Tai Po is an area that I hadn’t explored much. It was long overdue! After reading this book about Hong Kong for kids, I decided to travel to Tai Po.
My first stop was at the Hong Kong Railway Museum, which is located at the former KCR Tai Po Market Station. It opened in 1985 and illustrates the history of the British section of the old Kowloon-Canton Railway.
The old station building dates back to 1913. It is built in traditional Chinese style with pitched roof. Its ridges and gables are decorated with motifs such as red bats, peonies and magpies. It is home to a small exhibition area and booking office.
Outside there is much more to see: a narrow gauge steam locomotive, a diesel electric locomotive and what is the most fun – six historical coaches!
The carriages are all open to walk through, showing the difference between first class circa 1964, and third class circa 1911.
It is a small museum – but it is free to enter (open every day except Tuesdays) and you can roam about as much as you like. I would not travel all the way from Hong Kong Island just to see the museum (I explored more in Tai Po, more about this in the next post), but if you are in the area, definitely check it out!
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