Steam Locomotives Outdoors
Šiauliai Railway Museum is a branch of the Lithuanian Railway Museum where heavy railway equipment - steam locomotives, draisines, and wagons - is displayed. The roughly 13 ha open exhibition stands next to the Šiauliai railway depot, making it a place where old locomotives can be viewed at close range.
Do not confuse it with the main Railway Museum in Vilnius, which is an interactive indoor exhibition. Šiauliai focuses on the large exhibits: it is the rolling-stock wing of the same museum.
Outdoor Display: Locomotives, Draisines, Wagons
The open steam-locomotive display began forming in 2004 through the initiative of Algirdas Karužis, head of the Šiauliai railway infrastructure unit. Exhibits include the PT-4-153 narrow-gauge steam locomotive, L-0106 broad-gauge steam locomotive, track-laying equipment, draisines, and a narrow-gauge wagon.
Some locomotives were made in 1947-1948. The outdoor exhibits also include a deportation wagon, recalling the painful history of Soviet deportations. Because the display is inside an active railway-depot territory, it can be visited during museum hours or by prior arrangement, not at any time of day.
Indoor Exhibition and the History of 1871
The indoor exhibition is arranged in two halls. The first tells the story of the Šiauliai railway from 1871, when the station was built and the first train reached the city. Photographs, documents, and objects explain the history, and after renewal the exhibition conveys the atmosphere of the interwar railway.
In 1871-1873 the Liepāja-Romny railway was laid across Lithuania, and Šiauliai became one of the region's most important railway junctions. This history explains why a railway museum operates in the city.
Visiting
The museum was founded in 1971 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Šiauliai railway; its initiator was station chief Aronas Petuchovskis. Today it is part of the Lithuanian Railway Museum.
Check the official Šiauliai Railway Museum page for hours, ticket and family-offer terms. Arrange your visit by phone in advance, especially for the outdoor display. Continue a railway-heritage route at the Vilnius Railway Museum or Anykščiai narrow-gauge railway.
