Category Archives: Research

Diagrams, deers and decor: lighting represented in railway engineering archives

Posted on June 11, 2013 by

The Wolverton Works archive contains thousands of drawings of carriages, wagons and early locomotives.  It also, rather surprisingly, contains a large number of light fitting designs. This is because as well as just the engineering of the vehicles, the works … Continue reading →

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100 years of station master memories

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

From the 19th century right up until recently, the station master was the key authority figure in the railway station, with responsibility for all station staff. Large terminus stations and small country branch line stations were both managed by station … Continue reading →

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Boiled AND roasted? Rediscovering an 1870s turkey dinner

Posted on December 19, 2012 by

Here’s a letter from the Hackworth archive – our collection of papers from the family of Timothy Hackworth, railway engineer and early railway pioneer. The letter, sent to Hackworth’s granddaughter Jane Young by an unknown sender, describes the strange way the … Continue reading →

Posted in Library and archive collections, Research | 1 Comment

The railway link to a 131-year-old shipwreck

Posted on November 21, 2012 by

In Search Engine, our archive and library centre, we receive many thousands of enquiries each year by letter and email. We get some fascinating questions, and one recent query was quite unusual, so I thought I’d share it with you. A few … Continue reading →

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Railway romance, fun, and mischief: Station Stories

Posted on November 9, 2012 by

Hello. I’m Steph and I’ve been volunteering on the Station Stories project. I’ve really enjoyed reading and listening to all the stories people have submitted. I’ve selected some of my favourites so far. I’ve read many lovely stories about romance … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Station Hall redevelopment | 5 Comments

Loco speedometers and track-destroying trains

Posted on October 25, 2012 by

Our library and archive centre is a busy part of the museum. Our visitor numbers show that we’re helping more researchers find the answer to their questions every year. But sometimes we’re contacted by researchers who can’t make the journey … Continue reading →

Posted in Library and archive collections, Mallard 75, Research | 4 Comments

Station Stories: Gateshead Railway Club

Posted on September 25, 2012 by

As part of our ongoing Station Stories project we visited Gateshead Railway Club in pursuit of stories. We met a group of former railway workers who’d started work as young lads in the 1940s and worked together through to their … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Station Hall redevelopment | 6 Comments

Gentlemen prefer trains

Posted on August 17, 2012 by

Hi everyone – I’m Cheryl, an Interpretation Developer here working on The East Coast Time Line, the museum’s first ever iPhone app. A little while ago I promised to bring you some sneak peeks into some of the themes that … Continue reading →

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The National Railway Museum’s first ever smartphone app

Posted on July 16, 2012 by

I’m Cheryl Knight and I am an Interpretation Developer at the National Railway Museum. I have been lucky enough to spend the last few months working on a very special and exciting project: the National Railway Museum’s first ever smartphone … Continue reading →

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The Life and Career of Percy Wilson

Posted on April 10, 2012 by

This is one of a series of blog posts we’ll be bringing you in the run-up to our huge 9-day Railfest 2012 festival in June 2012. More blog posts about Railfest 2012 While doing research for Railfest 2012, I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Library and archive collections, Railfest 2012, Research | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments