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Quingo Scooters Accessible Attractions: National Railway Museum York

Quingo Scooters is travelling north this week for our Accessible Attractions series; to an attraction sure to bring back the nostalgia of the days before modern cars and motorbikes. A great day out for the whole family or even with a group of friends!

We’re taking you to the National Railway Museum in York, on display are thousands of amazing objects and over 300 years of fascinating history. The museum includes some railway legends you truly wouldn’t want to miss out on.

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Railway legends

The museum has many great locomotive legends on display within the great hall, here are just some of the highlights:

  • Mallard – designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, the Mallard broke the world speed record for steam locomotives in 1938. It is yet to be beaten! Built in 1939, she carried passenger trains on the east coast mainline until 1963.
  • Replica Rocket – it’s rare that someone hasn’t heard of Stephenson’s Rocket. Engineered by George Stephenson and his son Robert, they were amongst the very first locomotive engineers.
  • Shinkansen – Japan’s high-speed railway revolution resulted in the bullet train – the forerunner of high-speed trains. The train would reach speeds of just over 130mph. The ‘Series 0’ Shin-kansen was built in 1974 and when Shin-kansen opened in 1964 it was a radical re-imaging of the passenger railway.
  • Duchess of Hamilton – the streamlined Duchess is an incredible piece of 1938 built Art Deco opulence. It was seen as a modern machine for a modern age.
  • Class 31 – designed to replace steam as part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan of 1955. The locomotive’s diesel engine was developed from the engines used in ships.
  • SECR ‘D’ class No.737 – the elaborate livery on this locomotive was created to help give the newly formed South Eastern and Chatham Railway a positive image.
  • Eurostar – the power car is at the centre of a new exhibition that acknowledges the historic role the train has served in connecting the UK with mainland Europe. As a marvel of modern engineering the average speed operates at 186mph, and is part of the series as the train that holds the current UK rail speed record of over 208mph.
  • Evening Star – was the last steam locomotive to be built for British railways. It was one of a total of 999 ‘standard’ locomotives designed for a wide variety of uses, from tank engines for local passenger trains to large freight engines.

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What else is on?

In addition to the impressive collection of locomotives, visitors can listen to over 1,000 hours of recollections from 20th century railway workers. Hear stories from divers, preservationists, signal operators and more. Read the tales of anticipation, mischief and adventure as part of the museum’s Trainspotting season.

In Search Engine – the museum’s library and archive centre – visitors can find answers to their railway questions, discover more about the collection or relax with a railway magazine. Located in the archive are many artefacts such as:

  • Drawings and papers from railway works and companies
  • Records of individuals and families
  • Technical tests and records
  • Timetables
  • Magazines
  • Accident reports
  • And many more!

Opening times and entry

The National Railway Museum is open from 10am to 6pm daily (March – September) and 10am to 5pm (October – February), except on 24, 25 and 26 December. The museum has free entry, which gives visitors all the more reason to go! For more information go to the ‘Visit’ section of the website.

Accessibility

There is level access to the entrance of the museum from the main entrance. Other entrances don’t have level access so the main one is the best route in. There is no level access to the locomotives within the museum, but the Great Hall has level flooring suitable for scooter users. There are a variety of level changes throughout the museum, some exhibits are accessible by ramps. There are accessible toilets within the venue, the accessible toilets are located within the foyer entrance and the Great Hall. For more information visit the ‘Accessibility’ section of the website.

Getting to the museum

For visitors travelling to the museum by rail, the nearest train station is York. It is a few minutes away from the museum.

Visitors travelling by bus can use the Rawcliffe Park and Ride, which picks up and drops off just outside of the museum.

By car, visitors should aim their journey towards York. Once in the city, the museum is clearly signposted from all approaches. The car park for the museum is located on Leeman Road (£9 a day). Accessible parking is free and available outside the City Entrance. For more information on travelling to the museum, visit the ‘How to get here’ section of the website.

About Quingo

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme, which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this, or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up-to-date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up-to-date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 308478.