valley’s Bajur district (modern-day Pakistan) sits in a small, illuminated showcase in the wheel gallery. It has been kept as testament to the fact that people at that time were aware of the use of the wheel for movement. “It is the most outstanding display in the museum,” said Ragini Bhat, Curator.  

The exhibit shows how the earlier wheels were plain and solid with a hole at the centre for placing axle. These were followed by single and double hubbed wheels and then came spoke wheels. Eventually, wood was replaced by metal and pneumatic tyres were added to them. “In future, we might see rimless and tubeless tyres,” Bhat exclaimed. 

Pre-Mechanised Transportation

Elephant and camel rides today have become a fun activity, but they played a significant role in the bygone era. Animal-drawn and human-powered vehicles were the primitive forms of land transportation before the advent of mechanisation. The museum showcases a variety of bullock carts, horse carriages, camel carts and palanquins (wheel-less, human-held carriages). These vehicles were often decorated with lamps, finials and jhools (elephant cloth), which have also been displayed alongside. “The craftsmanship and decoration on these vehicles revealed the status or class of people while the ones with curtains were used by women,” Bhat explained.  

Jodhpur Saloon

My favourite section of the museum is this quaint corner depicting an old-fashioned railway platform. A 1930 royal carriage is stationed on a track filled with gravel while a tunnel is painted on the shutter in front to deliver a 3D effect. The carriage belonged to Bombay Baroda and central Indian Railway and was used by dignitaries for their travel purposes. Later in 1981-82, it became a part of the ‘Palace on Wheels’ – a luxury railway tourism programme of the Rajasthan government. “I approached them in the year 2,000 to acquire the Jodhpur Saloon,” said Tarun Thakral, Founder and Managing Trustee of the museum.  

The old-world railway platform comes to life with exquisitely curated paraphernalia such as a ticket punching machine, a rotary dial phone, a quintessential railway bench, a tea stall around the corner and a suspended clock. The wall is lined up with old railway advertisements and sign boards while miniature rail models, collectibles and memorabilia have been housed in a showcase.  

Heavy Mechanised Transportation

This section has been designed like a bus depot and displays some classic and vintage buses and vans. A particular 1956 Fargo bus catches instant attention for being the rawest object on display. It has been parked in the museum in just the condition it was brought in to give visitors a taste of reality. “Every object you see here has been restored and revived but this particular bus has been kept as is,” Bhat said. A collaborative product of Premier Automobiles and Chrysler, this bus last ferried passengers in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati.   

A wall of this exhibition has been dedicated to the beauty of truck art in India and Pakistan, showing the creative expression of the working class. Heavily decorated panels of a truck have been installed in the wall while shutters across the so-called depot have been painted to resemble art done on these commercial vehicles. Slogans – some romantic, some social messages and some warnings to co-drivers – are interspersed with religious symbols. Tassels, scarves and other accessories hang from panels. “Truckers treat these vehicles as their second home because they spend a lot of time on roads. The men think of the trucks as their beloved,” Bhat explained.  

Blooming of car industry

Car ownership in India was initially limited to the rich and royal. In 1898, a steam-driven Oldsmobile from General Motors became the first American car to be imported to India. Through the 1930s, cars were mostly imports only, and in small numbers. In 1942, pre-Independent India, BM Birla established the first indigenous automobile company – Hindustan Motors (HM) – in collaboration with UK’s Morris Motors. It became famous for producing the Ambassador car – a name that instills nostalgia.   

The car gallery in the museum is divided into five sections – Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Other Independents and Bollywood. It displays over 75 vintage and classic cars including some that were imported to India during the 1900s. Most of these models are American and were a part of Thakral’s private collection before being displayed at the museum. “In 1990s, I had developed a passion for collecting vintage vehicles. Then I got bored of collecting just cars and started collecting buses, palanquins, bullock carts, etc. After seeing many transport museums the world over, I decided to give India one of its own,” Thakral passionately said. 

A blue 1932 Chevrolet Phaeton flagged off the museum collection. A 1935 Buick Limo series parked at the museum was once part of the princely state of Ayodhya. A white 1960 Chevrolet Impala with its wide body and long wheelbase immediately caught my attention for its unusual design. Another favorite of mine is a cute little hatch from Volkswagen – 1963 Beetle. The gallery also hosts HM Ambassador and Premier Padmini. 

A 20-minute indulgent tour of the car gallery – encompassing an entire floor – took me through a timeless journey of evolution of cars in India. A row of vintage cars sits against a backdrop of an old Indian street with a line-up of shops from yester-years. Paraphernalia of collectible lamps, sign boards, ads and memorabilia light up the quaint scene.   

A 1920s petrol station has been re-created in the middle of the gallery to evoke nostalgia. Old pump hose, gasoline cans and collectible car accessories have been showcased alongside for an experiential journey. A small section is dedicated to cars from Bollywood and the highlight is the red open-top DC Gypsy used in movie Dil Toh Pagal Hai.   

Two-wheelers and indigenous transport

The museum displays vintage two-wheelers such as bicycles, mopeds, scooters and motorcycles. Models like Lambretta LD 150, Vespa with sidecar, Bajaj Chetak, Rajdoot and Royal Enfield bikes made me sentimental. A small section has been dedicated to Hero Honda, a joint venture company established in 1984. It split into two separate entities in 2011 – Hero MotoCorp and Honda Motorcycle. A futuristic art installation of a concept motorcycle with rimless tyres juxtaposes the old two-wheelers.   

A row of indigenous means of transportation, colloquially called phat-phat, chakhda, jugaad, and ganesha, bring some colour to the exhibit. These were mostly used for transporting a group of passengers and were created by local mechanics using parts and panels of different vehicles. For example, a phat-phat used the front and engine of a Harley-Davidson attached to a bright rear passenger carrier which was beautified with bright hues.   

Aviation and Maritime galleries

These galleries tell the story of evolution of air and water transportation in India through various artworks, posters and sourced objects. A 1947 Piper Cub J3C Aircraft, known for its use in training pilots during WWII, hangs from the ceiling in the aviation section. It is one of the 8,000 J3C aircraft that became a part of the Lucknow flight club post independence.   

Thakral’s most prized possession hangs on a wall in this gallery – Framed Indian National Flag from the Apollo Mission 15, 1971.  It is the first and only flag from India that has been to the Moon and back. “I won this in an auction in the US. This is an irreplaceable possession and brings pride to me as an Indian,” he said.  

Childhood Nostalgia

A small toy section in the museum is dedicated to the kids of 1900s. Old collectible wooden and tin toy cars, pedal cars, royal prams shaped like vehicles from 1950s and 1960s have been laid out in showcases. The chassis of Ambassador car is stationed in the adjacent gallery, which details the evolution of engine.  

Contemporary and Tribal Art

Stories are best told by engaging one’s creative senses and the museum does this by interlacing art with objects of historical value. Every gallery nurtures some thematic artwork while there is also a dedicated section showing art on vehicles. A 1962 Chevrolet with dome mirrors all over it hangs between the ground floor and the basement. It has been transformed by renowned artist Hetal Shukla into an artwork, called ‘Multiplicity’, reflecting the world around us.   

I was full of beans on seeing the Mothership – another art installation suspended from ceiling. It is created from the headlamps and taillights of various vehicles, resembling a spaceship. The artwork by Vishal K Dar depicts the future of travel. 

As my joyride ended, I snapped memories and exchanged goodbyes with the hospitable museum staff.