National Railway Museum York – The things I wish I knew before visiting

National Railway Museum York. In between Christmas and New Year, we had a brilliant family break to York. There is so much to do in the city for kids, the really good thing about York is the number of things to do are free. The top of the list of free things to do has to be the National Railway Museum. If you only have time to fit one thing in then this should be that one thing. There is so much to see and do in the museum that I grossly underestimated the time we would need at the museum. Full of famous locomotives the national collection is a railway enthusiasts dream.

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National Railway Museum York – The things I wish I knew before visiting

The York museum railway is the largest railway museum in the world! Welcoming over one million visitors a year I would not be surprised if it is one of the largest museums in the UK. It is part of the same museum trust as The Science Museum group in London. We has a fantastic time when we visited but I do wish I had known certain things in advance. 

York Railway Museum Location & Parking

We stayed in central York during our visit. Most attractions are within easy walking distance of the city centre. Apart from the train museum. The National Railway York is about a twenty-minute walk which is a bit further than I was expecting. It is actually located near York railway station. If you are planning a series of attractions in one day make sure you take this into account. I noticed there is a car park close by for £11 a day if you would prefer to drive. It is just opposite the entrance and easy to find.

It was not until we arrived did we notice that there is a land train which runs between the town centre and the York railway museum. I was a little placated as it was not working on the day we visited. But it would be a good way to save little legs and kids energy for looking around the museum itself. It costs £2 each way.

Tickets National Railway Museum

At the moment you need to book an admission ticket and time slot on their website. Unsurprisingly it is very popular so I would suggest that you do this well in advance. At the same time as booking the tickets, you can also add on the Mallard (world’s fastest steam locomotive) Experience to your tickets. This does cost extra and for the four of us it came to £12. The experience takes part in a simulator where you are transported to the moment when the Mallard set the land speed record for the fastest steam train ever. And it still holds that title today. Starting the race for high-speed rail travel. The museum also has a Bullet train from Japan who currently hold the world speed record.

Activities to book & Lockers

I had booked an afternoon ticket for us. When we arrived it was already busy. The information desk is just past the shop on the right-hand side in front of the main entrance. Here you can also book your Mallard tickets if you do not select them when booking. As well as tickets for the mini train. However, when we arrived at 2.30 pm there were no tickets for either activity. So my advice would be to visit the desk as soon as you arrive. 

As we visited in the Winter we had our coats and a rucksack. Most of the museum is inside. So we decided to leave the coats in the lockers just behind the information desk. They cost £3 and they are non-refundable. You need a £2 coin and a £1 coin. We did not have the right change but managed to get a £2 coin from the gift shop.

Food & drink options

We arrived after lunchtime but if we were to visit again we would plan to eat at the museum. In the Great Hall, there is a cafe which sells hot and cold food. The food seemed really well priced compared to some of the other places we had seen elsewhere in York. It looked like a good place to grab a tasty lunch. They offered various different meal deals, as well as sandwiches and picnic boxes for children. Plus you get to sit in rail carriage seats to eat. You can find the full menu on their website – Railway Museum what you need to know. It is also possible to book afternoon tea in the Countess of York (railway carriage). 

The highlights from our visit

I would definitely recommend visiting if you are in York. We enjoyed so much of our visit but our highlights were:

• The Great Hall has so many engines. And so many that have something special about them. Such as The Mallard, a Japanese Bullet Train. The largest steam train in the world which we built for the Chinese and many more. The sheer number of engines all in one place is jaw-dropping. 
• Also in the Great Hall, there s a huge turntable that should not be missed, the Mallard simulator can also be found on the opposite side. 
• There is a replica of George Stephenson – The Rocket the first steam engine. But on our visit as well as the replicas the real thing was also on display. I would check in advance as york’s national railway museum has also housed a number of other icons of the rails. Including the Flying Scotsman and also the Hogwarts Train. Neither of which was on display when we visited.
• There was also the Duchess of Hamilton which is a very well known art deco train. Probably the most beautiful I have seen with its maroon and gold paint.
• My favourite part was the Warehouse. Where there is row upon row of railway and train memorabilia. It is almost like a train spotters graveyard. With lots of cabinets full of the fascinating history of the railways.
• Don’t miss the platform 9 and 3/4 sign if you are a Harry Potter fan
• Plus there is a miniature railways exhibit which shows the working life of a station. When we visited there was not anyone demonstrating it, but from the information notice, it did look like it was done fairly frequently.
• Station hall is designed to look exactly like a train station to give a little taste of train travel in the late 1800s. I wonder if this is how York station use to look.
• In Station Hall there are all the royal carriages and royal trains with a number that have been used by the monarchy. Including Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. I found it interesting to see how these have changed over the years. With the splendour of royal travel becoming less opulent.
• There is also a mail train which gives an interesting history lesson. The boys – being boys loved the old fashion loo on the same platform.
• Don’t miss the British Rail sign for prosperity. If you have ever spent significant time commuting then you will know what I mean!
• Outside there is a small play area and a mini train. We did not make this as we simply did not have enough time. Plus it was cold and wet when we visited. 

Museum Shop

Well, it wouldn’t be a museum without a gift shop? Located at the entrance/exit you do not have to go through it to leave. But with an open plan aspect, it is hard to walk past and keep the kids out. There are some small souvenirs which they can spend their pocket money on. But there is also a lot of expensive items such as the Hogwarts train set. Which Harry had a meltdown about. So be warned. 

The Road Train

The National Railway Museum has a road train. We saw it as we left. It costs £2 per child and £3 per adult one way. So £10 for a family of four. But despite the price, I think we would have got it back had it been running. After spending a couple of hours looking around little legs were most definitely tired. Leaving the museum every 30 minutes from 11.15 am to 4.00 pm. You purchase tickets from the guard before getting on, they take cards. It definitely saves little legs. The ten to fifteen-minute journey will drop you next to York Minster in Duncombe Place. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the national rail museum. Arguably the world’s finest collection of historic locomotives with so many significant railway vehicles. It has to be on your list as there is something to do for every age group.

Have you visited the National Railway Museum York? Let me know your favourite bits in the comments below.

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These other posts may be of interest:

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Things to do in York with Kids – 3 Day Itinerary

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Our Harry Potter inspired trip to York

Wizard Golf in York a Review of Hole in the Wand

Jorvik Archeology is the triple ticket worth it?

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