National Railway Museum

The National Railway Museum in York, U.K. forms a significant part of the British Science Museum Group of National Museums. The institution seeks to tell the story of public transportation in Britain and how it has shaped British society. This massive 20 acre space is home to hundreds of historically significant railway vehicles, as well as a vast collection of artifacts and records.

Every vehicle in the museum either ran on a rail system in Great Britain or was manufactured there. The collection makes up the largest transportation museum in Britain, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, significantly more than other much larger transportation museums in Europe.

The National Railway Museum achieved its status through a long-running pact between state museums and Britain’s railway industry, which allowed for the collection to accumulate so many significant pieces.

In 2001, the National Railway Museum earned the European Museum of the Year Award. It has also won several White Rose awards from the Yorkshire Tourist Board, as well as the Heritage Railway Association’s Peter Manisty Award. The museum remains open to the public today.