Skip to main content

We're open seven days a week. Book your free admission ticket now to visit the museum.

Schools and groups can book free tickets here.

Several museum closures are planned for December and Station Hall remains closed. Please check the Visit page for the latest info about closures before coming to the museum.

Our research

We collaborate with a variety of researchers and academics, creating resources and opportunities to study about the history of the railways.

The Institute of Railway Studies is a partnership between the National Railway Museum and the University of York, offering numerous opportunities for full-time and part-time study at a number of different levels.

Founded in 1995 and officially re-launched in October 2014, it undertakes joint research and shares expertise and training. The Institute also brings in a broader range of disciplines to help our understanding of railway studies. 

The Institute aims to be at the forefront of academic study, with the goal of broadening the audience for railway history and research and developing a deeper understanding of the history of British Railways. Since the Institute's inception, the University has awarded 12 PhDs, 40 Master's degrees, three Postgraduate Certificates and 71 Graduate Certificates in Railway Studies.

Locomotion No 1 report

The National Railway Museum commissioned a report by Dr Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson to establish the true history of Locomotion No 1.

The report—published 198 years after Locomotion's debut run on 27 September 1825—reveals fascinating details of the vehicle's construction and explores how many original parts remain.

Locomotion No 1: An Assessment of its History and Modifications Through Archaeological and Archival Study goes into incredible depth through its 225 pages. You can download the report, which is split into two parts, here:

Locomotion report part 1 (pages 1-107) PDF

Locomotion report part 2 (pages 108-225) PDF

Hetton Lyon report

Before their work on Locomotion No 1, Dr Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson investigated Lyon from Hetton Colliery after it moved from Beamish to Locomotion.

Hetton Lyon report (PDF)

First World War

Our website dedicated to Ambulance Trains and the First World War has now closed, but you can still find all of the information you need here.

Fallen Railwaymen database

Search through our archive of over 20,000 fallen railway workers who lost their lives in the First World War.

Explore the database.

Ambulance Trains

Find out more about the exhibition located near the turntable inside Great Hall on the page within What's on.

Discover how railways were used to transport injured servicemen to safety in our story Ambulance Trains: Bringing the First World War Home.

Current Phd projects

The following University of York and National Railway Museum Collaborative Doctoral Award students are currently undertaking Phd research:

Current projects