Hong Kong rail fans queue for limited edition model trains, as MTR Corp exhibition launch gets on right track
- Dozens of enthusiasts queue to get hands on ‘Yellow Head’ model train at event celebrating MTR Corporation’s 45th anniversary
- ‘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,’ one fan says
Dozens of Hong Kong rail fans queued up to get their hands on limited edition model trains going on sale at Hung Hom MTR station from Saturday morning to mark the launch of an exhibition showcasing three historic locomotives.
Enthusiast Alvin Ma was among the first to snap up the model MTR trains, becoming the proud owner of not one, but two of the rare miniatures.
“I had already pre-ordered one online [which has not arrived yet], but the exhibition is opening today and I wanted to be able to take photos with it and the real train right away,” he said.
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.