With Whistle, Smoke and Sound
The Place is National Bal Bhavan
Where Mini Train is found
Photo caption for a picture of the Mini Train
The Train runs around
The Mini Train is the star attraction of the National Bal Bhavan. Ride in this train is enjoyed by children and adults alike. The Mini Train is a complete
miniature Railway, donated to Bal Bhavan by the children's beloved Late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, through the Northern Railways in 1958. Messrs Krauss Maffic A.G. and Tata Locomotive Engineering Company Limited, Jamshedpur gifted a mini steam locomotive. It has two open coaches and has seating arrangement for fifty-two persons. There is a Railway Station called Khel Gaon a name very appropriate to its character. Alongwith the station building, there is an engine house for keeping the Mini Engine with a turn-table so that the engine can be turned around to run in both directions. The track of this Mini Locomotive is of Y3 gauge, about a mile long and circumvents the National Bal Bhavan complex. Part of the track is a tunnel and a bridge, both very realistic and functional. There is an automatically operated signal system too. Children love to take a joy ride and are thrilled on getting a chance to perform the duties of the train guard. On such occasions, the most exciting moment is to give a go signal to the mini train and stop it by waving the red flag. This steam locomotive is the smallest and
so is the track gauge on which it runs.
The Mini Train has had the privilege of giving rides to many dignitaries including Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Shri Ramaswamy Venkataraman, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, Smt. Indira Gandhi, Shri Rajiv Gandhi, Shri Chandra Shekhar, Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao, Shri
Jagjiwan Ram, Shri Madhav Rao Scindia, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy. The Mini Train is operational on all working days and National Bal Bhavan is proud to have this.