Routes, machines and the stories they leave behind.
Explore railway history through maps, museum objects and the places that connect them, from Montana to rail networks around the world.
Explore a historical map →
A railway token belonged to a particular section and operating system. Read the object, its place names and its records together when studying single track.
Sanding equipment reveals another side of locomotive servicing: maintaining grip between steel wheels and rails. Read the structures as a working system.
Track pans let specially equipped steam trains collect water while moving. Explore the equipment, the operating problem and the evidence to seek in archives.
A railway derail is a protective device rather than an ordinary junction. Learn how to recognise its purpose in a museum record without disturbing railway equipment.
A railway wye can reverse a locomotive’s direction through connected tracks. Trace the movement on an old plan before mistaking it for an ordinary junction.
Learn how a cable-linked funicular differs from a rack railway, and which details to look for when interpreting a photograph of a steep route.