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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.

Railway Heroes

A collection of interviews with railway workers who have helped get key workers to and from their jobs and given back to their communities—and country—during the COVID-19 pandemic
View the exhibition

Read our stories

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.

London & North Eastern Railway steam locomotive 'Mallard' 4-6-2 A4 Pacific class, No 4468, 1938 (steam locomotive) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum”
LMS(R) steam locomotive with tender 'Duchess of Hamilton' 4-6-2 Coronation class, No 6229, 1938 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Working replica of Rocket (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Steam locomotive, entitled Evening Star (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Furness Railway steam locomotive 'Coppernob' 0-4-0, No 3, 1846 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Shutt End Colliery Railway steam locomotive 'Agenoria' 0-4-0, 1829 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
West Japan Railways Shinkansen 'Bullet Train', 1976 (powered unit) Science Museum Group Collection
Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (diesel locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Chinese Government Railways Steam Locomotive 4-8-4 KF Class No 7 (steam locomotive) © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum”
London Brighton & South Coast Railway locomotive Gladstone (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
British Railways diesel electric locomotive AIA-AIA Class 31, No D5500 (31018), 1957 (diesel locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
SR 'Ellerman Lines' 4-6-2 Merchant Navy Class sectioned steam locomotive, No 35029 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
South Eastern & Chatham Railway Class D 4-4-0 steam locomotive No 737 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Electric locomotive, No. 26020 (electric locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Steam locomotive, number 673 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Steam locomotive, number 245 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Great Northern Railway 0-6-0ST steam locomotive, No 1247, 1899 (steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection

From the archives

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.

Railway Collecting Dog: "Laddie" (railway collecting dog) Science Museum Group Collection
Waterloo Station (oil painting) Science Museum Group Collection
Ceramic tile map of North Eastern Railway (map) Science Museum Group Collection
Spirit of the South (painting) Science Museum Group Collection
Furness Railway station seat (station seat) Science Museum Group Collection
Silver fox locomotive plaque, London & North Eastern Railway (plaque) Science Museum Group Collection
Anti-spitting sign (sign) Science Museum Group Collection
Tubular Steel Type Signal Assembly (fixed signal) Science Museum Group Collection
bullion box full of lead shot (bullion box) Science Museum Group Collection
carriage ashtray from Quintinshill disaster (carriage ashtray)
Royal footwarmer, Great Western Railway (footwarmer) Science Museum Group Collection
Borough Market Junction signal box (signal box) Science Museum Group Collection

Insight from around the museum

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.

Locomotives in the workshop

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 in the workshop

Experimental vehicles at the Derby research centre.

See more photographs from the British Rail Research collection.

A vehicle and a horse

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

A breakdown train, around 1910. 

See more photographs from the Crewe collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Line widening

Line widening at Ambergate in July 1931.

See more photographs from the Derby Works collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
A locomotive being painted

Painters add another coat to a locomotive at Doncaster Works in 1947.

See more photographs from the Doncaster Works collection,

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Bo-Bo no. 2 with train of open goods wagons

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 a drawing office

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 on the rails

Mallard thunders past on the day of its record-breaking run in 1938.

See more photographs from the Hoather collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
A busy Preston station

Preston station bustles with passengers ready to board a Blackpool-bound train in 1910.

See more photographs from the Horwich collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
A man unloads goods from a flatbed vehicle

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 a workshop

Inside London & South Western Railway's Eastleigh Works erecting shop.

See more photographs from the Nine Elms collection.

© The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum
Nottingham Victoria Station

Nottingham Victoria Station around 1910.

See more photographs from the Oxford Publishing Company or Railprint collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Rail vehicles in action at Coombe Junction

Coombe Junction in action.

See more photographs from the Sellick collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Wagons under construction

Wagons are built at Shildon Works, around 1910.

See more photographs from the Shildon Works collection.

Science Museum Group Collection
St Fillans Station

St Fillans Station, about 1901.

See more photographs from the St Rollox collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
A railway carriage under construction

Railway carriages under construction at Wolverton Carriage Works, about 1928.

See more photographs from the Wolverton collection.

© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Inside a first-class carriage

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 Museum

Railway stories

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.

Clapham Junction (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
The Devon Belle (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
The Gateway to the North (poster) © The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum, London
Folkestone (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Warwick Castle (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Crieff, Perthshire (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
BR poster. Inter-City Sleepers. Overground by Night, 1974 (poster) © The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum, London
Track Laying by Night (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Take me by the Flying Scotsman (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
The Silver Jubilee (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Intercity Savers poster (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
The Lake District for Holidays (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Ireland for Holidays, Killarney (poster) © The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum, London
York, Walled City of Ancient Days (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Hunstanton (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Guernsey, The Sunshine Island (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
GlenFinnan (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Kendal - A Gateway to the English Lakes (poster) © The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum, London
It's Quicker by Rail - Bridlington (poster) © The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum, London
It's Quicker by Rail - Bridlington (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
It's Quicker by Rail - Durham (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Fleetwood for Sunshine Health & Pleasure (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Herefordshire (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Hungtindonshire (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Norwich (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Richmond, Yorkshire (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Isle of Skye - Go North This Year (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Bangor - Northern Ireland (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Buckinghamshire (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
It's Quicker by Rail - Lowestoft (poster) © The Board of Trustees of The Science Museum, London
The Coronation Scot Ascending Shap Fell (poster)
Giants Refreshed - 'Pacifics' in the LNER Locomotive Works, Doncaster (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
the cambrian coast line (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Cornwall (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
South for Winter Sunshine (poster)
Cornwall, Land of Legend, History and Romance (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
I'm Taking an Early Holiday Cos I Know Summer Comes Soonest in the South (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
Midland Railway poster, the Most Interesting Route to Scotland (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
It's Quicker by Rail - Scarborough (poster) Science Museum Group Collection
York in Daffodil Time (poster) Science Museum Group Collection

Courageous conservation

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.

Model diesel-electric locomotive, London, Midland & Scottish Railway (model) Science Museum Group Collection
Concept model, British Rail InterCity 250 Class 93 locomotive (concept model) Science Museum Group Collection
Model steam locomotive, gauge `0' tinplate, LMS 0-4-0T No.22 (model steam locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Model electric locomotive, 1/24 scale, BR `EM 2' class Co-Co electric passenger locomotive (Model locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Model Passenger Locomotive, 1840-1845 (model locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection
Great Northern Class 1 Stirling Single Locomotive model (locomotive model) Science Museum Group Collection
Model Class 91 electric locomotive, c 1990 (model - representation; electric locomotive) Science Museum Group Collection

Safety on the railways and beyond

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Part of the Science Museum Group

Science Museum National Science and Media Museum Science and Industry Museum National Railway Museum Locomotion