The National Railway Museum (NRM) is a museum in York forming part of the British Science Museum Group of National Museums and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant railway vehicles, as well as a collection of other artefacts and both written and pictorial records.
The National Railway Museum in York displays a collection of over 100 locomotives and nearly 300 other items of rolling stock, virtually all of which either ran on the railways of Great Britain or were built there. Also on the 20 acres (8.1 ha) site are many hundreds of thousands of other items and records of social, technical, artistic and historical interest, exhibited mostly in three large halls of a former motive power depot next to the East Coast Main Line, near York railway station.
It is the largest museum of its type in Britain, attracting 727,000 visitors during the 2014/15 financial year (the largest in the world in terms of floor area of exhibition buildings is La Cité du Train in the French town of Mulhouse, although this attracts far fewer visitors than the National Railway Museum).
The National Railway Museum was established on its present site, the former York North locomotive depot, in 1975, when it took over the former British Railways collection located in Clapham and the York Railway Museum located off Queen Street, immediately to the southeast of the railway station; since then, the collection has continued to grow.
The museum is a short walk from the railway station in York, either on the road or via a staircase from the rear of the platforms. A "roadtrain" runs from the city centre (near York Minster) to the museum on Leeman Road during half term, holidays and summer. York Park and Ride also serve the museum from the car park entrance, on Line 2 (Rawcliffe Bar-York). Admission to the museum has been free since 2001.
With a collection that includes over 1 million objects spanning 300 years, the National Railway Museum is a celebration of human endeavour and achievement. Here are some of the amazing trains they have to be seen.
- LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
- A Japanese 0 Series Shinkansen (No.22-141)
- Hogwarts Express engine 5972 Olton Hall
Also... Step on board an historic railway carriage and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a First World War ambulance train.
Ambulance trains carried millions of sick and injured soldiers to safety throughout the 1914–1918 conflict. Uncover this untold story as you move through the carriage and explore a ward, a pharmacy and a nurses’ mess room.
Find out more on their special First World War website
https://firstworldwar.nrm.org.uk