Rocket, Rainhill and the rise of the locomotive
Category: Story
Discover the story of pioneering engineering minds who pushed new locomotive technology to its limits.
Objects and stories
Immerse yourself in stories from centuries of railway history and discover unexpected objects from the world's largest railway collection.
Looking for our archive catalogues? You'll find all our online resources and more information about visiting Search Engine in the Research and Archive section.
Explore... Photographic collections
See what life was like in the large-scale workshops that powered a railway revolution and delve into the history of an era of engineering might with our photographic collections dating back to the 1800s.
The locomotive erecting shop at Bow Locomotive Works, around 1900.
See more photographs from the Bow Locomotive Works collection.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Experimental vehicles at the Derby research centre.
See more photographs from the British Rail Research collection.
The driver of a 'mechanical horse' pets a dray horse.
See more photographs from the British Transport Films collection.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
A breakdown train, around 1910.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Line widening at Ambergate in July 1931.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Painters add another coat to a locomotive at Doncaster Works in 1947.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
NER Bo-Bo no. 2 pulls a train of open goods wagons and crew in Newcastle.
See more photographs from the Gateshead & Darlington collection.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Inside the drawing office at Stratford Works.
See more photographs from the Great Eastern Railway Stratford collection.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Mallard thunders past on the day of its record-breaking run in 1938.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Preston station bustles with passengers ready to board a Blackpool-bound train in 1910.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
A worker unloads a haul of goods in 1936.
See more photographs from the London Midland & Scottish Railway collection.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Inside London & South Western Railway's Eastleigh Works erecting shop.
© The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum
Nottingham Victoria Station around 1910.
See more photographs from the Oxford Publishing Company or Railprint collection.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Coombe Junction in action.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Wagons are built at Shildon Works, around 1910.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
St Fillans Station, about 1901.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Railway carriages under construction at Wolverton Carriage Works, about 1928.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
A railway carriage (first class) built at York Carriage Works, around 1935.
See more photographs from the York Carriage Works collection.
© The Board of Trustees of the Science MuseumRevolutionary railways
Explore... Locomotives
These incredible inventions underpin our collection of over a million railway-related objects. Among them are the world's fastest steam engine Mallard, the exquisitely streamlined Duchess of Hamilton, a replica of George Stephenson's pioneering Rocket and the only bullet train to be found outside of Japan.
Building the early railways
Explore... Railway posters
Railway companies have designed some brilliant posters over the years. Take a look at these eye-catching examples from our extensive collection.
Safety on the railways and beyond
Explore... Railway models
Our collection is home to over 1000 model engines, carriages and other rail vehicles and equipment, many of which are on display for you to discover in the Collections Store.
Women on the railways
Explore... Intriguing objects from the railways
From the original drawings of game-changing locomotives to a 'no spitting' sign, our collection of railway objects reaches far and wide.
You can see more of these objects in Highlights, our newest exhibition which puts some of our most interesting non-locomotive collection items under the spotlight on the Search Engine balcony in Great Hall.
