China Railway Museum

China Railway Museum

The China Railway Museum is a national-level specialized museum officially renamed in September 2003 from the Science and Technology Museum of the former Ministry of Railways. It is located on the north side of Courtyard No. 1, Beijiujiqiao North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, covering an area of 157,334 square meters with a construction area of 20,500 square meters. The architectural style is elegant, fresh, and modern, reflecting not only the beauty of contemporary architecture but also inheriting the characteristics of traditional Chinese architecture, embodying rich cultural significance. The museum houses and displays over 60 precious historical locomotives and rolling stock. It includes three sections: the Locomotive and Rolling Stock Exhibition Hall, the Comprehensive Exhibition Hall, and the Thematic Exhibition Hall.

The 16,500-square-meter Locomotive and Rolling Stock Exhibition Hall officially opened to the public on November 2, 2002. The hall’s eight display tracks showcase nearly 60 locomotives and rolling stock from different historical periods of China’s railway development, making it the largest of its kind in China. Among the exhibits are China’s oldest surviving steam locomotive, locomotives named after revolutionary leaders, various foreign locomotives used in old China, China’s first generation of domestically designed diesel and electric locomotives after the founding of the People’s Republic, vintage railway passenger cars, special trains used by national leaders, as well as various types of hard-seat cars, sleeping cars, dining cars, luggage vans, and freight wagons. The most distinctive feature is the grand array of 30 valuable historical steam locomotives. The famous “No. 0 Locomotive,” “Mao Zedong Locomotive,” and “Zhu De Locomotive” represent different historical and revolutionary commemorations. Various models such as the JF, KD7, SN, SL, and KF types vividly illustrate the historical trajectory of traction power in the century-long development of railways. Locomotives such as the Shengli (Victory), Jianshe (Construction), Renmin (People), and Qianjin (Advance), designed and built after the founding of New China, include the very first unit of each model carefully preserved. These exhibits fully reflect the glorious journey of China’s railway development and stand as historical testimonies to its growth from nonexistence to advancement, and from backwardness to modernity.

The main structure of the Comprehensive Exhibition Hall of the Railway Museum has been completed, showcasing over a hundred years of railway history.

In the era of China’s rapid railway development, the China Railway Museum is committed to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting railway cultural relics, promoting the industrial culture of railways with Chinese characteristics, popularizing railway science and technology knowledge, and serving as a window into both the material and spiritual civilization of China’s railways.

Address: North Side, No. 1 Beijiujiqiao North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday (9:00–16:00); Closed on Mondays

Bus: Take bus 403 or 629 to Huanxing Tiedao Station, then walk 1,000 meters east

Driving: From Siyuan Bridge, take the Jing-Shun Road, turn right at the third traffic light at Dashan Bridge, continue straight on Beijiujiqiao North Road, head east to the HuanTie gate, then turn left to reach the museum.

Address: No. 2A Qianmen Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Type: Museum

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 010-67051638

Opening Hours:

9:00-17:00

Ticket Information:

Door Price: 20.0 RMB

Information Source: Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China