Rare Weighing Machine Added To Mysuru Railway Museum

This heritage exhibition shows how passenger goods and parcels were handled on railways before the advent of electronic weighing machines.

This machine was built by Henry Pooley & Son, a well-known firm of Liverpool, England

Mysuru: A 2,000-kg mechanical weighing machine built in the late 1880s is a new addition to the Mysuru Railway Museum. The platform scale machine was used to weigh passengers' luggage, parcels and heavy goods at the Bangarpet railway station and determine the fare.

Henry Pooley & Son, a well-known firm of Liverpool, England, built this weighing machine. It was originally the property of the South Indian Railways and became part of the Southern Railways after the merger of the Mysuru State Railway, South Indian Railways and Madras and Southern Maratha Railways in 1951. It was later used at Bangarpet Junction in Bengaluru.

Railway Museum in-charge B S Ramesh said, “A special addition has been made to the Mysuru Railway Museum. This machine has been manufactured by Henry Polley and Sons. This mechanical platform scale was at Bangarpet railway station in Bengaluru. Now it has come to the Mysuru museum. Such heritage weighing machine items are very rare in the world.”

This machine is a symbol of the best engineering skills of the Victorian era. With a solid cast iron construction and precise mechanical system, this machine is capable of measuring up to 2,000 kg.

Henry Pooley & Sons was a global name in the manufacture of railway and industrial weighing machines in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Their products were widely used in railways, ports, factories and commercial establishments. This heritage exhibition introduces how passenger goods and parcels were handled on railways before the advent of electronic weighing machines. It also commemorates the historical journey from the heritage of the South Indian Railways to the present-day South Western Railway.

Ravi, a guide at the Railway Museum, said that in 1851, private trains in the country were merged and formed the National Railway Board. From there, the South India Railway Division was formed. Later, the Southern Railway Division was formed. This weighing machine was kept at Bangarpet Railway Station in Bengaluru. It worked there for a hundred years.

“As time changed, it was decided to scrap it. The Mysuru Railway Division, knowing this, acquired it and added it to the Mysuru Railway Museum. It was a joy to see a machine that is more than 100 years old here,” he said.

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