We are rolling back the years to October 1975 – 50 years ago – when the National Railway Museum (NRM) first opened its doors.
As our main photo shows, people stood in long queues for entry. According to news reports at the time, huge crowds had brought traffic chaos to the city.
The NRM was formally opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1975 – and we are sharing photos of this historic occasion today too, as well as photos from our archive showing the making of the NRM and its first few years. They include the site selection in 1969, the spectacular preparation and construction work in the early 1970s, the grand opening and the early awe-struck visitors.
October 1975 – The Duke of Edinburgh at the grand opening
The museum in Leeman Road may be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, but its history goes back much further – all the way to 1862, in fact. This was when the Patent Office Museum in London (later to become the Science Museum) started its collection of railway artefacts by acquiring Stephenson’s Rocket.
By the late 1800s and early 1900s, many railway companies had begun preserving their past. Key among them was the London and North Eastern Railway, which opened a public museum dedicated to railways in York in 1927.
Railway companies continued adding to their collections throughout the 1930s. Following nationalisation of the railways in 1948, a curator of historical relics was appointed in 1951, and a collecting policy began to be implemented. The national collection was housed partly in the British Transport Museum in London, and partly in the York Railway Museum in Queen Street.
The 1968 Transport Act, however, encouraged British Rail to work with the Science Museum to develop a National Railway Museum.
Leeman Road in York, which contained a number of railway buildings, was chosen. The former North Motive Power Depot (an engine shed which originally contained four locomotive turntables) became the Great Hall; the main freight transhipment station for York became the Station Hall; and, in 1999, the former York Diesel Locomotive Depot became The Works.
It has expanded hugely since the Duke of Edinburgh originally opened it in 1975 – most notably with the aforementioned addition of The Works in 1999, the establishment of the Yorkshire Rail Academy in June 2004, the opening of the Shildon depot in County Durham in 2004, as well as the £4 million archive and research centre based in the Great Hall that goes by the name of Search Engine.
In 2023, it opened Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery which was five years in the making and boasts 18 exhibits. It is aimed at families with children and school groups and seeks to inspire and fire curiosity into visitors by revolving around the themes of railways and engineering.
The museum has unveiled a series of events to commemorate its 50th year.
Its Station Hall will reopen to the public in September, following a major £10.5 million refurbishment. The former goods station and Grade II listed building represents around a third of the museum’s exhibition space. It will reopen with a refreshed interior and new collection items, alongside timeless returning favourites such as the royal carriages.
Other 2025 highlights include Railway Firsts, a brand-new exhibition about the pivotal innovations and unexpected firsts that shaped the railways. Also, shortlisted entries to the Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition will be on display from June-December.
The museum will mark its 50th birthday year with a new campaign, NRM50, featuring photographs of cherished visits captured on camera by the public over the last five decades. A limited-edition NRM50 range of merchandise will be available to purchase later in the year.
Also, the museum will host a special celebratory open weekend on September 27-28, with visitors offered the chance to access behind-the-scenes areas of the museum, previously unseen by the public.
The museum, home to the largest collection of railway objects in the world, is the most visited free attraction in the region, receiving more than 690,810 visitors in 2024.
Admission is free, although visitors are encouraged to book in advance, visit: www.railwaymuseum.org.uk .
What are your favourite memories of the NRM. Share them in our nostalgia group in Facebook, Why We Love York – Memories. Join us at: www.facebook.com/groups/yorknostalgia/.
