By train to the Railway Museum in Utrecht
A museum boring? Not at all, but you've come to the wrong place at this museum. It Railway Museum there is more than a museum in Utrecht. Don't watch static trains (this is also possible of course), but do, see and experience. The Railway Museum has pulled out all the stops to help everyone discover how the train has changed the world in every possible interactive way. Small example: you literally walk through trains. There are also attractions and a theater. The icing on the cake is that you go back in time while catching and sorting the mail Expedition Mail Train.
So even if you're not a train expert, or haven't been collecting trains since you were little, everyone has a great time here. Let's take the train to the Railway Museum in Utrecht.
You arrive in style by shuttle train at the historic, fully restored building Maliebaan station from 1874 in Utrecht. The impressive entrance takes you back in time. Think of large chandeliers and waiting rooms. There are even toilets in a 19th-century neoclassical atmosphere: a hole-in-the-ground toilet, but not like the one during your backpacking trip in Asia. Curious what the hairdresser used to look like? Take a look at the barbershop from 1925. Walk past the suitcases full of stories with the text above: 'Never board the train without your suitcase of dreams'. You will find beautiful poems in various places in the museum. They all have to do with the railways or trains. You can buy entrance tickets at the nostalgic ticket booths and you are ready to enter the museum.
The museum is large, but it doesn't feel that way when you walk through it. For you daily dose of history you will definitely get your money's worth here. The museum is a lifelike station with various trains (some are even still running!). The SS13 for example, the oldest steam locomotive in the Netherlands. Very different from our familiar NS trains. There is also a real one ladies compartment. This used to be a special compartment for women, to prevent them from being bothered by men. The Orient Express used to run between Paris and Istanbul. Quite a distance, but you didn't have to worry about food. All meals (sometimes up to twelve courses!) were served on board in the special dining car. A train for luxury cats, because a ticket was not cheap. Besides seeing things, you can also do a lot in the museum. In the exhibition Expedition Mail Train children can sort mail themselves and remove mail bags from the hook. Pressing train questions? The EduTRAINers they can probably answer. They also give demonstrations every day. Look carefully, maybe they will open the train for you.
We weren't exaggerating when we said there was plenty to do in the museum. There are several attractions so you don't have to worry about boredom setting in. You will find a small roller coaster, a simulator and a real trial by fire. Trial by fire? Yep, it lets you travel through two centuries of railway history. This is done under the guidance of Rutger Hauer. This narrator takes you on a journey through railway history. You feel like a machinist.
Less adventurous? Then settle down in the steam theater. Of course, a playground should not be missing. Very child-friendly. Seen enough trains or attractions? The museum also has an extensive one art collection.
In addition to the permanent collection, there are also changing exhibitions (such as the aforementioned Expedition Mail Train) and events are organized regularly. There will be one from September 23 to 25, 2022 Model Train Expo and from October 22 to 30, 2022 Techlab XL. All kinds of demonstrations are given here and children can do their own experiments. Check the site for current events.
Nowadays, twelve courses are no longer served on the Orient Express, but the museum has plenty of catering facilities. You can go to the canteen classics as soups, salads and sandwiches. There is also an American-style snack bar where you can get fries from the wall, ice creams are sold and there are plenty of sweets.
Although almost the entire museum is about history, attention is also paid to the future. Students from TU Delft gave an old concept a new look and built the hyperloops. The 'train' of the future. Not a wagon on wheels, but a vacuum tube that floats above magnets. Sounds futuristic, right? Exactly, that's what it looks like.
The Railway Museum is the place for a day out, with or without children.
