Hungarian Railway Museum
Encyclopedia
The Hungarian Railway Museum (Hungarian
: Magyar Vasúttörténeti Park) is a railway museum
located in Budapest
, Hungary
at a depot
of the Hungarian State Railways
(MÁV). The museum covers more than 70,000 square meters and it features over one hundred exhibits, including railway vehicles and equipment.
s of the Hungarian State Railways, ranging from steam engine
s to electric engine
s, of which some are still operational. The museum also exhibits other forms of rail transport
, such as hand-powered cars
and inspection cars
. Some exhibits include a teak dining car
built for the Orient Express
and the Árpád railcar, respectively built in 1912 and 1934.
The museum also has an automobile, a Soviet
Chaika, that has served as an official car of Hungarian Prime Minister Jenő Fock
. The car was later converted by the Hungarian State Railways to travel on rails.
The main building of the museum features exhibitions on the history of railway stations, railway equipment and the history of railways in Hungary. Many of the exhibits can be interacted with, such as operating a handcart and experiencing an engine simulator that was originally built for the MÁV V63. There is also a building with model railways
. The museum has a ridable miniature railway
for children. The museum also features a turntable and a roundhouse
with 34 bays.
The operational locomotives are used for nostalgic railway trips starting from Budapest.
One of the steam locomotive
s at the Hungarian Railway Museum is the MÁV 411.118
of the USATC S160 Class
.
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
: Magyar Vasúttörténeti Park) is a railway museum
Railway museum
A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives , railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment.See List of railway museums...
located in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
at a depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
of the Hungarian State Railways
Hungarian State Railways
Hungarian State Railways is the Hungarian national railway company, with divisions "MÁV Start Zrt" and "MÁV Cargo Zrt" ....
(MÁV). The museum covers more than 70,000 square meters and it features over one hundred exhibits, including railway vehicles and equipment.
Overview
The museum has a fleet with many locomotiveLocomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s of the Hungarian State Railways, ranging from steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s to electric engine
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s, of which some are still operational. The museum also exhibits other forms of rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
, such as hand-powered cars
Handcar
A handcar is a railroad car powered by its passengers, or by people pushing the car from behind. It is mostly used as a maintenance of way or mining car, but it was also used for passenger service in some cases...
and inspection cars
Rail inspection
Rail inspection is the practice of examining rail tracks for flaws that could lead to catastrophic failures. According to the United States Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis, track defects are the second leading cause of accidents on railways in the United States. The...
. Some exhibits include a teak dining car
Dining car
A dining car or restaurant carriage , also diner, is a railroad passenger car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant....
built for the Orient Express
Orient Express
The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run.The route and rolling stock...
and the Árpád railcar, respectively built in 1912 and 1934.
The museum also has an automobile, a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Chaika, that has served as an official car of Hungarian Prime Minister Jenő Fock
Jeno Fock
Jenő Fock was a Hungarian Communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Hungary from 1967 to 1975....
. The car was later converted by the Hungarian State Railways to travel on rails.
The main building of the museum features exhibitions on the history of railway stations, railway equipment and the history of railways in Hungary. Many of the exhibits can be interacted with, such as operating a handcart and experiencing an engine simulator that was originally built for the MÁV V63. There is also a building with model railways
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
. The museum has a ridable miniature railway
Ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives .-Overview:Typically they have a rail track gauge between and , though both larger and...
for children. The museum also features a turntable and a roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
with 34 bays.
The operational locomotives are used for nostalgic railway trips starting from Budapest.
One of the steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s at the Hungarian Railway Museum is the MÁV 411.118
MÁV Class 411
thumb|right|250px|MÁV Class 411The MÁV Class 411 was a class of steam locomotives used by Hungarian railways.-History:After World War II there was a severe shortage on locomotives in Hungary, as the MÁV stock was partly destroyed in war actions or taken away by the German troops to Germany and to...
of the USATC S160 Class
USATC S160 Class
The United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Class is a class of 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive designed for use in Europe during World War II for heavy freight work...
.