Museum for Railway Technology Novosibirsk
The Museum for Railway Technology Novosibirsk is a railway museum in Novosibirsk. It was formally opened in 2000 near Seyatel railway station, at the Novosibirsk–Berdsk line and is the second largest transport museum in Russia after the Central Railway Museum in St Petersburg.
History
Nikolai Akulinin was the founder of the museum. He worked from 1946 to 1955 at the North Caucasus Railway and since 1955 at various railways in Siberia. After retiring in 1984, he started to work on the collection of the museum for several years, storing the relevant exhibits on the circular track of the All-Russian Railway Research Institute. In 1998 the West Siberian Railway endorsed the establishment of a museum. Preparatory work lasted until 2000, when the museum was formally inaugurated on 4 August 2000 during the celebrations of the Railway Day. Contrary to his wish, it was named after Nikolai Akulininas, who was also its first director.The open-air museum presents 17 steam locomotives, 15 diesel locomotives, 12 electro locomotives, carriages and paraphernalia from the 19th and 20th century, mainly from Russian and Soviet production. In addition, some locomotives from the United States, Czechoslovakia and Hungary are exhibited. The museum has also a collection of mainly Soviet cars, and since 2006 some foreign classic cars.
The museum has also an educational obligation: It organises seminars and conferences, which cover a wide variety of railway related topics.