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 house, which is usually closed and quiet, 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, the constant whistles,... although noisy, it was "strangely attractive".

Mr. Tuan remembers clearly the first time he took a train to Da Lat with his family in 1965, admiring the beautiful natural scenery of the country through the window. The “little 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 would 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 discarded things 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, neatly arranged with objects. 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 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 this is one of the valuable relics of the railway industry that he was lucky to keep. “In the 1980s, these types of locomotives were dismantled by workers and sold, so I had to contact and keep them, so they still exist today,” Mr. Tuan said. The logo of our country’s railway 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.

But the biggest regret of Mr. Tuan 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 because of personal reasons. "I have been to many provinces and visited many museums but have not found any place that still preserves this machine. I hope the Railway industry will pay attention and invest in a large museum so that the artifacts will not be lost like this again," 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 more than 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 as well as 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 also 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 and grandchildren 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 and grandchildren want to sell them, they can sell them, because at this age I have lived with my passion. I only 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 be assigned to organize 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 visited and talked with railway staff at Gia Lam Railway Factory, May 19, 1955" was kept by Mr. Tuan.

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