The National Railway Museum York

The National Railway Museum is located in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the largest museum in the world, as well as being the most widely visited of all the museums located outside of London.

Focusing on rail transport in Britain’s history, this museum has a large collection of significant railway vehicles, including over one hundred locomotives and nearly two hundred other items of rolling-stock.

In 2001 the National Railway Museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. It has also won White Rose awards from the Yorkshire Tourist Board, and in 2004 was given the Heritage Railway Association’s Peter Manisty Award.

The museum was opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1975 and over the first year received more than a million visitors.

In 1977 a group called Friends of the National Railway Museum was established. Members of the group support the development of the Museum and its exhibits by giving financial and voluntary help.

Through the years, the National Railway Museum has undergone major changes and reconstruction, retaining only one of the two original turntables. In 1992 it was reopened as the Great Hall, displaying large artifacts such as railway signals, a footbridge and a segment from the Channel Tunnel. Since 1995 the museum has been partnered with the University of York and York College, to create an academic research base. It has also provided engineering apprenticeship, with the aim of delivering heritage skills training.

The Museum Garden includes a playground, as well as a miniature railway you can ride. Several other major developments have been carried out at the university over the years.

The National Railway Museum’s collection today is a result of two official initiatives, one led by the State museums sector and the other by the railway industry. The collection reaches almost two hundred and eighty rail vehicles, the earliest of which date back from about 1815.

The museum has imported several major vehicles for display, such as the Chinese Class KF locomotive and the Wagons-Lits sleeping car, which had been used on the Paris-London Night Ferry service. Other large exhibits are the Stockton and Darlington Railway Gaunless Bridge. Perhaps the most impressive is the “Palaces on Wheels” display, composed of a collection of trains dating back to the pre-Victorian era.

The collections are not just composed of locomotives. There are many other significant railway items included: watches used for timekeeping purposes during railway operation are on display; there are also station platform clocks, guard watches, office clocks, railway models, railway coins and medals used in the past, railway tickets and a collection of toy trains built for commercial purposes.

A great collection of railway periodicals, timetables and official publications can also be found in the library of the National Railway Museum.

Admission to the museum has been free since 2001 and is open daily from 10am to 6pm.

Address:

National Railway Museum
Leeman Road
York
YO26 4XJ
England

08448 153139