Hi all, Im 26 years old with a wife and 2 year old daughter and another on the way!
Hi all, Im 26 years old with a wife and 2 year old daughter and another on the way!
Member since:08.01.2006
Reviews:20
Members who trust:2
York has a vast amount of history connected with the railways. The first station was built in 1839 and was the main trunk route to London via Rugby and Derby. At the time York was only connected to routes going south. Rail demand increased and in 1877, the decision was made to move to a new location so it could serve routes all over the country. When the station was finally complete, it was the biggest station in the world at that time. GNER now have their headquaters based in the city and around the station, there are a few streets named after famous people like George Hudson for example.
With all this in mind, it was only fitting that when the huge locomotives retired, they were housed in a giant museum in York.
-History- Back in 1975, the National Railway Museum took over the British Railways collection which had previously been housed in the museum of British transport in Clapham and at the York railway museum. So the National Railway Museum was born and over the years it has turned into a huge attraction
for all the family.
-Location- It is quite easy to find the museum as its literally round the corner from York railway station. If you are travelling by train then you won't have trouble in catching one as there is at least 25 direct services to York each day.
When arriving at York railway station, there are a number of ways you can use to get to the museum. There is a footbridge directly inside the station that takes you over the track but this is not suitable for buggy's or wheelchairs. Another way is to go out of the station and head towards the city centre. Past the hotel on your left and then turn left at the trafficlights. You are now on Leeman road and you just carry on under the underpass and you'll see the entrance on your left. This way takes around 10 minutes and is signposted. Alternatively you could take a taxi from the rank directly outside the train station.
If you are already in the city, then I would recommend that you use the new road train. It's basically a open train that operates on the road and you can catch it just near the minster and takes you to the museum. The train operates every 30 minutes.
If you are coming by car, then I suggest you use the park and ride. There are a number of car parks on the outskirts of the city where you can park your car and catch the regular bus into the city. There is a small carpark at the museum mainly for disabled access but there are spaces for everyone else also. Word of warning here, the carpark is designed in a way that you can easily drive in, but there is a barrier blocking your exit until you put the sum of £7 into the machine. I don't remember this been shown until I was already in the carpark and wasn't amused when it was time to leave. Disabled parking is free.
-Admission- The best bit, it's absolutely free for anyone to enter. If you want a guidebook, then you can purchase one do so at a reasonable price, but it's that well signposted inside, we managed without. Once you've passed the reception desk, you then walk straight into one of the huge halls.
-Facilities- Everyone is accomodated and made to feel welcome when visiting. The museum is made up of two huge hall's and a warehouse. These are located on different sides of Leeman road but they are connected via a tunnel under the road. At the entrances to both hall's, there are wheelchair's available and two battery powered wheelchairs. It's a good idea to book one of these if you require one. There's also sound guides for the visually impaired, lifts, ramps, wide corridors and large print boards. There are area's all over the site where you can stop for a snack or there are picnic area's too, inside and out. Myself and my daughter took a picnic so I can't comment on the prices inside the cafe. There is also a big gift shop in the station hall. They sell everything from clothes to pencil's. It is all reasonable well priced in here.
-Exhibits- So your probably asking what you can find at the museum. Well you'd be wrong if you thought it was just steam engines. There is a huge range of things to see, from old uniforms to Japanese bullet trains. The museum doesn't just explain the trains, it also goes into detail about the different types of engine i.e steam, electric. You are also allowed to climb into the engines and carriages to give you a good idea of what it was like to work and travel in times gone by. The most popular exhibit at the moment is the newest recruit to the museum, the flying scotsman. Unfortunately when I took my daughter to see it, it was out working as during the summer months, it runs between York and Scarbrough but we did see a glimpse of it as it was leaving it's shed.The museum puts on regular events, like when Thomas the tank engine is in town, so keep your eye out on their website and their TV commercials.
It is open everyday except the 24th,25th and 26th December from 10.00 - 18.00. I'd recommend that you give yourselves most of the day if you want to see everything.
If you require any further information, then visit their website(www.nrm.org.uk) or you can ring them on 01904 686263. You can ring this number aswell if you want to book one of the wheelchairs available.
So I'd definately recommend a visit to the National Railway Museum. It's a great day out for the whole family and there is so much interaction involved, it's a great learning exercise for the children.
Pictures of National Railway Museum, York
Museum
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Jan 29th, 2006
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