We often throw away the unwanted and torn out things or sell it to the scrap dealer. However, the authorities at National Rail Museum, located in Chankyapuri, Delhi, have decided to do something creative. In an environment friendly move, the National Rail Museum has decided to turn the old bogies into administrative blocks, where officers carry on the work related to the museum.
The idea, originally by former Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani, has been implemented by Amit Saurastri, the director of National Rail Museum. In a recent interview to The Times of India, Saurastri said, “Our staff worked from scattered rooms on our huge complex, making it difficult to connect and communicate. Now everybody sits together at our new railway ‘station’.”
The offices are different from the usual offices made of concrete and bricks. It consists of two brightly dark red painted bogies, with a yellow sign board reading, “Administrative block.” The sign board resembles those placed at railway stations with the name of the station and details on altitude.
These coaches-turned-offices have been at service at Northern Railways for almost 25 years. While the fitting of the director’s office, along with the visitor room and a work space for staff has already been completed, the complete furnishings will be completed by September 1, making the new office block fully functional.
The office structure comes along with new flooring, partitioning, installation of electrical and the other required furnishings. To add, the office has been on much lower cost than what would have been required for a brick and concrete office.