Railway museums bring the history of Britain's railways to life, from record-breaking steam locomotives to the everyday story of the people who built and ran the network. Many are free to enter, making them one of the best-value family days out around.
Photo: Robert Lamb · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Opening times, admission and special exhibitions change. Always check the museum's own website for current details before you visit.
The world's largest railway museum and home to icons including the record-breaking Mallard and a Japanese bullet train. Free to enter (check current details), and a short walk from York station.
The National Railway Museum's sister site in County Durham, with a large collection of railway vehicles displayed under cover. Free to enter (check current details).
Tells the story of the Great Western Railway and the workforce who built it, housed in a beautifully restored building on the former Swindon railway works.
A living museum of the Great Western Railway, based around the historic engine shed at Didcot, with steam locomotives and original GWR infrastructure.
On the historic Stockton & Darlington Railway - a birthplace of the modern railway - telling the story of the world's first passenger railway.
One of the last surviving operational railway roundhouses in Britain, near Chesterfield, with locomotives arranged around its historic turntable.
A railway museum with locomotives and working signalling, a short distance from the famous Crewe station - an ideal pairing for a spotting day.
Museums are one of the best family railway days out - and even better with a printable spotting challenge in hand.
See train spotting with children →