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 →
Read a railway turntable as a changing piece of infrastructure by checking its dimensions, connections and documented history rather than judging the pit alone.
Recognise raised outer rails on a railway curve and distinguish cross-level cant from the line’s uphill or downhill gradient when reading photographs.
Identify the moving switch rails and crossing area in a railway turnout while keeping museum observation separate from operating equipment.
Track gauge tells you about the rails. Loading gauge asks whether a vehicle and its load fit the route around them.
Follow the energy path through a diesel-electric locomotive, and learn why its diesel engine does not drive the wheels like a car engine.
Follow a steam locomotive’s valve motion to understand how moving rods help admit and release steam at the right part of the stroke.