The National Railway Museum in York is one of the world’s finest museums and is the world’s largest railway museum. The museum features trains from around the world and covers 300 years of rail travel.

The current National Railway Museum (NRM) began in 1975 and now features over 100 locomotives and close to 200 items of rolling stock and items of significant interest.

The beauty of the NRM can be seen when entering the Great Hall, a building large enough to house locomotives, signals, a section of the Channel Tunnel and a footbridge.

Some of the world’s most famous locomotives are housed in the NRM. The history of trains and rail travel include icons such as Rocket, Mallard, Flying Scotsman, a Bullet train from Japan. Royal Carriages from the time of Queen Victoria sit alongside a fully working 1950s 360-degree turntable.

Education is not left out and the NRM is a chance to learn as well as enjoy. The exposed locomotive highlights the inner workings of the steam locomotive while the museum’s workshop can be viewed. The History of British Rail is a story of the railways in Britain and The Warehouse is home to nearly a million rail related artefacts including rails, signs and burger boxes.

Like all good museums, the NRM continues to highlight various aspects of the railways in special exhibitions. These include exchanges with other museums around the world, art exhibitions and talks about the railways. The Hogwarts Express has also been known to visit the NRM.

Platform 4 Theatre entertain and educates visitors with stories and plays covering the British railways, including plays about Stephenson’s Rocket, the Age of Steam, railways during the First and Second World Wars and the development of the Bullet train.

The NRM is an exciting place to be and can be enjoyed by anyone, young or old.

No visit to York is complete without a trip to the National Railway Museum, which is conveniently, located a few minutes walk from York’s Railway Station. As an added bonus, the Yorkshire Wheel, a new addition to York allows visitors to take a bird’s eye view of York and the surrounding area from 54m up.

Link: National Railway Museum, York

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