Violette
Member
How many railway museums are there in England? What type? Any recommendations? Favourites? I could use some travel tips.
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Railway Museums
- Thread starter Violette
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hexagon789
Veteran Member
By 'museum', do you mean building or buildings full of purely static objects or would heritage lines which are, in essence, living museums also count?
The former would run to only a handful, slightly more if transport museums with railway vehicles and objects in their collections were counted, while the latter would total considerably more.
Mcr Warrior
Veteran Member
- Joined
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@Violette. Good question! The obvious one is the National Railway Museum up in York, although that's possibly a bit far if you're travelling from the South Coast.
There's a list of other (slightly nearer) possibilities on Wikipedia..
en.wikipedia.org
There's a list of other (slightly nearer) possibilities on Wikipedia..
List of railway museums in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia
Violette
Member
Ah! Living museum sounds cool. Are those trains you can ride on as a passenger? Do they still have locomotives around?
Farigiraf
Member
Near Southampton there's Havenstreet station on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway which hosts a small museum in addition to the heritage rail services. Train to Portsmouth, ferry to Ryde, train to Smallbrook then 1 stop on the steam railway, or alternatively you can take the ferry to Cowes and then two buses (route 1 and 33).
It's an obvious one but if you haven't been already, the London Transport Museum is also worth a visit.
Just in terms of ones near(ish) Southampton, depending on what exactly you're counting as a railway museum, I can think of the Mid-Hants Railway, Isle of Wight Steam Railway, Swanage Railway, Hayling Light Railway, North Dorset Railway, Amberley Museum, Milestones Museum, Didcot Railway Centre, and STEAM (Swindon). Of those, I'd call the first five preserved, heritage or other private railways*, the next two museums with trains (well, a train and tram, for Milestones), and the last two proper railway museums.
*From memory, Mid-Hants has some sort of museum or workshop viewing area; I'm unsure for the others.
*From memory, Mid-Hants has some sort of museum or workshop viewing area; I'm unsure for the others.
Llanigraham
On Moderation
Do you mean just England, or are you including the whole of the UK?
hexagon789
Veteran Member
Yes, heritage railways to give them their proper term.
These are mostly re-opened sections of closed railway lines over which a variety of preserved and restored historic locomotives, carriages and multiple units operate.
There a few dozen of them throughout the England.
A comprehensive list of heritage railways and museums can be found at https://www.heritage-railways.com/index.php
This website is run by the former webmaster to the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) who have their own listing at https://www.easymapmaker.com/map/HRA-members - it is less comprehensive than the first website I've listed as some minor railways and museums are not members of the HRA.
John Webb
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
80 Standard Gauge railways
40 Narrow Gauge lines
5 'Steam Centres'
20 Museums
20+Tramways and Funiculars ('cliff railways')
to total just under 170 locations across the UK - rather more than "...a few dozen..."!
This website is run by the former webmaster to the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) who have their own listing at https://www.easymapmaker.com/map/HRA-members - it is less comprehensive than the first website I've listed as some minor railways and museums are not members of the HRA.
John Webb
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
A look at the Heritage Railway Association website gives figures of about:
80 Standard Gauge railways
40 Narrow Gauge lines
5 'Steam Centres'
20 Museums
20+Tramways and Funiculars ('cliff railways')
to total just under 170 locations across the UK - rather more than "...a few dozen..."!
Last edited:
ThirteenArches
Member
19+ now .. the Scarborough South Cliff Lift has closed.
They were not on the HRA list, only the Spa cliff lift!