The Friends of the National Railway Museum

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The Friends of the National Railway Museum

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FNRM was formed in 1977 to support the National Railway Museum.

We help to fund the restoration of exhibits in the National Collection, the acquisition of new artefacts, and other projects that would otherwise not be possible.

09/10/2026

On display in Station Hall at the National Railway Museum, York is this battery powered tractor unit, vehicle registration JOB 791. It is a Morrison Electricar GTS Mark 1 four-wheeled vehicle for hauling a trailer at low speeds in urban environments. It was built in 1948 at South Wigston, Leicestershire by Austin Crompton Parkinson Electric Vehicles Ltd, known for their milk floats and other types of delivery vehicles. It is finished in British Railways maroon and cream livery and bears the BR totem logo on the front.

The ‘S’ on the driver’s door means that it was used in the Southern Region of British Railways, in this case at Croydon, Surrey until withdrawal in 1964. Note the single headlight and single windscreen wiper. The varnished wooden battery box can be seen to the left of the picture.

Image: Emma Allison
Words: Mike Peart

07/10/2026

In Station Hall at the National Railway Museum, York is this Victorian hexagonal pillar box designed by architect J W Penfold. Pillar so called is because it’s upright and standing on its own. It was situated at Sheffield Midland railway station in this condition between 1859 and 1874. It has the VR (Victoria Regina) cypher used from 1837 to 1901 and the coat of arms.

You might wonder why it’s green. This is because green was the standard colour for Post Office pillar boxes at the time. However, people complained that they were a dingy colour which was hard to see when they were looking for somewhere to post their letters, and in 1874 the colour of pillar boxes was changed to bright red.

Image: Emma Allison
Words: Mike Peart

05/10/2026

On display in the North Shed at the National Railway Museum, York, is the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Signalling School working model. It was built by the Lancashire & Yorkshire apprentices at the Horwich Works in 1912 to train railway signallers and other staff in absolute block working, bell codes, examining passing trains, safety, dealing with accidents and incidents etc. It was based in a room at Manchester Victoria station and worked until September 1995 when it was donated to the Museum. It’s about 80 feet long with four signal boxes, working levers and bells, and rolling stock models by Bassett Lowke. Said to be the oldest model railway in the world, it has been faithfully restored to its 1925 condition.

Working demonstrations by signalling volunteers are staged normally about once a month. It can be seen working in one of the “Curator with a Camera” YouTube 20-minute films with Senior Curator Anthony Coulls and lead volunteer and signalling guru Phil Graham.

Image: Emma Allison
Words: Mike Peart

02/10/2026

Film it before it’s gone – and we did! The free-to-view FARSAP (Film Archive of Railway Signalling and People) narrated film “Barnetby to Grimsby” shows the crossing box at Pyewipe Road Crossing, Grimsby.

Pictured are the driver of a Network Rail telephone test train handing the token to Relief Signaller John Bell at the crossing. The Tyers key token instrument in the signal box is shown in the second picture and in use in the film. This was filmed in 2014 before the introduction of the North Lincolnshire Resignalling project which resulted in the closure of numerous signal boxes in the area.

All of the locations of the FARSAP signalling films can be found in the list at https://farsap.co.uk/ They cover signalling at locations across Britain and Northern Ireland, signalling subjects, signalling memories from those who did it and events.

30/09/2026

The Great Western Railway (GWR) built a large number of various classes of two cylinder 2-6-2 “Prairie” tank engines in their time, starting from a single prototype in 1903 and finishing at the end of 1949. None were saved for the National Collection but several were saved by heritage railways with some currently working examples.

The original design was by G J Churchward, and later versions were the work of Charles Collett. This example, number 6106 seen at Southall, was built at Swindon Works in 1931 and worked for nearly 35 years at various depots from Penzance to Southall. After it was withdrawn it had a brief starring role in psychedelic livery in the 1968 film “The Bliss of Mrs Blossom” with Richard Attenborough and Shirley MacLaine. It is now preserved at Didcot Railway Centre.

These versatile tank engines were allocated all over the GWR system working on suburban and local passenger services, parcels and freight, and piloting and banking work. Some of the 2-6-2 tank engines were fitted for auto-train (push-pull) work.

Image: Peter Hemy
Words: Mike Peart

28/09/2026

Our ‘Flying Scotsman’ was at York station on 16th September heading an excursion to Scarborough. Large crowds were on Platforms 4 and 5 to watch the departure. The locomotive is having a busy year – not bad for a 103 year-old.

Images: Emma Allison

25/09/2026

This 2-2-2 locomotive number 43 was built in 1843 at the Société L’Expansion factory in Mulhouse, France for the new standard gauge Paris to Orléans Railway. It was built to a design of George Stephenson, and the similarity with the “North Star” broad gauge locomotive of the Great Western Railway (GWR) can be seen.

“North Star” was built at the Robert Stephenson & Company works in 1837 and was delivered in pieces from a barge on the River Thames to Maidenhead, Berkshire even before the new railway had reached the town. Stephenson’s designs influenced Daniel Gooch who was the first locomotive superintendent of the GWR from 1837. It’s pretty clear that he influenced the French as well as number 43 named “La Fouine” (“The Weasel” - but it also apparently means ‘Polecat’) looks so similar. It has the domed haystack firebox or “forme pyramidale” as the French called it. The driving wheels were 5 feet 8 inches diameter unlike the broad gauge version which had 7 feet diameter driving wheels. “La Fouine” was rebuilt in 1852 and lasted until around 1868. One of the class hauled the first train on the Paris to Orléans line in May 1843.

Photo and words: Mike Peart

23/09/2026

Midland Railway ‘Spinner’ number 673 from 1897 is currently on display in Station Hall at the National Railway Museum, York. Senior Curator Anthony Coulls has recently done a “Curator with a Camera” 14 minute video about it which can be found on YouTube.

For safety reasons because of the infill between the platform and the engine, it’s hard to see and appreciate the 7 feet 9½ inch diameter single driving wheels in its current position, so the image shows the locomotive outside.

The nickname ‘Spinner’ partly comes from its liability to get wheel spin on wet and slippery rails, hence the steam sanders to the front and behind the driving wheels. The other thought is that the whirring sound and spinning wheel appearance of the large driving wheels at speed might have influenced the name as they could run at up to 90 mph. This locomotive was restored to working order in 1976 and appeared in steam at the 150th anniversary of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway in 1980. Another of the class appeared at the ‘Grand Cavalcade’ for the Stockton & Darlington Railway centenary celebrations in 1925.

Image: NRM
Words: Mike Peart

21/09/2026

If you come to visit the National Railway Museum at York, chances are you might pass through York railway station. The two images show how it is today and how it was around 1900.

The station was built between 1871 and 1877 for the North Eastern Railway (NER) and is on a sharp curve. It was designed by the NER architect Thomas Prosser and completed by his successor William Peachey. It replaced two earlier stations dating from 1839 for the York & North Midland Railway, and 1841 for the Great North of England Railway. Both were within the city walls passing through arches approved by the city authorities, and through trains had to reverse in and out which caused considerable delays. The station and platforms were extended between 1901 and 1909.

York has always been an important railway centre, and in 1905 over 6,000 people out of the city’s population of 75,000 worked for the NER. The station and surroundings were heavily bombed during World War Two. It is a Grade 2* listed building of more than special interest, and not far away is the NER war memorial by Sir Edwin Lutyens which is also Grade 2* listed.

Images: Network Rail and NRM
Words: Mike Peart

18/09/2026

“Make sure you screw them down tight!”
In July 1964, a railway enthusiast was in the carriage behind the engine on the 11.05 a.m. Weymouth to Birmingham service. Bristol-based “Modified Hall” number 6990 “Witherslack Hall” was moving the train slowly towards a stop signal at Yeovil. The safety valve lifted and there was a clattering sound. The passenger looked out to see the fireman retrieving the safety valve cover from the track. It had blown off when the safety valve lifted and was passed back into the cab. 6990 is still with us on the Great Central Railway, complete with safety valve cover.

Then in September 1974, number 6000 “King George V” was on the way from Hereford to Swindon Works for the Works Open Day. Its safety valve cover was ripped off by a bridge over a re-ballasted section of track near Cwmbran to the north of Newport. The severely damaged safety valve cover was found 60 yards away. Repairs were necessary, and 6000 unfortunately didn’t get to the Open Day. A Swindon Works coppersmith repaired the item, despite steam construction at Swindon having finished nine years previously. National Collection member 6000 is currently at ‘Steam’ in Swindon.

Image: Angus Davis
Words: Mike Peart

Address

Leeman Road
York
YO264XJ

Telephone

+441904636874

Website

https://www.nrmfriends.org.uk/

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