The National Railway Museum in York is the largest railway museum in the world, a vast collection of over 100 historic locomotives and 300 items of rolling stock housed in three giant halls in the historic railway city of York, telling the story of Britain’s railway revolution from the early 19th century to the present day. Part of the Science Museum Group and free to enter, the NRM is one of the UK’s most popular museums outside London, drawing over 750,000 visitors annually with its extraordinary collection of engineering masterpieces, including the record-breaking Mallard, the only Japanese Shinkansen bullet train outside Japan, and Queen Victoria’s royal saloon.
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Quick Facts: National Railway Museum, York
- Best time to visit: Year-round (the museum is indoor); weekdays outside school holidays for the quietest experience
- Top attraction: The Mallard, the world’s fastest steam locomotive (set the still-unbroken record of 203 km/h in 1938), and the opulent royal carriages used by Queen Victoria and King Edward VII
- How to get there: York is ~2 hours from London by train (LNER East Coast Main Line); the museum is a 5-minute walk from York station
- Entry fee: Free (donations welcome); some special exhibitions may charge
- Combine with: York Minster, the Shambles (medieval shopping street), and the Jorvik Viking Centre, all within walking distance
The Star Exhibits You Cannot Miss
The museum collection includes the most famous names in railway history. Mallard, the streamlined A4 Pacific, set the world steam speed record on 3 July 1938, reaching 203 kilometres per hour near Grantham. No steam locomotive has ever broken that record. The Japanese Shinkansen bullet train is the only high-speed train outside Japan, donated by JR East in 2001. Queen Victoria Royal Saloon, built in 1869, is upholstered in silk damask with mahogany panelling. The museum also displays the Agenoria, a genuine 1829 locomotive and one of the oldest surviving engines in the world.
Beyond the Locomotives: Interactive Experiences
The museum has invested in interactive exhibits for all ages. The Warehouse features a working turntable demonstration every afternoon where staff rotate a 100-tonne locomotive by hand. The Signals exhibit lets you operate a Victorian signal box with its original lever frame from York station. The Royal Mail travelling post office is open for exploration with original sorting racks and mailbags preserved from the 1960s. The miniature railway offers short rides around the museum grounds. On selected days, staff fire up small steam locomotives for live demonstrations. Sensory backpacks are available for visitors with autism, and BSL-interpreted exhibits are offered in the Deaf Zone.
Combining the NRM with a Day in York
The museum is a 5-minute walk from York station, free to enter, and most visitors spend 2 to 3 hours here. From the museum, follow the medieval city walls south to reach York Minster, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in northern Europe. The Shambles, York most famous medieval shopping street, is a 5-minute walk further. The Jorvik Viking Centre offers a time-capsule ride through a recreation of Viking-age York. For lunch, the Starre Inn the Pavement, built in 1644, serves classic Yorkshire pub food. For train enthusiasts visiting from London, the 2-hour LNER service from Kings Cross makes this an easy day trip.
York National Railway Museum is a museum dedicated to the rail transport in Great Britain. It is located in northeastern England, in the county of North Yorkshire in York. National Railway Museum is a part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry.
National Railway Museum was opened in the current premises in 1975, however the collection originated from the early 19th century. Today, the National Railway Museum has a national collection of historically significant railway vehicles and artifacts associated with the railway, with the various written and visual records. You can see here more than 100 locomotives and nearly 200 other vehicles. In 2001 National Railway Museum was awarded as the Best European Museum (European Museum of the Year Award in 2001). In addition to various exhibits you can also ride the giant Ferris wheel and special small train here.
York National Railway Museum, England, UK by Xerones
York National Railway Museum is open all the year daily from 10:00 to 18:00, except of December 24, 25 and 26. Admission is free. It is the biggest railway museum in England and the largest railroad exhibit of its kind in the world.