National Railway Museum

... I think because London doesn't have the Peak District, the Lake District, The Cairngorms, The Cotswolds, The Moors of Yorkshire, Dartmoor, Snowdonia... only a large population, a large tourist destination, and some old buildings... the rest of the nation is has the lion's share of 'the good stuff'

I think its fair enough to give London a few museums

 

why the aggression? it's only an opinion

 

So why is that your opinion?

 

I agree, we must be the most insular nation on Earth, York is a three hour drive up the A1 from London but to the average Londoner it's another planet. York is a city worth visiting for a variety of reasons and makes a good day out for anyone.

 

Living just outside London, I get the best of both worlds. Some of my colleagues and friends in London rarely get out of the area except for their sunshine holidays by air. I love taking a train to other parts of the country, or driving.

 

The French national railway museum is in Mulhouse, some way away from Paris. I'm not sure whether other countries have nation railway museums outside their capitals, although the Italians have a railway museum in Naples.

 

Isn't the German equivalent in Nuremburg - a long way from Berlin.

Tom

 

Double post.

 

York is only a couple of hours by rail from London (one might assume that railway enthusiasts enjoy train travel but I know some on here don't!), and many, many other places - it is a good, accessible location.

Off the top of my head, Belgium is the only country I can think of where I know that the 'National Railway Museum' is in the (centrally located) capital. As @simon has mentioned, Mulhouse is certainly not really a day trip from Paris, even with the new LGVs - it must be nearer the capital of Switzerland than France and is a long way from almost anywhere in France! Berlin has a great technical museum, centred around an engine shed and a good railway collection but the DB Museum is in Nürnberg (and some of the 'private' museums seriously rival both). Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands all have Railway Museums not in their capital cities, but arguably placed more centrally to the country (the 'centre' of Norway is in the middle of nowhere really). Many Capital Cities aren't that centrally located!

Steven

 

York is a good central location for the NRM. You can get a direct train to York from many parts of the UK, not just London. Maybe the balance could have been redressed by locating Locomotion somewhere else. Shildon really is a bit out of the way, and it has a poor train service..

I agree that the NRM at York lacks atmosphere, and it's gloomy.

As for interpretation, I have mixed feelings. I think some of the freight displays are good, and the excellent model railway layouts are a good way of telling a story about how railways operated. But please, please, please do not submerge the exhibits in interpretive panels and displays like they've done at Head of Steam and Think Tank. What's the point of having an exhibit if you can't stand back and see it?

P1160822 by Tim Light posted Dec 27, 2016 at 3:27 PM

DSCF2807 by Tim Light posted Dec 27, 2016 at 3:27 PM

 

It's been my opinion since I visited Clapham not long before it closed in favour of York.

 

That hasn't really answered my question - why do you think the London area would be better?

 

it's not any of your business

 

Clapham was an awful place, a lot of exhibits crammed into an old tram depot. I thought the lesson about presentation had been learnt but looking at Tim Bright's pictures obviously not.
I must say I'm not that impressed with stuffed and mounted museums anyway but at least the presentation could have some railwaylike surroundings. York was a railway roundhouse and could have had so much railway atmosphere but the powers that be decided to remodel it on the lines of a B&Q superstore.
The last time I was there all sorts of clutter was getting in the way of the exhibits and the dumbed down interpretation boards or whatever they are called were not really necessary. I'm not in a hurry to go again.

 

I'm not sure you've got how this discussion forum thing works...

 

no i think that's your problem, my opinion is mine and it's nothing to do with you what it is or why. It's not open for discussion.

 

yes I agree, if those pictures are typical then the place has disimproved.

 

In all seriousness, I am fairly new to steam enthusiasm and very keen to learn from others. I have my views on things but can be persuaded with solid reasoned argument. You have set out a fairly controversial opinion on the location of the NRM but have refused to say why you hold that view. I have just tried to get you to say why so I can decide whether I agree or not.

 

Fair enough, but in which case, why bother posting it on a discussion forum at all?

 

Well the top picture is Birmingham, I'm not sure where the second one is.

It does highlight the need for space to let the exhibits breath but space is a premium in most capitals.

Just remembered the Chinese railway museum is in Beijing, although not in the centre; the Japanese steam railway museum is in Kyoto.