What's Here & What's On
What's Here
Inside the world’s largest railway museum you’ll find over three hundred years of world railway history, from Japanese Bullet trains to Queen Victoria’s favourite carriage. To help you plan your visit, the main exhibitions and iconic objects, are listed here.
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Rocket: All the world’s steam locomotives trace their origins back to Rocket, and this sectioned replica gives a vivid impression of what Stephenson’s 1829 masterpiece would have looked like. This replica allows you to explore the key technologies that made Rocket spark a revolution.
Mallard: Enjoy the sleek lines of world’s fastest steam locomotive, and discover the bomb that saved it from destruction. You’ll find Mallard in the Museum’s Great Hall. The cab is opened daily from 16.50-17.20.
Chinese Locomotive: A steam giant built in Britain for the Chinese Railways, it dwarfs all the locomotives around it, yet it runs on the same gauge track as Stephenson’s Rocket. You’ll find the Chinese locomotive in the Museum’s Great Hall.
Shinkansen: Board the NRM’s very own Japanese Bullet train and discover the story of the world’s fastest passenger railway network. At 10.30 and 16.00 each day a member of the Museum’s Explainer team presents a talk on Shinkansen.
Queen Victoria’s Carriage: See a stunning example of Victorian craftsmanship preserved in the silks, satins and gold of the carriage used by Queen Victoria between 1869 and 1901.
Mallard
Shinkansen
Queen Victoria's Carriage
Demonstrations
The Turntable: See the Museums Explainers turns several tons of railway locomotive 360 degrees, with as much ease a baker turns a cake on a display stand. The turntable is located in the Great Hall and demonstrated daily at 11.30 and 15.30.
Exposed loco: Look inside a working steam locomotive, and watch its complex mechanism work before your eyes. This unique sectioned locomotive lets you explore how a steam engine works. Ellerman Lines is located in the Great Hall and is the focus of a talk each day at 16.30.
Cab Access: It took years for apprentice drivers to get to stand inside a locomotive cab, but you can just walk right in. At 12.00 and 15.50 each day Museum Explainers open selected locomotive cabs in the Station Hall.
More information about demonstrations can be found on our Daily Talks and Demonstrations page
Turntable Demonstration Great Hall
Great Hall
Ellerman Lines
Exhibitions
The Flying Scotsman Story: A story that has been over 140 years in the making has now arrived at the NRM. It’s the story of the East Coast Main Line, a Victorian express train and a locomotive that refused to die. Packed with the people and the objects that illustrate this story, the exhibition lets visitors of all ages explore Britain’s greatest railway myth. The Flying Scotsman Story is located in the Warehouse. The Warehouse is reached via the Great Hall.
The Works: The Works gallery explores how the railway has evolved safety systems to control train movements, from the flag men of the 1830s to modern computer-driven signal boxes. In the Works, visitors of all ages can build a loco, control a train and watch a live link to York’s electronic signal box. The external viewing balcony offers a window on the modern railway just north of York Station. The Works balcony is reached via the Great Hall or Warehouse.
The Workshop: The workshop is a real railway workshop, were the NRM maintains and conserves the working locomotives, carriages and wagons of the National Collection. The Workshop is viewed from The Works balcony, accessed from the Great Hall or Warehouse. Work in progress is the subject of the Workshop Roundup talk at 11.30 and 15.30 daily.
The Warehouse: The NRM is home to over 750,000 objects, covering every aspect of railway history from 18th century wooden rails to 20th century burger boxes. The Warehouse is an open store where visitors are free to explore this rich and varied collection. Warehouse tours run daily at 12.00 and 14.10. The Warehouse is reached via the Great Hall or The Works.
British Rail, a Moving Story: From ordinary workers to Dr Beeching, this is the story of the company that ran Britain’s rail network for fifty years, told by the people who made it happen. From Nationalisation to Privatisation, it is a moving story of Britain’s railways that gives visitors of all ages the chance to explore the roots of today’s rail industry.
Workshop from the Balcony
The Warehouse
The Workshop
Play
Playground: In the NRM playground, younger visitors (3-8 years) can let off steam in the railway themed play area. The Playground is located in the Museum’s South Yard, accessed via the Station Hall.
Miniature Railway: The railway is entirely staffed by volunteers and is scheduled to run daily. The ride lasts approximately five minutes and costs 50p per ride. Please check availability on or before arrival.