The 19-year-old university student was among those visiting the “Station Rail Voyage” exhibition, which opened in Hung Hom on Saturday to mark the MTR Corporation’s 45th anniversary and runs until the end of the year.

Spots at the exhibition were subject to availability online, with 100 visitors allowed into the event for every 75-minute slot to ensure they had time to look around and take pictures, organisers said. Only five time slots are available per day.

The first-generation “Yellow Head” electric train used in the 1980s and 1990s was considered to be an event highlight, with limited edition models of the locomotive being sold at the exhibition.

“I had not seen or ridden this train before, because it had already been phased out to make way for the MLR when I was born,” Man said.

“But my family has told me a lot about the model, which is why I’m interested. The seats are more comfortable than I expected and the train exudes this vintage feel.”

The two other trains on display at the exhibition are the GM-L56 and the MLR.

Ma said he had been an aficionado of trains for a decade as there was more to them than just transport, with their designs and those of stations reflecting engineers’ expertise and also changes in society.

The enthusiast said his passion for trains had won him several friends. He recalled that at age 12 he sparked up a conversation on the topic with a fellow youngster while riding the MTR home.

The pair were chatting so happily, that they missed their stops and almost got into trouble for arriving at Lo Wu station without home return permits, Ma said.

Hung Hom resident and father-of-one Daniel Au said he was buying a Yellow Head model train for his five-year-old daughter, since she was curious about most things at that age and he wanted to share something from his own childhood.

“She definitely has not seen this before. This is something from my time and I have fond memories of it and I’d like to pass this on,” the educator, who is in his 30s, said.

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An IT worker who only gave his name as Ho said he had stopped by specifically to buy the new miniature since it was sold out online, adding he had been collecting the model trains for two decades and now had a complete set.

“I love how realistic these models are,” the 62-year-old said. “I was around before the MTR came into existence in Hong Kong. I witnessed it coming into being. There’s an inexplicable affinity for them.”

Businessman Kei Chan visited the exhibition with university student Ma after the pair bonded on social media over their shared enthusiasm for trains.

Chan, who is in his thirties, described seeing the Yellow Head train on display as a trip down memory lane.

He immediately identified the differences between the real-life trains and those at the exhibition, noting the tables in the carriages were gone.

“What’s special about trains in Hong Kong is the diversity,” Chan said. “There are trains from the UK, Japan and South Korea, as well as those that could go at various speeds, from MTR trains to the Airport Express to the high-speed rail. Very few places on Earth have so many different models in such a small place.

“I lived in Fanling as a child. My parents used to bring me to Tsim Sha Tsui to visit fancy restaurants, such as for Japanese food or to have steaks, on these trains. So my memories of trains are very much tied with these happy memories.”

Chan said the Yellow Head train was also the one he used for his commute to Central when he first started working.

“My interest in trains began with toy trains my parents bought me, but more importantly, it’s my emotional attachment to Hong Kong,” he said.