Celebrating 50 years of the National Railway Museum

With details of the celebrations and how to support:

Celebrating 50 Years of Support | 

With your support, we can share the history of railways far and wide, inspire the next generation, and make the story of engineering accessible to all.

Since 1975, the National Railway Museum has proudly opened its doors to all. As a charity, your support is essential in helping us preserve Britain’s rich railway history and inspire the next generation of engineers and innovators.

This month, we are celebrating 50 years of unforgettable exhibitions, events, and experiences. This milestone has been made possible by our passionate community of visitors and supporters - and together, we look forward to welcoming many more.

As part of our birthday celebrations, we’re thrilled to be reopening Station Hall on Friday 26 September. This is a landmark moment in our ambitious masterplan to become the world's railway museum, bringing to life the extraordinary stories of the people, places and engineering marvels that transformed the world.

By donating today, you can help fuel our next 50 years!

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How Your Donation Makes a Difference

Inspiring futures – Our education teams deliver thousands of hands-on activities each year, making science and engineering fun and accessible for all.

Caring for the collection – Donations help us conserve and share our collection, both in our museums and online, so everyone can enjoy it wherever they are.

Creating new exhibitions – Your support allows our curators to develop exciting new displays and experiences for every visitor.

Meeting urgent needs – Contributions also help us respond to the unexpected, from emergency conservation work to securing new objects for the collection.

What's On

Join us for our big birthday weekend with special behind-the-scenes access in partnership with York Unlocked on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September!

Explore inside the cabs of our iconic vehicles, hear from expert teams, enjoy family activities and more!

FIND OUT MORE →

Your Memories

"In this photo from 1985 I have just proposed to my wife on the footplate of the LSWR T3, she is seen standing by the loco having accepted my proposal!

We now live in Swanage, Dorset, where of course the T3 is now based in working order."

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Registered office: National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, YO26 4XJ. National Railway Museum (as part of the Science Museum Group) is an exempt charity under Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011 and is recognised as charitable by HM Revenue and Customs.

National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ