Railway Models UK

A new venture between the National Railway Museum (NRM) and Google Arts & Culture launches the “Beyond the Tracks” project, a major online initiative celebrating two centuries since the birth of the modern railway.

The year‑long project brings almost 1,000 items from the national collection into public access, backed by Google’s AI‑driven Metadata Enhancement Service. The system has transcribed handwritten manuscripts and made the archive far easier to search.

Among the highlights now available online are the Rastrick Notebook – an eyewitness account of the 1829 Rainhill Trial – and iconic early locomotives such as Puffing Billy. The project also shines a light on lesser‑known stories, for example a Victorian model carriage built from timber taken from the wreck of the PS Princess Alice.

Now available 360° virtual walks of Locomotion in Shildon let visitors explore the expansive Main Hall, the engine‑shed‑inspired New Hall, and even stroll the historic Brusselton Incline that belonged to the world’s first public railway.

Two fresh Pocket Gallery 3D exhibitions give deeper access to the NRM’s vast art and poster collections, offering immersive audio and crystal‑clear detail.

The gallery is now online at https://artsandculture.google.com/project/national-railway-museum

‘Beyond the Tracks’ provides digital access to railway history

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