Special railway collection of Mr. Tuan "train driver"

The house of Mr. Dang Anh Tuan (72 years old), located next to Dam Market, Nha Trang City, about one kilometer from Nha Trang Station, has long been famous. Because his unique train collection in Vietnam is considered by many to be a "miniature museum" of the Railway industry.

In the room on the upper floor of the usually closed house is Mr. Tuan's massive property after a nearly 30-year accumulation journey. He said that at that time, his family lived near Nha Trang station, so his entire childhood was associated with the sound of train engines chugging, the constant whistles,... although noisy, it was "strangely attractive".

Mr. Tuan clearly remembers the first time he took a train to Da Lat with his relatives in 1965, admiring the beautiful natural scenery of the country through the window. The “young boy” at that time began to dream of one day driving these trains himself.

Ten years later, at the age of 18, young man Dang Anh Tuan officially entered the Railway industry, and was one of the few members participating in the first train driving class of Phu Khanh province (Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa before the province was split).

By the spring of 1977, Mr. Tuan officially sat in the engine as a co-driver, running the Nha Trang - Tuy Hoa route. "At that time, I felt like I was riding the wind, so happy", he excitedly recalled his youth. The more he traveled, the more he found Vietnam to be extremely spectacular and beautiful.

After a while, Mr. Tuan returned to take charge of locomotive repair work in Nha Trang. Although he had many regrets, he realized that his new job position was extremely important, "a small mistake could endanger thousands of people". Therefore, his love for the job and his passion for trains became even more intense.

Because of his special position, he also had the opportunity to approach and "pick up" and buy all kinds of things that people threw away, such as locomotives, rails, and sleepers, to bring home and accumulate. Now, these "seemingly discarded" specimens and models are telling the story of the Vietnam Railway industry.

Standing out in his room is a glass cabinet with neatly arranged objects inside. Notably, there are 8 inspection hammers for locomotive repair workers that he made himself during his working time. “The hammers are used to tap on machine parts to check screws and springs. Because of the difficulties at that time, engineers and workers all made their own hammers,” said Mr. Tuan. Over time, the hammers are still shiny black because he often takes them out to clean and cherish them like a friend.

One of the specimens that Mr. Tuan is most fond of is a series of precious steel and bronze reliefs that were once mounted on Vietnamese railway locomotives. Pointing to the “Vietnam Railway” shield, he said that this is one of the valuable relics of the railway industry that he was lucky enough to keep. “In the 1980s, these types of locomotives were dismantled by workers and sold, so I had to contact and keep them, which is why they still exist today,” Mr. Tuan said. The logo of our country’s railways at that time was “HXV”, short for Vietnam Railway.

There are also other valuable reliefs such as the logo of the Fives Lille steam locomotive manufactured in 1949 in France and used in Vietnam; the logo of the Alsacienne 231.300 (4-6-4) steam locomotive manufactured in France in 1947 and used in Vietnam; the logo of the diesel locomotive manufactured by the General Electric Group in the US in 1965 and brought to Vietnam for use, etc.

Another “witness” to the development of the Vietnam Railway industry that he is keeping are the train tickets. The tattered, faded train tickets are wrapped in thin plastic sheets and placed neatly in a glass frame. Dozens of train tickets from many periods, with different shapes, sizes and colors. According to him, many people do not pay attention and often throw away train tickets, so it is very difficult to find and keep them. However, he has basically completed his own train ticket collection.

However, Mr. Tuan's biggest regret in his journey of collecting railways is that he could not buy the ticket-making machine of Nha Trang station, which was liquidated during the renovation, just for personal reasons. "I have been to many provinces and visited many museums but have not found any place that still preserves this machine. I really hope that the Railway industry will pay attention and invest in a large museum so that the artifacts will not be lost like this anymore," Mr. Tuan confided.

In addition to artifacts, he also collected hundreds of images and valuable stamps related to the Vietnam Railway industry and the world . His stamp collection alone is over 700 pieces, preserved as books to tell the history of the Vietnam Railway industry. Among them, the most impressive is the super rare stamp set about the locomotives of the first reunification train connecting the South and North in 1976.

In 2023, he submitted the stamp set “Locomotive - The journey of my life” to the Taipei Asian International Stamp Exhibition, and won the Silver Prize in the Technology category. This stamp set tells the history of the development of the railway industry and locomotives in Vietnam and the world through each period. “For me, each period of the railway helps me remember the journey of my life,” Mr. Tuan shared.

In addition to artifacts related to the Vietnam Railway industry, Mr. Tuan also owns many train models from countries around the world. “My friends and family know that I love trains, so they give me models to enrich my collection,” Mr. Tuan said with a smile, adding that since he started his journey of collecting railways, his family has always supported him, creating more motivation for him to live his passion until this age.

However, Mr. Tuan does not force or expect his children to continue his passion, but in his heart he still hopes that the specimens and models related to "railway" will be preserved over time. "Later, if my children want to sell them, they can sell them, because at this age I have lived with my passion. I just hope that the artifacts will continue to promote their value, telling the history of the development of our country's railway industry"./.

October 21 every year is the traditional day of Vietnam Railway industry.

On October 21, 1946, the staff and workers of the Vietnam Railways were honored to receive the task of organizing a special train to welcome President Ho Chi Minh from Hai Phong to Hanoi after his visit to France. This event marked a milestone in the history of our country's Railways.

The image "Uncle Ho visits and talks with railway staff at Gia Lam Railway Factory, May 19, 1955" is kept by Mr. Tuan.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/bo-suu-tap-dac-biet-ve-duong-sat-cua-ong-tuan-hoa-xa-20241021153739846.htm