NRM rebranding - Railway Museum

[Andy Y]

It appears that the National Railway Museum is now branded as the Railway Museum.



I can't see any mention of this yet in news stories and I was only aware that it was to happen after a conversation with Locomotion a few days ago. I can see that the re-brand is across the the group formerly known as the National Museums of Science and Industry and now appears to be Science Museum Group.

I'm sure there's been a lot of consultation and discussion to arrive at the decision but I can't help but wonder a) why? and b) that it is a backward step. The ability to use 'national' in a title confers elevated status and to chop it off leads to a generic term. Fair enough if you are in York you are likely to say "we'll go to the Railway Museum" but if you were elsewhere such as Swindon, Preston, Derby or countless other places and said to the family "we'll go to the railway museum (capital letters don't tend to come out in speech very well)" then they are likely to assume it's the nearest or just another museum.

What benefits can there possibly be? I know many good staff who work in the group and I'm pretty sure it's not something they've had any input to but they undoubtedly have to answer the question - is there any corporate line on this and why it's happened? Is it going to bring more people through the door? Is it going to improve exhibits and conservation? I doubt it but I'm pretty sure there's a hefty bill for changing documentation, signs and everywhere else you can imagine the name appearing - is that good use of funding? One place that branding will have to change is the models from Locomotion and the boxes they come in. I can imagine groaning at the prospect of having to redesign and print the box sleeves - and will 'National' be dropped from the National Collection in Miniature branding to become 'Collection in Miniature'? The museum hosts what we know as 'the National Collection', will it still be referred to as such or will it just be a 'Collection'?

Wryly, it appears their address is still on their website as:
NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM
LEEMAN ROAD
YORK
YO26 4XJ

Maybe the postie or visitor wouldn't be able to find it without the word National? I'm sure some road signposts will need changing too, I've just looked up the costs for that and I think a few tins of brown paint may save a few quid if the budget's been spent on all the other bits.

[Poor Old Bruce]

It looks as if it could be change for the sake of it! If that is the case, why not call it York Railway Museum? Back in the 1960s there was an organisation which stared off as 'The Railway Preservation Society' when there were few other societies about. With the formation of other RPSs the name was eventually changed to the Chasewater Railway to avoid confusion. In 1964 'British Rail' was launched but the company was still the British Railways Board, British Rail just being a marketing name. Simply calling yourself 'Railway Museum' is too vague. I would give that one a definite NO.

[asmay2002]

Rebranding is usually the sign of a failing organisation flailing around because of incompetent management.  There have been plenty of other signs of this at the NRM lately so not really a surprise.

[jjb1970]

It's a good job in this age of austerity and when money is tight that what money they do have is being spent wisely

[rovex]

Well at least they haven't called themselves

 

RAIL MUSEUM ENGLAND

 

Which is the current fad for these things

[Andy Y]

Even in a news story yesterday through the local paper there seems to be no mention of this - just other money worries.

 

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/16187250.National_Railway_Museum_s_revamp_hit_by___13m_funding_blow/

[TheSignalEngineer]

I don't know lf this is an actual rebranding or if it is just a whim of the web designer. The Science Museum Group website still refers to it as the National Railway Museum.

[Andy Y]

I don't know lf this is an actual rebranding or if it is just a whim of the web designer. The Science Museum Group website still refers to it as the National Railway Museum.

It's definitely a re-branding and will impact on all the aspects in my earlier post, the website is the easy and comparatively cheap bit to change.

[Steamport Southport]

The people who originally set it up would be spinning in their graves if they saw it now.

 

Hardly any of the classic locomotives are even there, they are all farmed off to the four corners of the country whilst the space has been taken up with Eurostar, Bullet Trains, eateries* and vast swathes of empty space.

 

Where are all the famous engines that were in the history books? Shildon, Bressingham, Quainton Road, Barrow Hill, etc.

 

Bring all the big names back and sling all the rest into a shed somewhere (Shildon) and you might get some visitors. Charge them a couple of quid (price of a pint or coffee). Free for children, pensioners, unemployed, etc.

 

 

Museum director Judith McNicol confirmed that an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for £13.4 million to upgrade the Great Hall, build the interactive Wonderlab and create a new Open Store had been turned down.

 

Wonderlab? Open Store? No wonder it got turned down. Nobody could understand what the hell she was talking about....

 

 

 

*I understand they need to make money. But it could be less intrusive.

 

 

Jason

[Andy Y]

Bring all the big names back and sling all the rest into a shed somewhere (Shildon) and you might get some visitors. Charge them a couple of quid (price of a pint or coffee). Free for children, pensioners, unemployed, etc.

 

I don't know if you ever been to Locomotion Jason but I suspect it's more the sort of museum you would enjoy more than York; good exhibits displayed in a more traditional form. It's also a dynamic environment and they arrange a lot of events which are more likely to appeal to enthusiasts than some of the family/tourist orientation displays at York. It's definitely not a dumping ground.

 

If you start charging you would lose a lot of government subsidies and probably be worse off than the current arrangement of funded+donations model.

[25901]

I don't know if you ever been to Locomotion Jason but I suspect it's more the sort of museum you would enjoy more than York; good exhibits displayed in a more traditional form. It's also a dynamic environment and they arrange a lot of events which are more likely to appeal to enthusiasts than some of the family/tourist orientation displays at York. It's definitely not a dumping ground.

 

If you start charging you would lose a lot of government subsidies and probably be worse off than the current arrangement of funded+donations model.

 

Had to be over at Holgate Depot the other month and was very early so spent some time in museum, it was dark, it was dirty (could write name in dust) and didn't have that spark that it used to have where as Locomotion has. In my view York needs a large new building to house the more active / movable displays while the old original building needs a revamp and setting up like the old days while displaying the stuffed and mounted items. Dropping the "National" title may let somebody else set up a National Museum of there own ( got my hat, where's my coat)

Edited April 28, 2018 by 25901

[Liam]

To be fair, the word 'National' may imply that the collection is 100% British, which it isn't as there's the Shinkhansen and the Chinese engine (built in Newton-Le-Willows mind). But I agree it's going to cause a lot of confusion!

 

Let's hope they can get Lode Star running again....

[BrushVeteran]

Considering most of the railway related 'National Archive' material is deposited at York I fail to see why it has been renamed. 

 

As we have right to view this material by request then I would of thought that being under control of a 'National' museum by name would be the first place people would look to further their research. The next thing we know is that it will be privatised......................like the present system and we must not allow this to happen!

 

Andy do you think at this stage it is worth making a point about this officially? Unfortunately we have recently lost Sir Bill and I'm sure his clout would have interacted with the renaming decision.

[Andy Y]

To be fair, the word 'National' may imply that the collection is 100% British.

That may be an assumption rather than an inference. The National Gallery and the National Maritime Museum are not just about British subject matter and I wouldn't think many have complained to the NRM about non-British content.

[Andy Y]

Andy do you think at this stage it is worth making a point about this officially?

I've written to the public relations manager asking for comment and specifically how much this exercise is costing. It's obviously a done deal now so I can't see any change back happening but it seems to have been slid out without any press launch to get positive exposure in the media (which is often why some of these things happen these days).

[caradoc]

I also fail to see the point of the rebranding, and wonder how much it has, and will continue to, cost. Still, at least they haven't renamed it the National Train Museum (yet). Finally, given the choice of visiting either the (N)RM or Locomotion, I would choose Locomotion.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Wouldn't surprise if it's a precursor to the place being sold off, you wouldn't want "National" in the title of a local entity.

 

Mike.

[Steamport Southport]

I don't know if you ever been to Locomotion Jason but I suspect it's more the sort of museum you would enjoy more than York; good exhibits displayed in a more traditional form. It's also a dynamic environment and they arrange a lot of events which are more likely to appeal to enthusiasts than some of the family/tourist orientation displays at York. It's definitely not a dumping ground.

 

If you start charging you would lose a lot of government subsidies and probably be worse off than the current arrangement of funded+donations model.

 

I haven't been to Locomotion. Mainly because of it's location. It's too far off the beaten track to do in one day so it's one I would have to do with a short holiday with other attractions such as Beamish.

 

 

The funding could be a valid point if charging. But didn't they charge in the 1990s as I seem to remember I had vouchers to get in free after donating to City Of Truro's restoration?

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Andy Y]

Another perspective. The name has said what's in the tin for 43 years now; I am sure it will take a long time not to be the National Railway Museum or the NRM in the eyes of previous or regular visitors. That probably doesn't matter which equally makes it largely irrelevant to change the name.

 

There seems to have been some market opinion sought and that the inclusion of the word 'National' infers similarities with other major national bodies. I am very far from nationalistic or jingoistic but there are times when there should be a bit of pride in something representing the nation and its heritage.

[Steamport Southport]

Wouldn't surprise if it's a precursor to the place being sold off, you wouldn't want "National" in the title of a local entity.

 

Mike.

 

Liverpool Museums are National. Even the International Slavery Museum and World Museum.

 

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/

 

 

 

Jason

[stewartingram]

Well at least they haven't called themselves

 

RAIL MUSEUM ENGLAND

 

Which is the current fad for these things

No no no - that's not right, it should be TRAIN MUSEUM,

 

Stewart

[rodent279]

They did charge, most museums became chargeable in about 1990, having largely been free up till then. I always thought that was a regressive step, and was glad when they stopped charging.

[Andy Y]

The funding could be a valid point if charging. But didn't they charge in the 1990s as I seem to remember I had vouchers to get in free after donating to City Of Truro's restoration

Have a read of this to gain more information https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/case-study/free-entry-to-museums-in-the-uk/ especially with regard to visitor numbers.

[Andy Y]

it should be TRAIN MUSEUM

Well, it's next to the train station.

[Coryton]

They did charge, most museums became chargeable in about 1990, having largely been free up till then. I always thought that was a regressive step, and was glad when they stopped charging.

 

The National Museums generally started charging at some point, then (early 2000s?) went free again, though they kept the ticket desks and you still had to queue up and not pay, rather than just wandering in which is how I recall them being before charging started. (And you could walk between the Natural History and Science Museums without going outside).

 

I say "generally" because so far as I know the museum of film, photography and television in Bradford (now the National Science and Media Museum) never charged for some reason.