95-720: The British National Railway Museum is in York, England. National Railway Museum may also refer to: National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum ( NRM ) is a museum in York , England, forming part of the Science Museum Group . The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant railway vehicles such as Mallard , Stirling Single , Duchess of Hamilton and
190-883: A footbridge from Percy Main station and a segment from the Channel Tunnel . The former goods shed display was retained as the Station Hall. In 1995 the museum joined forces with the University of York to create an academic research base, the Institute of Railway Studies (and Transport History). It has also since partnered with York College to create the Yorkshire Rail Academy to teach vocational skills. The museum has also provided engineering apprenticeships and participates in partnerships aimed at delivering heritage skills training. In 1996
285-708: A third rail electric system , which is then used to power traction motors that drive the wheels. Electric traction offers a lower cost per mile of train operation but at a higher initial cost, which can only be justified on high traffic lines. Even though the cost per mile of construction is much higher, electric traction is cheaper to operate thanks to lower maintenance and purchase costs for locomotives and equipment. Compared to diesel locomotives, electric locomotives produce no direct emissions and accelerate much faster, making them better suited to passenger service, especially underground. Various other types of train propulsion have been tried, some more successful than others. In
380-612: A train driver controls the train's operation. They may also be installed on unpowered train cars known as cab or control cars , to allow for a train to operate with the locomotive at the rear. To prevent collisions or other accidents, trains are often scheduled, and almost always are under the control of train dispatchers . Historically, trains operated based on timetables ; most trains (including nearly all passenger trains), continue to operate based on fixed schedules, though freight trains may instead run on an as-needed basis, or when enough freight cars are available to justify running
475-763: A Japanese bullet train . In addition, the National Railway Museum holds a diverse collection of other objects, from a household recipe book used in George Stephenson 's house to film showing a " never-stop railway " developed for the British Empire Exhibition . It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001. Starting in 2019, a major site development was underway. As part of
570-555: A campaign was led by transport historian L. T. C. Rolt and others such as the historian Jack Simmons to create a new museum. Agreement was reached under terms in the Transport Act 1968 for B.R. to provide premises to be occupied by a National Railway Museum which would be a branch of the National Museum of Science and Industry then under Dame Margaret Weston and the first English national museum outside London –
665-445: A collection of historic locomotives, which included Caledonian 123 , Columbine , Cornwall , Hardwicke , Highland 103, Midland 118 and Pet . Three others, set aside for preservation at Crewe Works , were scrapped in a change of policy in 1932. The LMS set aside one further locomotive (Midland 158A) before it was overtaken by nationalisation. It also succeeded in preserving a collection of historic royal saloons at Wolverton and built
760-461: A curator be appointed for the commission's holdings (John M. Scholes), retention of the York museum, creation of other regional museums (not carried out in the way proposed), a small relics display in the old Great Hall at Euston railway station (done on a temporary basis) and a large museum of collections elsewhere in London. For the latter, the former station at Nine Elms was originally favoured as
855-463: A driver directly present. Around the world, various track gauges are in use for trains. In most cases, trains can only operate on tracks that are of the same gauge; where different gauge trains meet, it is known as a break of gauge . Standard gauge , defined as 1,435 mm (4 ft 8.5 in) between the rails, is the most common gauge worldwide, though both broad-gauge and narrow-gauge trains are also in use. Trains also need to fit within
950-516: A few holdouts in Europe and South America. China was the last country to fully dieselize, due to its abundant coal reserves; steam locomotives were used to haul mainline trains as late as 2005 in Inner Mongolia . Trains began to face strong competition from automobiles and freight trucks in the 1930s, which greatly intensified following World War II. After the war, air transport also became
1045-564: A fixed schedule and have priority over freight trains . Passenger trains can be divided into short and long distance services. Long distance passenger trains travel over hundreds or even thousands of miles between cities. The longest passenger train service in the world is Russia's Trans-Siberian Railway between Moscow and Vladivostok , a distance of 9,289 kilometers (5,772 mi). In general, long distance trains may take days to complete their journeys, and stop at dozens of stations along their routes. For many rural communities, they are
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#17327801925661140-548: A glass case or mounted on a plinth. Coppernob at Barrow-in-Furness , Derwent and Locomotion at Darlington and Tiny at Newton Abbot were long-lived examples of this form of display. The first railway museums were opened at Hamar in Norway (1896) and Nuremberg in Germany (1899). These inspired talk of doing the same in Britain, both in the 1890s and again in 1908, but this came to nothing at that time. Indeed, two of
1235-491: A locomotive) is referred to as a rake . A collection of rail vehicles may also be called a consist. A set of vehicles that are coupled together (such as the Pioneer Zephyr ) is called a trainset. The term rolling stock is used to describe any kind of railway vehicle. Trains are an evolution of wheeled wagons running on stone wagonways , the earliest of which were built by Babylon circa 2,200 BCE. Starting in
1330-598: A means of fighting traffic congestion on highways in urban areas. Bogies, also known in North America as trucks, support the wheels and axles of trains. Trucks range from just one axle to as many as four or more. Two-axle trucks are in the widest use worldwide, as they are better able to handle curves and support heavy loads than single axle trucks. Train vehicles are linked to one another by various systems of coupling. In much of Europe, India, and South America, trains primarily use buffers and chain couplers . In
1425-615: A mile of stopping distance. As such, emphasis is on educating motorists to yield to trains at crossings and avoid trespassing. The first trains were rope-hauled, gravity powered or pulled by horses. Steam locomotives work by burning coal, wood or oil fuel in a boiler to heat water into steam, which powers the locomotive's pistons which are in turn connected to the wheels. In the mid 20th century, most steam locomotives were replaced by diesel or electric locomotives, which were cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable. Steam locomotives are still used in heritage railways operated in many countries for
1520-720: A move which was at the time criticised by Londoners. The building provided was the former locomotive roundhouse at York North (rebuilt in the 1950s), alongside the East Coast Main Line. The old museum and that at Clapham were closed in 1973. A Sainsbury's supermarket now stands on the Clapham site. Some items were retained in the capital and formed the basis of the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. Some from York were re-located to
1615-399: A preliminary Heritage Lottery Fund contribution was announced in 2009, and seeking potential partners for a further outhousing project. There are other partnerships for development of the museum estate and the land around it (much owned by Network Rail) as "York Central" but the economic situation during 2009 put these particular plans in abeyance although a similar York Central project
1710-549: A replica Rocket , with six replica carriages, for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway centenary in 1930, and a replica Grand Junction Railway Travelling Post Office. The Southern Railway inherited three preserved carriages of the Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway , long displayed at York and at Waterloo station , but otherwise had no policy of preserving redundant equipment. Ryde was preserved from 1934 until cut up in 1940;
1805-400: A significant competitor for passenger trains. Large amounts of traffic shifted to these new forms of transportation, resulting in a widespread decline in train service, both freight and passenger. A new development in the 1960s was high-speed rail , which runs on dedicated rights of way and travels at speeds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 mph) or greater. The first high-speed rail service
1900-874: A single rail, while funiculars and rack railways are uniquely designed to traverse steep slopes. Experimental trains such as high speed maglevs , which use magnetic levitation to float above a guideway, are under development in the 2020s and offer higher speeds than even the fastest conventional trains. Trains which use alternative fuels such as natural gas and hydrogen are another 21st-century development. Trains can be sorted into types based on whether they haul passengers or freight (though mixed trains which haul both exist), by their weight ( heavy rail for regular trains, light rail for lighter transit systems), by their speed, by their distance (short haul, long distance , transcontinental ), and by what form of track they use. Conventional trains operate on two rails, but several other types of track systems are also in use around
1995-596: A site, but what was eventually opened in 1961 was the Museum of British Transport in a former bus garage in Clapham . An official list of locomotives for preservation was compiled, and many were stored in sheds and works throughout the country, others being placed on loan to local authority museums. The 'Steam' Museum at Swindon still displays a large number of items from the National Collection, while
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#17327801925662090-595: A train. Simple repairs may be done while a train is parked on the tracks, but more extensive repairs will be done at a motive power depot . Similar facilities exist for repairing damaged or defective train cars. Maintenance of way trains are used to build and repair railroad tracks and other equipment. Train drivers , also known as engineers, are responsible for operating trains. Conductors are in charge of trains and their cargo, and help passengers on passenger trains. Brakeman , also known as trainmen, were historically responsible for manually applying brakes, though
2185-432: A variety of systems, which may include characteristics of trams, heavier passenger trains, and rapid transit systems. There are a number of specialized trains which differ from the traditional definition of a train as a set of vehicles which travels on two rails. Monorails were developed to meet medium-demand traffic in urban transit, and consist of a train running on a single rail, typically elevated. Monorails represent
2280-441: A wide range of models, some of which are operated on the museum's O scale model railway (originated in 1982). The National Railway Museum holds a large open library and archive of railway related material. This includes an internationally significant collection of locomotive and rolling stock engineering drawings from railway works and independent manufacturing companies. Copies of many of these engineering drawings are sold to
2375-563: A wide variety of cargo, flatcars (also known as flat wagons ) which have flat tops to hold cargo, hopper cars which carry bulk commodities, and tank cars which carry liquids and gases. Examples of more specialized types of train cars include bottle cars which hold molten steel, Schnabel cars which handle very heavy loads, and refrigerator cars which carry perishable goods. Early train cars were small and light, much like early locomotives, but over time they have become larger as locomotives have become more powerful. A passenger train
2470-613: Is Cité du Train in the French town of Mulhouse , although this attracts far fewer visitors than the National Railway Museum). The National Railway Museum was established on its present site, the former York North locomotive depot , in 1975, when it took over the former British Railways collection located in Clapham and the York Railway Museum located off Queen Street, immediately to the southeast of
2565-481: Is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight . Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often known simply as "engines"), though some are self-propelled, such as multiple units or railcars . Passengers and cargo are carried in railroad cars , also known as wagons or carriages. Trains are designed to a certain gauge , or distance between rails. Most trains operate on steel tracks with steel wheels,
2660-683: Is among the exhibits intended for operation on the National Rail network from time to time. The museum has imported several major vehicles for display: the Chinese Class KF7 4–8–4 locomotive donated in 1981 was built in Britain and the Wagons-Lits sleeping car donated in 1980 had been used on the Paris-London Night Ferry service. The single exception to the rule of exhibits associated with Britain
2755-523: Is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm during February half-term holiday, then Wednesday to Sunday only from 10 am to 5 pm. Since 3 January 2023, the Station Hall is closed for re-roofing, repair work and redecoration, with some of the exhibits displayed there closed. Due to reopen late 2024. Locomotion – the National Railway Museum in Shildon , County Durham was opened in October 2004 and
2850-496: Is operated by the NRM in conjunction with Durham County Council . It houses more of the National Collection in a new building and a historic site around the former workshop of Timothy Hackworth and in the most recent full year for which figures have been published (2011–2012), it attracted more than 210,000 visitors. There are approximately 280 rail vehicles in the National Collection, with around 100 being at York at any one time and
2945-548: Is the Japanese 0 Series Shinkansen leading vehicle which was donated to the museum by the West Japan Railway Company in 2001 and which now forms part of an award-winning display, and is one of only two Shinkansen vehicles on exhibit outside Japan. Rail vehicles on display are exchanged from time to time with other organisations, and examples of new-build stock from the current industry sometimes visit
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3040-428: Is used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self propelled passenger trains are known as multiple units or railcars . Passenger trains travel between stations or depots , where passengers may board and disembark. In most cases, passenger trains operate on
3135-681: The Glasgow Museum of Transport was also indebted to it, although many of the Scottish relics (including NBR K 'Glen' Class 4-4-0 No. 256 Glen Douglas currently at the successor to the Glasgow Museum of Transport, the Riverside Museum , along with the previously mentioned locomotives) no longer form part of the National Collection. The Beeching Report recommended that British Rail should stop running museums, and
3230-620: The Great Western Railway 's earliest broad-gauge locomotives, North Star and Lord of the Isles , which had been set aside at Swindon Works , were cut up in 1906 for lack of space and several other relics were similarly lost in subsequent years. From 1880, J. B. Harper of the North Eastern had been collecting material much of which was exhibited on the occasion of the S.& D.R. centenary in 1925; and which then formed
3325-652: The Head of Steam museum in Darlington . Exhibits from the previous museums at York and Clapham moved to the new site were supplemented by vehicles taken from storage at Preston Park in Brighton and elsewhere and restored. Creation of the York museum was largely in the hands of its first keeper, John Coiley , his deputy Peter Semmens, John Van Riemsdijk of the Science Museum and David Jenkinson . The museum
3420-463: The Iron Curtain ) and advances in technology to convert their trains to diesel or electric power. France, Russia, Switzerland, and Japan were leaders in adopting widespread electrified railroads, while other nations focused primarily on dieselization . By 1980, the majority of the world's steam locomotives had been retired, though they continued to be used in parts of Africa and Asia, along with
3515-867: The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Exporail in Montreal , as part of the ' Mallard 75' event in 2013. The two locomotives would be on loan for up to two years, during which time the locomotives would be cosmetically restored, 60008 in BR Brunswick Green (as it appeared in 1963 on withdrawal) and 60010 as LNER 4489 in Garter Blue with its original Canadian Pacific Railway bell (as it appeared in 1939). Rail vehicles A train (from Old French trahiner , from Latin trahere , "to pull, to draw" )
3610-507: The Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825. British engineer George Stephenson ran a steam locomotive named Locomotion No. 1 on this 40-kilometer (25-mile) long line, hauling over 400 passengers at up to 13 kilometers per hour (8 mph). The success of this locomotive, and Stephenson's Rocket in 1829, convinced many of the value in steam locomotives, and within a decade the stock market bubble known as " Railway Mania " started across
3705-640: The loading gauge profile to avoid fouling bridges and lineside infrastructure with this being a potential limiting factor on loads such as intermodal container types that may be carried. Train accidents sometimes occur, including derailments (when a train leaves the tracks) and train wrecks (collisions between trains). Accidents were more common in the early days of trains, when railway signal systems, centralized traffic control , and failsafe systems to prevent collisions were primitive or did not yet exist. To prevent accidents, systems such as automatic train stop are used; these are failsafe systems that apply
3800-405: The 1500s, wagonways were introduced to haul material from mines; from the 1790s, stronger iron rails were introduced. Following early developments in the second half of the 1700s, in 1804 a steam locomotive built by British inventor Richard Trevithick powered the first ever steam train. Outside of coal mines, where fuel was readily available, steam locomotives remained untried until the opening of
3895-398: The 1846 Furness Railway No. 3 "Coppernob" locomotive, and the more modern express passenger steam locomotives London and North Eastern Railway Class A3 No. 4472 Flying Scotsman (added to the collection in 2004), its streamlined sister Class A4 No. 4468 Mallard and London, Midland and Scottish Railway Princess Coronation Class No. 6229 Duchess of Hamilton . Flying Scotsman
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3990-502: The 1970s as an alternative to congested highways and a means to promote development , as has light rail in the 21st century. Freight trains remain important for the transport of bulk commodities such as coal and grain, as well as being a means of reducing road traffic congestion by freight trucks. While conventional trains operate on relatively flat tracks with two rails, a number of specialized trains exist which are significantly different in their mode of operation. Monorails operate on
4085-541: The Director of the NRM. Concerns about the condition of the concrete roof structure on the main building brought forward major changes to the museum in 1990. To maintain a presence at York, the former York goods depot across Leeman Road, already in use as a museum store (the Peter Allen Building), was configured to display trains as if in a passenger station, and this together with the adjacent South Yard
4180-577: The Great Western's City of Truro , London and North Western Railway Columbine and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway B1 Class Gladstone . The GWR assembled a valuable collection of small objects, mounted privately in a long corridor at Paddington station , and in 1925 it built a replica of North Star . It preserved City of Truro and Tiny in 1931 and purchased Shannon for preservation in 1946. The LMS had its own collection of small objects at Euston . It also began to build up
4275-596: The Museum Garden was created incorporating a 7 + 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 184 mm ) gauge ridable miniature railway . A playground was also added. Continued concern over the condition of the remaining 1950s buildings on the site led to their replacement by The Works in 1999. This gave several functional areas: the Workshop , for maintenance of rolling stock; the Workshop Gallery , from which
4370-572: The Museum of the play of E. Nesbit 's The Railway Children , awarded five stars in The Guardian . Following this success, it was repeated in 2009, from 23 July to 3 September, and the museum provided locomotives for subsequent performances at Waterloo International station and in Toronto . Major plans under the name "NRM+" were made for refurbishing the Great Hall display, for which
4465-581: The Tank Engine books were assured a permanent place in the NRM's collection of historical railway books, due to their role in maintaining children's interests in railways. In 1991, Christopher Awdry chose to fictionalise this event in Thomas and the Great Railway Show , where Thomas (the most iconic of Awdry's characters) was made an honorary member of the NRM collection by Sir Topham Hatt and
4560-546: The United Kingdom. News of the success of steam locomotives quickly reached the United States, where the first steam railroad opened in 1829. American railroad pioneers soon started manufacturing their own locomotives, designed to handle the sharper curves and rougher track typical of the country's railroads. The other nations of Europe also took note of British railroad developments, and most countries on
4655-790: The United States, the Gatimaan Express in India, and the KTM ETS in Malaysia. A number of types of trains are used to provide rapid transit to urban areas. These are distinct from traditional passenger trains in that they operate more frequently, typically do not share tracks with freight trains, and cover relatively short distances. Many different kinds of systems are in use globally. Rapid transit trains that operate in tunnels below ground are known as subways, undergrounds, or metros. Elevated railways operate on viaducts or bridges above
4750-512: The York Central redevelopment which will divert Leeman Road, the National Railway Museum will be building a new entrance building to connect the two separate parts of the museum together. At the same time, the space around the museum was to be landscaped to provide public spaces. In 2020, architectural practice Feilden Fowles won an international competition to create the museum's new £16.5 million Central Hall building—a key element of
4845-567: The basis of a museum opened at York by the London and North Eastern Railway in 1928 under the curatorship of E. M. Bywell. The smaller exhibits were housed in the old station buildings and the rolling stock and other large exhibits in the former locomotive erecting and repair shops of the old York and North Midland Railway (demolished after the museum closed). Despite this however, the locomotives were displayed on short lengths of track acting as plinths, very much in traditional museum style. It
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#17327801925664940-578: The benefits of trains for transport led to a revival in their use and importance. Freight trains are significantly more efficient than trucks, while also emitting far fewer greenhouse gas emissions per ton-mile; passenger trains are also far more energy efficient than other modes of transport. According to the International Energy Agency , "On average, rail requires 12 times less energy and emits 7–11 times less GHGs per passenger-km travelled than private vehicles and airplanes, making it
5035-518: The brakes on a train if it passes a red signal and enters an occupied block , or if any of the train's equipment malfunctions. More advanced safety systems, such as positive train control , can also automatically regulate train speed, preventing derailments from entering curves or switches too fast. Modern trains have a very good safety record overall, comparable with air travel. In the United States between 2000 and 2009, train travel averaged 0.43 deaths per billion passenger miles traveled. While this
5130-694: The cars and apply the brakes when the train went downhill. Hand brakes are still used to park cars and locomotives, but the predominant braking system for trains globally is air brakes, invented in 1869 by George Westinghouse . Air brakes are applied at once to the entire train using air hoses. For safety and communication, trains are equipped with bells , horns , and lights . Steam locomotives typically use steam whistles rather than horns. Other types of lights may be installed on locomotives and cars, such as classification lights , Mars Lights , and ditch lights . Locomotives are in most cases equipped with cabs, also known as driving compartments, where
5225-473: The closure of many rapid transit and tram systems during this time as well. Since the 1970s, governments, environmentalists , and train advocates have promoted increased use of trains due to their greater fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to other modes of land transport. High-speed rail , first built in the 1960s, has proven competitive with cars and planes over short to medium distances. Commuter rail has grown in importance since
5320-465: The continent constructed and opened their first railroads in the 1830s and 1840s, following the first run of a steam train in France in late 1829. In the 1850s, trains continued to expand across Europe, with many influenced by or purchases of American locomotive designs. Other European countries pursued their own distinct designs. Around the world, steam locomotives grew larger and more powerful throughout
5415-515: The earliest era of photography to the modern day. These include official collections from railway companies and collections from enthusiasts like Eric Treacy and H. Gordon Tidey . In 1999/2000 the Museum began to collect recordings of former railway staff for a National Archive of Railway Oral History. It also holds the archive of steam train recordings by Peter Handford . In 2009 The Forsythe Collection of travel and transport ephemera
5510-465: The first decade of the 1900s. Experimentation with diesel and gas power continued, culminating in the German " Flying Hamburger " in 1933, and the influential American EMD FT in 1939. These successful diesel locomotives showed that diesel power was superior to steam, due to lower costs, ease of maintenance, and better reliability. Meanwhile, Italy developed an extensive network of electric trains during
5605-487: The first decades of the 20th century, driven by that country's lack of significant coal reserves. World War II brought great destruction to existing railroads across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Following the war's conclusion in 1945, nations which had suffered extensive damage to their railroad networks took the opportunity provided by Marshall Plan funds (or economic assistance from the USSR and Comecon , for nations behind
5700-676: The first train powered by electricity in 1879, and went on to pioneer electric trams . Another German inventor, Rudolf Diesel , constructed the first diesel engine in the 1890s, though the potential of his invention to power trains was not realized until decades later. Between 1897 and 1903, tests of experimental electric locomotives on the Royal Prussian Military Railway in Germany demonstrated they were viable, setting speed records in excess of 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph). Early gas powered " doodlebug " self-propelled railcars entered service on railroads in
5795-410: The ground, often on top of city streets. "Metro" may also refer to rapid transit that operates at ground level. In many systems, two or even all three of these types may exist on different portions of a network. Trams, also known in North America as streetcars, typically operate on or parallel to streets in cities, with frequent stops and a high frequency of service. Light rail is a catchall term for
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#17327801925665890-492: The heritage railway movement to assist with their new build locomotive and restoration projects. They are also sold to modellers who can use the drawing to produce accurate scale models. The library holds more than 20,000 books and 800 journals of which around 300 are active. The archive also holds a large collection of technical and test records, as well as timetables including a large number of Bradshaw timetables . The archives also hold some 1.75 million photographs covering
5985-481: The late 1800s to transport large numbers of people in and around cities. Beginning in the 1920s, and accelerating following World War II , diesel and electric locomotives replaced steam as the means of motive power. Following the development of cars , trucks , and extensive networks of highways which offered greater mobility, as well as faster airplanes , trains declined in importance and market share, and many rail lines were abandoned. The spread of buses led to
6080-598: The late 19th century, the National Collection today results from the fusion of two long-running official initiatives. One was led by the State museums sector, evidencing pioneering technology, and the other by the railway industry, in which the key contribution came from the North Eastern Railway as successors to the historic Stockton and Darlington Railway . What became the Science Museum collection
6175-480: The leisure and enthusiast market. Diesel locomotives are powered with a diesel engine, which generates electricity to drive traction motors. This is known as a diesel–electric transmission , and is used on most larger diesels. Diesel power replaced steam for a variety of reasons: diesel locomotives were less complex, far more reliable, cheaper, cleaner, easier to maintain, and more fuel efficient. Electric trains receive their current via overhead lines or through
6270-467: The low friction of which makes them more efficient than other forms of transport. Trains have their roots in wagonways , which used railway tracks and were powered by horses or pulled by cables . Following the invention of the steam locomotive in the United Kingdom in 1802, trains rapidly spread around the world, allowing freight and passengers to move over land faster and cheaper than ever possible before. Rapid transit and trams were first built in
6365-581: The main hall to the Workshop Gallery, the Museum Inclinator was constructed. Besides its primary function, this also served to demonstrate the workings of a funicular railway . To that end its workings were exposed in the style of a larger open air funicular railway, rather than being concealed in the fabric of the building as is more normal for intramural lifts. It ceased working due to lack of spare parts, and with no plans for repair it
6460-715: The mid 1900s, gas turbine locomotives were developed and successfully used, though most were retired due to high fuel costs and poor reliability. In the 21st century, alternative fuels for locomotives are under development, due to increasing costs for diesel and a desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from trains. Examples include hydrail (trains powered by hydrogen fuel cells) and the use of compressed or liquefied natural gas . Train cars, also known as wagons, are unpowered rail vehicles which are typically pulled by locomotives. Many different types exist, specialized to handle various types of cargo. Some common types include boxcars (also known as covered goods wagons ) that carry
6555-502: The most efficient mode of motorised passenger transport. Aside from shipping, freight rail is the most energy-efficient and least carbon-intensive way to transport goods." As such, rail transport is considered an important part of achieving sustainable energy . Intermodal freight trains, carrying double-stack shipping containers , have since the 1970s generated significant business for railroads and gained market share from trucks. Increased use of commuter rail has also been promoted as
6650-491: The museum commissioned a working replica of Stephenson's Rocket for the following year's Liverpool and Manchester Railway 150th anniversary. This has since represented the museum at events around the world. Another working replica was added to the collection for the 150th anniversary of establishment of the Great Western Railway in 1985: that of the 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ) broad gauge locomotive Iron Duke . In 1990, The Rev. W. Awdry 's Railway Series Thomas
6745-538: The museum for short periods. Other physically large exhibits are the Stockton and Darlington Railway Gaunless Bridge and several stationary winding engines used on railway inclines. The many other two and three-dimensional elements of the collection include signalling equipment, road vehicles, ship models, posters , drawings and other artwork, tickets , nameplates, staff uniforms, clocks , watches , furniture and equipment from railway companies' hotels , refreshment rooms and offices (including company seals ) and
6840-511: The museum had a high-profile campaign, supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund , to purchase Flying Scotsman which arrived at the Museum as the climax of Railfest. The first stage of a new centre providing easy access to the museum's Library and Archives, called "Search Engine", opened at the end of 2007. From 18 July to 23 August 2008, a popular new venture was the staging by York Theatre Royal at
6935-414: The museum's Vision 2025 masterplan. In January 2023, the museum's Station Hall (a Grade II listed "former goods station built between 1875–77") was closed for an estimated 18 months for "urgent structural repair" which was to include the installation of a new roof over that area. The National Railway Museum has over 6,000 objects on display of which around 100 are locomotives or rolling stock which tell
7030-533: The only form of public transportation available. Short distance or regional passenger trains have travel times measured in hours or even minutes, as opposed to days. They run more frequently than long distance trains, and are often used by commuters. Short distance passenger trains specifically designed for commuters are known as commuter rail . High speed trains are designed to be much faster than conventional trains, and typically run on their own separate tracks than other, slower trains. The first high speed train
7125-759: The only other locomotive preserved by the Southern was Boxhill in 1947. ( Gladstone was preserved by the Stephenson Locomotive Society as a private initiative and much later (in 1959) donated to the British Transport Commission .) The nationalisation of British Railways in 1948 gave the opportunity for a more consolidated approach and a report was produced by the British Transport Commission in 1951. Amongst other things this recommended
7220-493: The public can look down on this work; a Working Railway Gallery , giving an insight into current and recent operation including a balcony overlooking York railway station hosting a set of monitors showing live feeds from the monitors at York IECC ; and the Warehouse which provides an innovative open storage area, which has proved popular with both public and museum professionals. In order to provide step-free access from
7315-421: The railway station; since then, the collection has continued to grow. The museum is accessible on foot from York railway station . A "roadtrain" runs from the city centre (near York Minster ) to the museum on Leeman Road during half-term, holidays and summer. York Park and Ride also serve the museum from the car park entrance, on Line 2 (Rawcliffe Bar-York). Admission to the museum has been free since 2001. It
7410-475: The remainder divided between Locomotion at Shildon and other museums and heritage railways . The earliest are wagonway vehicles of about 1815. The permanent display includes "Palaces on Wheels", a collection of Royal Train saloons from Queen Victoria 's early trains through to those used by Queen Elizabeth II up to the 1970s, among them some of the first rail vehicles to be set aside for preservation. Other key exhibits normally to be seen at York include
7505-724: The rest of the century as technology advanced. Trains first entered service in South America, Africa, and Asia through construction by imperial powers , which starting in the 1840s built railroads to solidify control of their colonies and transport cargo for export. In Japan, which was never colonized, railroads first arrived in the early 1870s. By 1900, railroads were operating on every continent besides uninhabited Antarctica. Even as steam locomotive technology continued to improve, inventors in Germany started work on alternative methods for powering trains. Werner von Siemens built
7600-547: The rest of the world, Janney couplers are the most popular, with a few local variations persisting (such as Wilson couplers in the former Soviet Union). On multiple units all over the world, Scharfenberg couplers are common. Because trains are heavy, powerful brakes are needed to slow or stop trains, and because steel wheels on steel rails have relatively low friction, brakes must be distributed among as many wheels as possible. Early trains could only be stopped by manually applied hand brakes, requiring workers to ride on top of
7695-423: The stories for Britain's railway innovation. The collection also includes fine jewellery worn by railway queens, models of planes, boats and hovercraft, and experimental technologies such as Louis Brennan 's Gyroscopic Mono-rail car. It is the largest museum of its type in Britain, attracting 782,000 visitors during the 2018/19 financial year (the largest in the world in terms of floor area of exhibition buildings
7790-763: The term is used today to refer to crew members who perform tasks such as operating switches, coupling and uncoupling train cars, and setting handbrakes on equipment. Steam locomotives require a fireman who is responsible for fueling and regulating the locomotive's fire and boiler. On passenger trains, other crew members assist passengers, such as chefs to prepare food, and service attendants to provide food and drinks to passengers. Other passenger train specific duties include passenger car attendants, who assist passengers with boarding and alighting from trains, answer questions, and keep train cars clean, and sleeping car attendants, who perform similar duties in sleeping cars . Some trains can operate with automatic train operation without
7885-426: The website recommends pre-booking archive materials at least 24 hours in advance. The majority of its collections have been listed on its website for people to view what materials are available prior to their visit. For those people that cannot visit the museum itself there is a research service offered by the museum called Inreach . Although there had been amateur attempts to establish a national railway museum from
7980-433: The workings of a steam locomotive. The new museum received over a million visitors in its first year and was favourably received by critics. Significant events of 1979 were the restoration of a train of appropriate vehicles to mark the centenary of on-train catering and an exhibition to mark the centenary of railway electric traction which drew attention to the museum's important collections in this area. Also in 1979
8075-540: The world, such as monorail . The railway terminology that is used to describe a train varies between countries. The International Union of Railways seeks to provide standardised terminology across languages. The Association of American Railroads provides terminology for North America. The British Rail Safety and Standards Board defines a train as a "light locomotive, self-propelled rail vehicle or road-rail vehicle in rail mode." A collection of passenger or freight carriages connected together (not necessarily with
8170-437: Was acquired for the collection. Many of the museum's artworks and posters can also be viewed through Search Engine although these are now displayed in a series of temporary exhibitions in the museum's new art gallery which opened in 2011. The Search Engine facility opened in late 2007 and is open from 10:00 to 17:30 Wednesday to Saturday. The archive and library collections can be viewed by anyone without an appointment although
8265-587: Was begun in the 1860s by the Patent Office, whose museum included such early relics as Puffing Billy , Stephenson's Rocket and Agenoria (sister locomotive to Stourbridge Lion ), which was outhoused to York at an early date. Preservation of redundant equipment by the railway companies themselves was a matter of chance. Sometimes relics were stored in company workshops and offices and some were destroyed as circumstances changed. Some were put on public display, usually at railway stations, displayed in
8360-874: Was higher than that of air travel at 0.07 deaths per billion passenger miles, it was also far below the 7.28 deaths per billion passenger miles of car travel. In the 21st century, several derailments of oil trains caused fatalities, most notably the Canadian Lac-Mégantic rail disaster in 2013 which killed 47 people and leveled much of the town of Lac-Mégantic . The vast majority of train-related fatalities, over 90 percent, are due to trespassing on railroad tracks, or collisions with road vehicles at level crossings . Organizations such as Operation Lifesaver have been formed to improve safety awareness at railroad crossings, and governments have also launched ad campaigns. Trains cannot stop quickly when at speed; even an emergency brake application may still require more than
8455-508: Was launched by the city council at the beginning of 2016. The NRM+ project was cancelled in April 2011 due to lack of success in assembling the funding package. However, major changes to the displays in the Station Hall began later in 2011. In 2012, the NRM decided to repatriate temporarily the two LNER A4 class steam locomotives, numbers 60008 Dwight D Eisenhower and 60010 Dominion of Canada from their respective North American homes at
8550-554: Was marketed as The Great Railway Show . A further selection of exhibits formed the National Railway Museum on Tour on display for a season in the former Swindon Works . Meanwhile, the main building was completely re-roofed and reconstructed retaining only one of the two original 1954 turntables . It was reopened on 16 April 1992 by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as the Great Hall giving enhanced opportunities to display large artifacts such as railway signals ,
8645-567: Was only when the NRM was formed that Britain acquired a rail-served railway museum where large exhibits could come and go with ease. The collection was dominated by items from the North Eastern Railway, together with Great Northern Railway items. The other three ' Big Four ' railway companies showed little interest in contributing to the LNER's initiative, though eventually one locomotive representative of each did find its way there:
8740-531: Was opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , in 1975. The opening coincided with the 150th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, for which several working exhibits were provided. By comparison with the museum's predecessors coverage of ordinary passenger coaches and non-steam motive power was enhanced, but a popular new exhibit was ex-Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class No. 35029 Ellerman Lines sectioned to show
8835-426: Was removed by August 2013. 2004 saw several major developments at the museum. Several railway anniversaries were celebrated by a major "Railfest". Another took place from 25 to 30 May 2008 with a Sixties theme. The Locomotion museum was opened at Shildon , County Durham providing undercover collection care facilities for more rail vehicles (particularly freight wagons) from the museum's collection. In addition,
8930-558: Was the Japanese Shinkansen , which entered service in 1964. In the following decades, high speed rail networks were developed across much of Europe and Eastern Asia, providing fast and reliable service competitive with automobiles and airplanes. The first high-speed train in the Americas was Amtrak 's Acela in the United States, which entered service in 2000. Towards the end of the 20th century, increased awareness of
9025-552: Was the Japanese Shinkansen , which opened in 1964. In the 21st century, services such as the French TGV and German Intercity Express are competitive with airplanes in travel time over short to medium distances. A subset of high speed trains are higher speed trains , which bridge the gap between conventional and high speed trains, and travel at speeds between the two. Examples include the Northeast Regional in
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