Shanghai Railway Museum 2 – What’s Inside?

Well…not that much really but a few interesting bits and pieces and, most importantly, a couple of trains. As you’d expect in modern China a lot of space is taken up with nonsense about new train lines and the future. I was delighted to see a bunch of Chinese schoolkids inside the day I went getting a dreary lecture from a museum guide telling them not to worry about the old stuff (!!) but just think about the new fast train between Shanghai and Beijing. I’m pleased to report that the kids unanimously spent 10 seconds on the high speed train and then ran en-masse to see the steam trains, leaving the guide fuming. He didn’t understand that high speed trains are good but not romantic and that nobody would be interested in seeing Harry Potter go to Hogwarts on a Maglev!!

The Shanghai Railway Museum does have a 1940 US-built steam train that did run in China – see below. Also very nice is the 1930 carriage which also has a back viewing platform – those of you familiar with Shanghai Express (1932) will recall a key scene between Clive Brook (Doc Harvey) and Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Lily) on just such a carriage viewing platform – and I found a pic of that! Also worth a look is a smaller (and again US built) 1920s train that apparently used to run in Kunming – though not sure it’s the one I’ve previously posted – I offer both below for comparison.

A magnificent 1940 built US train

A 1930 carriage

the rear platform of the carriage

Shanghai Lil and Doc Harvey on the rear viewing platform of the Shanghai Express in 1932 working out their relationship issues – He was smart enough to know that despite her spectacularly dodgy past Dietrich was worth sacrificing everything for…obviously

A US-built train from 1920 that worked in Kunming

A picture from the 1930s sometime of the Yunnan-Hanoi train at Kunming station – similar sort of engine (admittedly this is the comment on a non-professional train spotter!)