Visitor Info

Our Accessibility statement is available to download in both PDF and Word format for you to view on any device. Please click the relevant version you wish to view.

For pictures of the accessibility facilities at Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway and other Lake District Estates attractions click here.

Entry to the Ravenglass Railway Museum is FREE, though we rely on visitor donations to remain open and develop.

Hot and cold drinks, meals and snacks are available from the café on Platform 1 of Ravenglass R&ER station when the railway is operating.

Approx. 80 spaces in tarmac car park. Disabled spaces available outside museum. Charges £2.50 2hrs or £5 all day.

Our collections hold around 6,000 artefacts of every size and shape from locomotives to beermats, plus a photographic archive of over 10,000 images.

For more information about our Collections and to view our objects and photographic collections, please visit our Collections Page

We welcome research enquiries by appointment

Guide Dogs only are permitted within the Museum. There is a ‘Dog Station’ outside with Dog parking and water, and dogs are welcome on R&ER trains and outdoor spaces.

Ravenglass Railway Museum is a registered charity, no.505295. We rely on the support and generosity of the public to enable the Museum to remain open and developing.

Halloween Week – 21st to 31st October

Look out for the ‘spooky trail’, running throughout the half-term week. Trail sheets will be available in the museum.

Spooktacular Stories

Thurs 26th, Fri 27th & Sat 28th October

Join us in the museum for some family fun with spooky stories in our spooky saloon. Booking not necessary. There’s no charge, but donations to our Synolda appeal are encouraged. Click here to donate via JustGiving.

Thursday 26th, Friday 27th and Saturday 28th October | 12pm, 1pm and 2pm (approximately 20-30mins)

 

Archive Talks

The museum hosts a monthly online Archive Talk, usually held on the first Thursday of the month.  In these popular talks, presented by our Photo Archivist Dave Simpson, we delve into our vast archive of over 46 000 images, to explore the fascinating history of the R&ER and the many stories it has to tell.

Details of the talk subjects are publicised on our Facebook page @rermuseum.  To be on our mailing list to receive the monthly talk link, please register your interest at steam@ravenglass-railway.co.uk

Guest speakers are also welcome.  If you have a link to the R&ER or other narrow-gauge railways and think you could offer our audience an engaging, railway themed talk or presentation, please get in touch.

Talks are free of charge, but if you would like to show your appreciation, donations are welcome to the museum here.

To view information about our permanent and temporary exhibitions, please visit our Exhibitions Page

Kids in Museums Logo

We welcome families, though children must be accompanied by an adult at all times

As members of Kids in Museums we have a firm commitment to creating a safe, welcoming museum for family learning and play. You can read the Kids in Museums manifesto HERE

 

 

Food and drink is not allowed in the museum owing to the need to protect our historic objects

Are available from the R&ER gift shop

We welcome group bookings and can provide tours of the museum and behind the scenes on the railway.

Our group offers can be tailored to suit your particular requirements.

We also offer a programme of talks about aspects of the railway’s history.

To discuss a potential booking please get in touch

Group Bookings at Ravenglass Railway Museum
Group Bookings at Ravenglass Railway Museum

The Museum space is available for private bookings – please contact us for details

If you are interested in the museum and the local area, here are some relevant links. The museum is not responsible for the content of these websites.

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway

Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society

Millom Discovery Centre

West Cumberland Railway Museum

Cumbrian Railways Association

Heywood Society

The Sankey Photography Archive

Visit our Location Page to view map and details on how to get here.

Winter 2023-24 – reduced opening times

During the Winter we are open on the following dates;

November – 25th, 26th

December – 2nd & 3rd, 9th & 10th , 16th, 17th & 18th, 20th, 21st, 22nd & 23rd, 26th Dec to 1st Jan.

 

January to February 2024 – closed from 2nd Jan to February 1/2 term.

 

 

Still photography is welcome for personal and not commercial use unless by prior arrangement

There are toilets including wheelchair-accessible and baby-change facilities on Platform 1 of Ravenglass R&ER station c150m from the museum.

Several of our locomotives and carriages can be touched or climbed on, but can be sharp or dirty and visitors do so entirely at their own risk

The museum displays are fully wheelchair accessible. Part of the museum is accessed via an internal ramp.