Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: York

  • York – National Railway Museum (Stephenson’s Rocket)

    York – National Railway Museum (Stephenson’s Rocket)

    I’ve posted about numerous more peripheral exhibits that intrigued me in the National Railway Museum’s store, but it’s the original Stephenson’s Rocket that must be one of the museum’s most important in historic terms.

    I haven’t seen this locomotive at the museum before, as it only arrived here in 2019 after it spent a period at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester and before that, the Newcastle Discovery Museum. Prior to that, it was at the National Science Museum in London (other than for a short spell in Japan and York) and I’m sure I must have seen it there, but like most things, I’ve forgotten.

    The locomotive has been well cared for most of its history, although it has also been modified and knocked about a bit since it was originally built in 1829. It was given to the Patent Office Museum in London in 1862, which later became the South Kensington Museum and much of their collection was taken over by the National Science Museum. It’s there that the locomotive remained until 2018.

    It is a thing of beauty, designed by Robert Stephenson and it was the winner at the Rainhill Trials when five different locomotives were entered into a competition to be used on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. The other four locomotives didn’t finish the 1.75 mile length of track that had been laid out, so the contract went to Robert and George Stephenson. It must have been an exciting day, the Liverpool Mercury went into some detail about the locomotives, treating the five competitors like it had been some grand horse race.

    The first day of the locomotive’s use was a grand affair, attended by none other than the Prime Minister of the time, the Duke of Wellington. The first day wasn’t an entire success as the locomotive ran over, and killed, William Huskisson, the then MP for Liverpool. This gave him the unwanted honour of being the first person to be killed in a railway accident on the publicly operated rail network.

    Not much is known about what happened to the locomotive during its working life, the initial excitement in the newspapers tailed off somewhat. It’s moderately surprising that the locomotive wasn’t just scrapped given that railway heritage couldn’t have been much of a thing in the 1850s. But, here it remains today, on display at the National Railway Museum until at least 2030.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Keystone from Stockton & Darlington Railway)

    York – National Railway Museum (Keystone from Stockton & Darlington Railway)

    And another item in the National Railway Museum’s stores…..

    This might not seem exciting at first (or perhaps at all), but it’s a keystone from a decorative arch on the Stockton & Darlington railway. On one side there’s a human head and on the other are grapes. The notes for this item state that it comes from Stockton railway station, now known as Thornaby railway station. The Stockton & Darlington railway was the first public network in the world to use steam locomotives and it opened in 1825, so the 200th anniversary isn’t that far away.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Early Ascom Ticket Machine)

    York – National Railway Museum (Early Ascom Ticket Machine)

    And another in what I consider interesting items located at the store of the National Railway Museum in York.

    This is why having a large store at the National Railway Museum is such a marvellous idea, it allows them to display items which most people probably have little interest in, but they’re still a reminder of the history of the rail network. Unfortunately, the museum don’t seem to know which station this particular machine was from, but it does state that it’s a B8050 ‘Quickfare’ machine. Wikipedia mention that there are none of these left on the network, other than on the Isle of Wight where a few remain in use. I have no knowledge of railway ticket machines but I liked looking at it  🙂

  • York – National Railway Museum (McCorquodale Printers)

    York – National Railway Museum (McCorquodale Printers)

    And another item in the stores of the National Railway Museum in York.

    This was presented in 1980 by the printers, McCorquodale, to the British Railways Board to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester railway service.

    There’s a fascinating amount of detail here, this is a railway timetable from the days of Monotype, all before computerised printing…. There’s also a route map, British Railways logo and printing equipment as part of the set-up.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Memorial Plaque – Midland Railway Company)

    York – National Railway Museum (Memorial Plaque – Midland Railway Company)

    And another exhibit in the stores of the National Railway Museum in York.

    This is a memorial tablet which was presented by St. Leonard’s Church in Chapel Le Dale, commemorating those who lost their lives building the railway between Settle and Dent Head. I did ponder at first whether it was appropriate to remove it from its original location, but all is well as the sign says that a new one was installed as this one was damaged. Looking at a few photos of the church, it’s nice to see that the new tablet is visible and that the memories of those who lost their lives aren’t entirely forgotten.

    The number of people who died isn’t known, although over eighty people died from a smallpox epidemic at Batty Green, which was almost a shanty town for railway construction workers. Many others died during work on the line, a spectacular piece of railway engineering which required the construction of several viaducts.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Oak Carving from Pontypridd Railway Station)

    York – National Railway Museum (Oak Carving from Pontypridd Railway Station)

    This is another exhibit in the store of the National Railway Museum in York.

    It was a little hard to get a clear photo of this oak carving of an eagle and deer, but I thought it was interesting to know that it had been used in Pontypridd railway station’s refreshment rooms. It had become a bit battered over the years, so the museum conservators have repaired some of the missing pieces with wax, to show what’s original and what’s new. I vaguely hoped to see an old photo of the refreshment rooms to catch a glimpse of where this was once placed, but I haven’t come across anything yet.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Shrub Hill Road Level Crossing)

    York – National Railway Museum (Shrub Hill Road Level Crossing)

    And another from the stores of the National Railway Museum.

    This handy and overly complex sign was once at Shrub Hill Road level crossing, which I think was in Worcester. I can’t see where this would have been located, as the crossings at this railway station now go under the tracks. They also went under the tracks though in the 1880s, although this sign could have been earlier, but the NRM don’t know the date of it. But in any event, it does require some reading to understand when it would have been safe to cross.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Interactive Display)

    York – National Railway Museum (Interactive Display)

    Another item from the National Railway Museum’s store.

    This is a broken machine, or at least it is no longer switched on, but I am delighted that the museum has kept it. That’s proper curatorship, because this type of item could easily be discarded by an idiot.

    The machine was on display in the Main Hall at the museum between 1975 and 1988. It would have engaged and delighted a generation (and I’m fairly sure I visited the museum during this time, so I would have likely seen it), a few of whom might remember it today. The above photo isn’t very clear, but it’s a map of the UK which lit up to show the growth of the network between 1830 and 1860. This is the type of exhibit that it would be easy to throw out, but it is in itself part of the museum’s history.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Last Cheeseburger)

    York – National Railway Museum (Last Cheeseburger)

    As I mentioned elsewhere, the Collections Store at the National Railway Museum is my favourite part of the institution.

    Not least because of exciting displays such as this, a little piece of culinary history. It’s the last microwaved burger container that was served on the Great North Eastern Railway line, the end of an era on 31 May 1999. Sounds rather nice (although I’m sure it wasn’t), a beef burger with cheese, Chinese leaf, dill pickle, onion, mustard and tomato sauce in a sesame seed bun.

    The decision to give this to the National Railway Museum did make the news at the time, it was a bit of a PR stunt to advertise GNER’s new deli range. It was such a success two years later there was an announcement, GNER said that the burger was back. This time though, they didn’t microwave it, although I’m unsure how they did cook it. The York Press reported that the new premium burger and a can of coke would cost £3.50…… I don’t know how it went, but GNER lost their franchise a few years later, one of the few rail companies who had really focused on the culinary offering.

  • York – National Railway Museum (Collections Store)

    York – National Railway Museum (Collections Store)

    I’ve been to the National Railway Museum on numerous occasions, but this is always my favourite section, which is the open store. The trains themselves are of course interesting and impressive, but the stories that come from these smaller items can be just as engaging. So, more about some of these items in future posts…..

    Firstly though, some photos of the store: