Heritage This Way → A Story of Life on the Move

Sharad Kohli

Jun-July 2025 Vol 02, Issue 5

Heritage This Way → A Story of Life on the Move

Without transport, we likely would not have an economy. We wouldn’t be able to travel, whether for leisure, family or work. Our lives would still go on, of course, but at a pace only our ancestors could relate to. And the story of moving – across cities, countries and continents, from the birth of the wheel to the launch of the latest hi-tech mode of travel – is wonderfully captured at the Heritage Transport Museum.

Now into its 12th year, the Heritage Transport Museum – founded by vintage and classic car enthusiast Tarun Thakral, who is also its managing trustee – breathed new life into the fusty world of Indian museums when it opened in December 2013, attracting tourists from across the country and abroad with its magnificent and diverse collection of motors and automobiles, bikes and cycles, and transport designed for rail, sea and air.

Spread across 90,000 square feet and four levels, the museum presents visitors with a fascinating peek into every facet of transportation. Whether you’re a transport buff or not, there is so much to behold here, including public utility vehicles, indigenous vehicles, two-wheelers, automobiles of every type – among them marvels from the golden age of cars – and also reminders of travel from the pre-mechanised era. And you won’t want to miss the bus when it comes to the history of aviation, railways, trams, and boats, each of which has a gallery dedicated to it.

Engagingly, there is even a section featuring toy models, the sight of which will bring back many a childhood memory. Then there’s the basement, given over to some vintage beauties, a walk among which really does take you back. Sleek, stylish and sexy are just some of the adjectives you could use to describe these classic models, among them Chrysler, Chevrolet, and Rolls Royce (just to name a few). The enamel signs advertising cars, petroleum companies, engine oils and other related products, alongside an old-school fuel station and workshops, give this space an even more old-fashioned feel.

But there’s more than just visual delights here. In the lonesome whistle of a train and the comforting jingle of a cycle bell are the soundtrack of an era long gone but still fondly remembered. Meanwhile, song clips from Bollywood films from back in the day, reveal the happy marriage between Indian cinema and desi but sturdy, made-for-Indian-roads transport.

Interactive and family friendly, the Heritage Transport Museum – run by non-profit Heritage Transportation Trust (founded 2006) – is a treasure trove of transport history that promises a nostalgic journey back in time. It makes for a leisurely day out, just like one of those rides into the country in an Ambassador or Fiat.