Visiting The National Railway Museum York

If there is one thing that grabs the attention of my two boys, it’s trains!
Trains have been a part of the family for years. My late father-in-law Dave used to drive trains and collected models as a hobby. He even had this really awesome train track that ran around the whole garden. You could often see his model trains running on it.
I think it’s safe to say that my boys have inherited that love of trains from him, so what better place to visit other than The National Railway Museum York! With some of the UK’s most noteworthy cottages in the area, it’s so easy to stay nearby too, so you never have to worry about the crowds.

The National Railway Museum York is totally free to enter, but due to being Covid aware, you have to book tickets on the website prior to visiting. This way they can limit the number of people on site at one time, which is very sensible.
Although it isn’t now compulsory to wear masks, they do ask if you can wear them if possible. I was quite shocked to find how many people have ditched the masks already.
Craig and I wore ours throughout the visit. My boys wore theirs for the majority of our time there with some breaks in between. Considering one is autistic and the other asthmatic, they did really well.

Walking around the museum

There are seven main areas to visit when you get to the museum. These are The North Hall, The Great Hall, Station Hall, The Flying Scotsman Exhibit and South Hall. There is also the Depot and the Workshop, however,  both were closed due to Covid restrictions when we visited.

The Station Hall is where the majority of the coach exhibits are kept. These include a massive array of different passenger rolling stock from different operators and various eras. Coaches that are quite similar to what we are used to today all the way to open top saloon coaches from the late 1800s. There are six royal carriages at the railway museum including Queen Victoria’s coach which has recently been restored to its former glory.

The Great hall is where all of the most famous trains are kept. Originally the great hall was engine shed number four. The turntable would have been used to store the locomotives undercover while they were filled up with coal and water and the ash emptied before their next duty.

There is a large variety of locomotives from all different times in the Great Hall. You will find a replica of Stephenson’s Rocket, mainline trains from the early 1900s and Mallard, the fastest steam train in the world! Also early diesel-electric locomotives and on to Intercity 125, the Shinkansen Bullet train and the Eurostar. Jayden was so looking forward to seeing the Mallard more than anything and he has been reciting facts about it ever since!

Along with Mallard is its rival from the opposite side of the country, the streamlined Coronation class from the West Coast Mainline was the most powerful steam locomotive ever designed for the British railway network.

Usually, you can stand on the footplates of many of the historic locomotives. However, Covid restrictions meant that on our visit you could not enter the loco cab. The gantries were all still in place but you were welcome to look inside though. Jayden was intrigued by the Duchess, we do not live too far from the West Coast Main Line so he found the fact that this loco would have been running past where we live, totally amazing!

One of the unusual exhibitions was when we were able to walk through an inspection pit directly beneath a working locomotive. It is amazing to see the intricate parts that you would never know were there!

So much history

The ambulance train from the First World War was an insightful experience. You could pass through the carriage and there were holographic images depicting what it would have been like in 1914 on board these trains full of injured servicemen on the way back from the frontline. There was a whole wealth of information from infographics to handwritten diaries from orderlies and nurses that worked on these trains.
My boys really enjoyed learning about this.

There is also a massive display of model trains at the railway museum. This section alone must have contained thousands of trains, from different rolling stock to old coal trucks and modern passenger trains.

Cool memorabilia from times gone by

At the end of the Flying Scotsman exhibit there is a warehouse full of memorabilia. There are antique chairs from Royal trains, sterling silver tea sets from first-class silver service and even oil paintings that would have graced the walls in someone’s grand carriage. All interesting in their own rights and amazing to see how companies would have decorated their trains in the past to try to increase their patronage.

The souvenir shop

At the end of the day we found ourselves in the museum shop, don’t you always with kids?! There was a nice selection of mementos from our day, most of them featured trains that we had seen and learned about at the museum so it was nice to buy something that was familiar. We bought a few items and we were pleasantly surprised that the prices were not too steep.

Our thoughts on the National Railway Museum York

All things considered, we had a nice visit and it was a great way to spend the afternoon. The museum is well run and there is a lovely nostalgic feel to the way it has been designed. The car park was well signposted and costs £10 for a whole day. You need to walk about 4 – 5 minutes from the car park to the main entrance along a main road which is mostly flat. Upon arrival, you need to present the QR code that is emailed to you upon booking. I had mine ready on my phone which they scanned at the main entrance but you could print them off if you prefer.

It was a shame that not all of the exhibits were fully open and maybe we could have spent a little more time in the museum if they were. We spent a total of three and a half hours there by which time I feel that we had seen everything. There was a large choice of places to eat and drink in the museum. The Station Hall cafe looked especially nice and had booths that imitated railway carriages.

We enjoyed our visit at The National Railway Museum York. If any of your family have an interest in trains it is truly worth a visit. There is lots of national history so it’s not too boring for non-enthusiasts like myself.

Pin Me!