The Eastern Railway Rail Museum, located around 500m south to the Howrah station, is the second railway museum in India and the first of its kind in the eastern zone. Inaugurated on 07 April 2006, the open-air museum spans an area of over 4 acres of land and exhibits the historical importance and the gradual development of the Eastern Railway in the country. The entrance of the museum, beautifully painted with a couple of steam engine models, opens to a sprawling lawn with a beautiful landscaped garden, decorated with several art installations, made out of railway junk.

On the left hand side of the entrance and opposite to the open track exhibits, stands the Hall of Fame, shaped like a railway car shed. Apart from a photographic display board, depicting the evolution of locomotives, carriages and wagons, it contains, among others, the two engines and three luxury saloons. Interestingly, the covered shed exhibits lots of vintage locomotives on tracks, which include a meter gauge locomotive and a narrow gauge train with two coaches, which invariably create a sense of nostalgia.

The narrow gauge steam locomotive BK-13, made in England in 1917, used to ply on the Katwa-Burdwan and Katwa-Ahmadpur section until 1992.

The broad gauge steam locomotive HPS-32, with the words East Pakistan Railway emblazoned on it in English and Urdu and originally belonging to the East Pakistan Railway, was captured during the 1971 war when it knowingly or unknowingly entered into the Indian Territory. A covered wagon, donated by the Kanchrapara Workshop, was built in 1910 by Carriage and Wagon Company Limited, England, for Birmingham Railway. Among the other exhibits of locomotives, the shed also include Lokmanya WCM-5, the first Broad Gauge Electric Locomotive built in India, built by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works and dedicated to the nation in 1961and a tiny engine of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, built by the UK-based Atlas Works of Sharp Stewart & Company Limited in 1889.

Apart from the above, the open area also exhibits several other railway accessories like cranes and steam road rollers, which include the yellow Goton Steam Crane, built in 1923 in England for the Oudh & Rohilkhund Railway.

The added attraction of the museum is a diesel operated three coach toy train that runs within the premises, encircling the entire museum park, to the joy of the visiting children and the adults alike. The Kirti Stambh, an octagonal tower stands on an elevated mound, whose octagonal shape is representative of the East Indian Railway and seven other railways that served this region, including the Metro Railway. The tower is flanked on four corners by hut shaped kiosks, which present a medley of interesting historical memorabilia.

The Virasat, exhibits various uniforms used by the railway personnel; Smritiyan, displays vintage postage stamps as well as old timetables and other documents; Vidyut, narrates the tale of electrification of Indian Railway along with electrical items like lamps, fans and bells; and Doorsanchaar, relates to the importance of communication system and contains miniature signals, signal leavers and other machines.

The Hall of Heritage located on the left of the open area and designed like a mini Howrah Station, contains old photographs, highlighting the historical and anecdotal references, old gadgets and others.

A visit to the museum presents a surprising opportunity for the visitors to enjoy a nostalgic journey down the memory lane.