An old photograph of Kharagpur rail yard and that of (below) locomotives from the railway archive

Bhubaneswar, July 22: School and college students will get a chance to connect with the mode of transportation that connects a million lives everyday.

Indian Railways that has a glorious past turned 160 this year. To commemorate its 160th anniversary, the railway ministry has announced a photo exhibition showcasing the railways’ evolution and glimpses of its most treasured moments. The weeklong exhibition will be unveiled at Railway Stadium of the East Coast Railway at Mancheswar on July 31. It will be open from 11am to 5pm.

Since school and college students are more likely to gain from such an enriching experience, to make it more interesting, actual models of trains, stations, signals and tracks will also be displayed. Schools interested to take their students in groups have been requested to contact officials at the office of the railway’s chief public relations officer.

“I hope that my school will arrange a trip to the exhibition, where we can learn a lot about Indian Railways,” said Supriti Samal, a Class VII student at a private school.

Motley of black and white and colour photographs will portray about the railways’ achievements. The exhibition will display more than 200 rare photographs. The images will be divided into various categories.

Snaps from various epochs will be clubbed together. While some pictures will showcase the evolution of the stations’ architecture, others will focus on locomotives and trains that have survived the test of times. Moreover, there will be photos of personalities associated with the so-called “lifeline” of the Indian transport system. Pictures of old carriages and wagons may also interest the visitors.

“The exhibition will make the citizens acquainted with ancient trains, engines and political dignitaries, who set off for their historical journeys in a train. It would be a nostalgic experience for travellers, who have taken umpteen number of rides in trains,” said chief public relations officer of the East Coast Railway J.P. Mishra.