NRM rebranding - Railway Museum

[Nearholmer]

I have. I needed some photos of station construction underway for use in a lecture, and went there to look through the archive. It was a winter weekday afternoon and only about three staff on site, busy in their office, so they showed me roughly where to look, then left me to get on with it. ‘We’ll leave the lights on so you can look round the rest if you fancy’, so I did ...... very spooky!

[Enterprisingwestern]

Whilst the word "museum" conjures up different ideas to different people, the NRM/RM seems to be suffering from the British malaise of downplaying the historical significance of anything invented in this country.

We should be shouting from the rooftops about the fact that we gave railways to the world, and as York is the "main/largest/most popular" museum, there should at least be a theme running through it showing our contribution to the world.

There are other outstations, eg Shildon, preserved railways, where the surplus exhibits can and are being farmed out, still for people to see, although I remember a thread where people complained a locomotive had been given to a preserved line instead of being kept as a deteriorating unloved national treasure.

If the Americans had invented railways do you think they would be sitting quitely on the fact hoping nobody notices?

 

Mike.

[E3109]

The Americans seem to think they invented railways anyway!

 

Mind you, if they had an equivalent of D326 I bet it would've been saved...

[Sir Hadyn]

After spending far too much on the big green steam loco this is just another stride down a long and tortuous path.

Compared to Steam at Swindon (which is layed out to tell a story about the railways) successive "leaders" at York have had little clue as to how to set it out to tell a story. When it was first opened the upstairs gallery was set out as a timeline..but that went a long time ago.

 

It's great getting items restored but they then seem to be unloved once back in the Museum..the 2Bil at Locomotion has a loose door grab handle which has no matching hole in the bodyside for a bolt to hold it in place (which it did when I last saw it in Brighton shed many moons ago).

 

Lots of items are in York which have no descriptions attached...

We need to have people in charge who have at least some railway knowledge not Civil Servants with no knowledge who just see this as a step up the promotion ladder.

 

Changing the name and font styles sums up the complete mess the NRM are in.

 

Baz

Old enough to remember the "old" Railway Museum in York staffed by retired railway staff

I've been involved in writing the new labels. They will be in place by the end of May.

[Coryton]

I've just checked and that's been re-branded too - https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk

 

Not sure when that happened - it was called that when I visited earlier this year.

[JJGraphics]

As I said to some friends & fellow members on Twitter the other day, I am glad I have already visited the museum so many times in my life because the way the museum is now and seems to be going has killed any enthusiasm I have for going back. Shame really as I always enjoyed it.

 

I still really want to get to Shildon one day though.

Alex

 

 

I used to really enjoy visiting the NRM every couple of years, often at Easter in conjunction with the York show. However, my recent visit may well be my last visit ever. The gloomy atmosphere (even on a bright day), the scruffy, almost dirty feel about the place and the somewhat haphazard displays and lack of coherence really spoilt it for me. The bullying attitude of the staff at the entrance trying to force you to make a donation really annoyed me.

 

Shildon, in my view is much better, has a real railway atmosphere and feels alive whereas the NRM now has a dead feel about it. The staff at Shildon also have a much more pleasant and helpful attitude than those at the NRM, making me feel willing to make a donation which I did.

 

Shildon is most definitely worth a visit in my view.

 

John

[TheSignalEngineer]

I used to visit York Museum about twice a year but the atmosphere the last time I went was so depressing I gave up.

I recently went on the website to see what was on as I had a week free from Grandad duty and found the main attraction was Tim Peake's spaceship. Not quite sure what that has to do with a railway museum, but I suppose someone in the far-off reaches of the SMG management thought it would be a good companion for the Rocket they already have there.

[2750Papyrus]

I used to really enjoy visiting the NRM every couple of years, often at Easter in conjunction with the York show. However, my recent visit may well be my last visit ever. The gloomy atmosphere (even on a bright day), the scruffy, almost dirty feel about the place and the somewhat haphazard displays and lack of coherence really spoilt it for me. The bullying attitude of the staff at the entrance trying to force you to make a donation really annoyed me.

 

Shildon, in my view is much better, has a real railway atmosphere and feels alive whereas the NRM now has a dead feel about it. The staff at Shildon also have a much more pleasant and helpful attitude than those at the NRM, making me feel willing to make a donation which I did.

 

Shildon is most definitely worth a visit in my view.

 

John

 

Whilst I agree with most of the comments regarding York, Shildon is just too remote for many people and does not appear to offer much In terms of local attractions for family members who do not want to spend all day looking at dead trains.

[Coryton]

I recently went on the website to see what was on as I had a week free from Grandad duty and found the main attraction was Tim Peake's spaceship. Not quite sure what that has to do with a railway museum, but I suppose someone in the far-off reaches of the SMG management thought it would be a good companion for the Rocket they already have there.

 

Tim Peake's Soyuz is doing a tour of National Museums in the UK.

 

I think the idea is so that people all over the UK can see it - if it doesn't go in the NRM (sorry, RM) then it doesn't get to that part of the UK.

 

Unless it's taking money or space from the NRM that would get used for something more railway-y, I'm not sure what the problem is.

 

And if people come to see it and then linger a bit to look at the railway exhibits....

[mcowgill]

Plans for the 306, you say.

I appreciate that you may not be in a position to say any more, but now my ears have pricked up!

 

I believe it is being moved to Locomotion from the EARM at Chappel who have asked for the loan of the E4 2-4-0 as a replacement

 

Martin

[jjb1970]

I find our museums very good and it is something that the UK still does very well. My favourite is Duxford which is a wonderful museum and truly world class. Other favourites are the RAF museums, the V&A, the tank museum and Portsmouth historic dockyard. Although I wouldn't rate the York museum as highly as museums like Duxford or the V&A I also think it is still a pretty good museum. That said I am with JJGraphics on the practice of advertising museums as free and then trying to send people on a guilt trip if they don't make a donation. They either offer free entry or they don't, I will happily make a donation but a voluntary donation is just that, voluntary.

[sem34090]

Shildon really is good for the enthusiast, compared with York, but I will go along with the given example of the V&A being a proper museum, one that someone can get lost in (both absorbed and actually lost!) and spend a whole day exploring and enjoying.

[Barry O]

I've been involved in writing the new labels. They will be in place by the end of May.

does that include the O Gauge LNWR stock? and if yes why has it taken so many years to do it? 

 

Baz

[brack]

We took kids at school to see the Soyuz capsule at shildon. Whilst there the staff took them on a tour of other exhibits to show how mechanical transport developed from rainhill onwards. As always some of the kids were pretty uninterested in anything, but some of the others were fascinated. It also gave me the chance to wander through the innards of the APT. Many thanks to Mr Coulls for his efforts in explaining and answering the questions of our boys. I also came on the weekend to show my daughter the capsule. Given the space it occupied is usually empty, and the increased attendance I saw, I'd argue the Soyuz capsule was a fantastic choice of display.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Shildon really is good for the enthusiast, compared with York, but I will go along with the given example of the V&A being a proper museum, one that someone can get lost in (both absorbed and actually lost!) and spend a whole day exploring and enjoying.

 

When I was teaching in London in the last century, we actually left one of the children behind at the British Museum. His parents were very understanding....

[bmthtrains - David]

The entire museums sector is undergoing massive change at present, and it is clear that the NRM is struggling financially. This rebrand, whatever RMWeb posters think of it, is clearly an attempt to attract more people. I would caution 'enthusiasts' from thinking they are the main aim of this museum too - museum visitor profiles are generally skewed massively towards families in search of entertainment (and with the free entry, a low cost day out). Museums really are stuck in a horrible situation - most visitors have only a casual interest in their subject matter, want highly expensive interactive entertainment features, but also want it all for free. This is why the amount of space given over to shops and food outlets is increasing almost everywhere. They have to get money from somewhere!

 

I certainly wouldn't like to be running a museum given the present circumstances. Balancing current visitor expectations with their traditional education, heritage and preservation roles, all within an extremely challenging financial situation, it must be truly awful.

 

From my own perspective, they can brand it whatever they like as long as it keeps it going in some form. Preserving the exhibits and archives, even if it has to be hid behind a smearing of consumerist entertainment and retail for a while, is surely the most important thing.

 

David

[Bernard Lamb]

Are they doing any thing to broaden the appeal and attract other visitors?

The Natural History Museum for example has yoga classes before it opens to the general public.

I have been informed that doing yoga under the gaze of the big whale adds an extra dimension.

Bernard

[Rob Pulham]

We are regular visitors to Locomotion and we did go along to see Tim Peake's soyuz. I can see that it would gather visitors but thought it a little ironic that the gent who was very kindly talking us through it explained that the only bit that was re-usable from the craft was part of the control console which had been replaced with a replica. He then went on to say that the science museum had paid £340,000 for it.

 

If the only bit reusable was the console then in my view the rest of it was scrap and the Russians saw the Science museum coming when they charged them £340,000 for it.

 

On the subject of change at the NRM/RM Locomotion has been rebranded too. My good lady is having an exhibition of her railway art there (Locomotion) this summer and the T's & C's /procedures have changed a few times since we first started talking to them about them hosting it in May last year. Not all of it for the worst as an exhibitor I might add as an example I was expecting to spend the day before the exhibition opening hanging the paintings as I had previously when assisting the Guild of Railway Artists with an exhibition there a few years ago but now museum staff will hang and take down the paintings after the exhibition closes.

 

Queue blatant plug,  if you are planning a visit to Locomotion this summer do try to make it between 19th August and 30th of September to take in the exhibition,  many of the paintings have not been seen in public before.

[Lancaster622]

Took this photograph this morning on my way in it has both Railway Museum & National Railway Museum on it

Edited April 29, 2018 by Lancaster622

[Steamport Southport]

 

There are other outstations, eg Shildon, preserved railways, where the surplus exhibits can and are being farmed out, still for people to see, although I remember a thread where people complained a locomotive had been given to a preserved line instead of being kept as a deteriorating unloved national treasure.

 

Mike.

 

Do you mean the T3?

 

It wasn't deteriorating until someone decided to neglect it. It was one of the prize exhibits and was often seen on the main turntable.

 

Doesn't look like it's deteriorating here. http://www.semgonline.com/steam/t3class.html

 

 

But we've covered that already.

 

 

 

Jason

[JJGraphics]

Took this photograph this morning on my way in it has both Railway Museum & National Railway Museum on it

 

 

The APT or a Pendolino or even an 8xx should be in this image not some ugly Japanese thing.

 

John

Edited April 29, 2018 by JJGraphics

[Bomag]

I passed the NRM last night going South. The NRM sign on the north front of the building had gone but the plastic/fabric sign on the side saying NRM was still there.

[jjb1970]

I'll admit that the Series 0 Shinkansen vehicle is one of my favourite exhibits at the NRM. Quite aside from the probably unusual aspect (for UK enthusiasts) that I love Japanese trains those particular trains were genuinely iconic and historically significant.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I'll admit that the Series 0 Shinkansen vehicle is one of my favourite exhibits at the NRM. Quite aside from the probably unusual aspect (for UK enthusiasts) that I love Japanese trains those particular trains were genuinely iconic and historically significant.

 

Bit like the (British) HST .....

['CHARD]

 

ask any woman what makes or mars a venue

 

I thought men were from there, and women from Venus