West Cumberland Railway Museum

West Cumberland Railway Museum Oh and we generally have free cake to give away as well ! A collection of local Cumbrian railway artifacts and social history from the 1840s to the present day.

A collection of railwayana from West Cumberland railways from 1850 to the present day, comprising of tickets, clocks, posters, carriage prints, bridgeplates, shedcodes, nameplates and much more. Its a diverse group of items that should have something to interest everyone - totems,nameplates,posters,lamps,carriage prints,signalling equipment;maps,enamel & cast iron signs and much more. Its generall

y open one week per month or by appointment for special interest groups - contact [email protected]. And its free !

18/05/2026

MAY GENERAL OPENING SESSION
Well, after a wonderful long holiday riding the rails through Canada I need to get back to reality. Part of that is to get back to museum curating and to that end the museum will be opening its doors again from Wednesday 27th May to and including Saturday 30th May, 10 till 4. A few years ago, I travelled from Vancouver to Toronto on the train and I've been wanting to do the other half for some time. So with a big birthday looming, I decided to organise going from Toronto to Ottawa, then Montreal, Quebec and Halifax before flying home. I also went off-piste by hiring a car specifically to get to Sept-Iles (Quebec Province) in order to ride the wonderful Tshiuetin Railway for over 300 miles North to Schefferville - a railway run by the local First Nation people. If anyone is thinking of a Canadian railway holiday I may be able to assist. Anyway, the museum will have its usual array of local railway artifacts on display, is free to enter, as well as the usual free cake - anyone know another museum that gives away free cake ? Maybe see you then.

16/04/2026

TODAY- THURSDAY
Just in case you were wanting to come today, the museum is open but will need to close for an hour from 11.30 to 12.30 , after which it will be open again.

25/03/2026

APRIL GENERAL OPENING SESSION
How time flies, so lets get into April. The due dates will be Wednesday 15th April to and including Saturday 18th April, 10 till 4, and of course there will be free cake. By then, hopefully work will have started on the repairs to Whitehaven Tunnel, but unfortunately I'm still not expecting any steamers again this year as I suspect it won't be re-opening till after their season has finished. Went to York last weekend and, of course, I had to visit the second-best railway museum in the country ! Still fabulous, but be aware if you are going, they are doing a lot of work constructing a new entrance area and until that is open its something of a trek from the station to the museum temporary entrance. Well worth the effort mind. I've got a nice little display of West Cumberland pre-grouping tickets for this month as well as the new Whitehaven Bransty totem, and all the usual paraphernalia !

10/03/2026

TOMORROW'S OPENING SESSION
So we have a bit of a medical issue in the morning which means I may not be back till lunchtime (Wednesday). The rest of the week won't be affected. Apologies if that inconveniences anyone - but that's what happens when you start to get older !

25/02/2026

WELCOME TO SEASON 11 !
Amazingly, yes this will be our 11th season of opening - and its still good fun ! I've had a bit of a redecoration over the winter, and as ever, I've managed to find a few new items as well as rotate some of the stalwart pieces - so hopefully it'll still be of interest even if you've been before. The first General Session will be Wednesday 11th March to and including Saturday 14th - 10 till 4. As I've managed to buy the old entrance sign for Whitehaven (Bransty) station, the first month's special display will be on Whitehaven's three (yes three !) stations, with artefacts from them all ! And I've still got free cake !

07/02/2026

TUNNEL UPDATE
Just heard that work on the tunnel repairs should start in March this year - but could take the rest of the year to complete. Maybe £50M quid's worth, and you don't spend an amount that big that quickly.

26/11/2025

NEW TRAIN DESCRIBERS AT ST BEES
I was down on the station the other day - wondering if I was going to be blessed with a train - when I saw a man setting up some new train describers. So these are the units that state when the next few trains will be arriving - there was one each platform, and as far as I'm aware, they were malfunctioning more often than enough. Anyway, the man told me the reason they were unreliable was they worked off an internet connection which was sometimes intermittent, and so they have been replaced with hard-wired ones which should be more reliable. They had been powered up already, and I was told this week they are supposedly going to go live - another small step for man . . .

09/11/2025

WORKINGTON MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION
Yep, hasn't it gone quickly but here we are in the middle of November and its tine for Solrail again. For the 11th year its going to be held in the ENERGUS building at Lillyhall - 10 till 5 Saturday 15th Nov, 10 till 4 Sunday 16th Nov (full address is ENERGUS building, Blackwood Road, Lillyhall, CA14 4JW). Its £8 to enter, accompanied children are free, with over 12 layouts, refreshments, free parking, trade stands - and I'll be be there featuring a few goodies from the museum and possibly the odd Christmas present. Look forward to seeing you.

26/10/2025

SEASON 10 COMPLETE
Well, there it is, the 10th season has come and gone. The final session local Art Display was good with a fabulous array of items on display from a good number of people, although it was noticeable there were fewer attendees and less purchases made than last year. It looks like the Whitehaven Tunnel is going to be shut until Easter so don't expect any steamers any time soon. Next item on the agenda is the Workington Model Railway show in the Energus building at Lillyhall - maybe see some of you there.

22/10/2025

ART DISPLAY ON THIS WEEK
So here we are, the end of another season and its time for the Annual Art Display, showcasing just what talent there is in and around St Bees. And this year there's even more exhibitors and a larger variety of items to see and/or buy - I won't say what, it'll spoil the surprise. The museum will be open 10 till 4 Wednesday (today) to Saturday, and 10 till 2 on Sunday 26th. Don't forget, its free entry as always, I take no commission from any sales made and we are making a collection to make to donation to Unicef to help their support of Ukrainian children this Christmas. So get off the couch and come on down !

09/10/2025

OCTOBER END OF SEASON ART DISPLAY
Well, it only seems like yesterday I was advertising the start of the 10th anniversary season and now here we are at the end of it. As is now traditional for the last session of the year, I take out some of the railway artefacts and ask local artists to come and display their wares - either for sale or just appreciation. Last year's event saw a good variety of items and I've already had a number of individuals interested in taking part in the event this year. Art can be a very broad church - it isn't just paintings - as was demonstrated last year and I'm looking forward to seeing this year what skills the area has hiding amongst its midst. The event will be held from Wednesday 22nd to and including Sunday 26th October, 10am till 4pm, although the Sunday will see the items starting to be repatriated from midday. It will be free to enter and there will be a donations box, with all proceeds going towards buying toys for Ukrainian children for Christmas. If you'd like to take part please contact Peter Rooke at [email protected].

Address

24 Main Street, St Bees
Saint Bees
CA270AA

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