National Railway Museum: Hands-on gallery opens in Yorkshire after five years in the making

Now it is unveiling its largest new gallery in more than a decade after five years in development.

Named Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery, it features 18 exciting hands-on interactive exhibits which aim to inspire and spark curiosity in visitors around the themes of railways and engineering.

Aimed at families with children aged seven to 14 and school groups, the gallery is housed in the museum’s former locomotive workshop building next to Great Hall.

Alongside the interactives, visitors will also be able to see live science shows and demonstrations inside the Weston Showspace and at a demonstration bar.

Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum, said: “Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery represents the first area of the museum to undergo significant changes as part of our Vision 2025 masterplan and the result is a fantastic new interactive gallery that is a real asset for visitors and the city.

“The gallery was developed in partnership with the rail industry and other experts and we have listened to visitor feedback about the need for more interactive, hands-on experiences. We want to ensure that children have great fun while developing a spark of interest in engineering that will contribute towards tackling the UK’s shortage in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills.”

The opening day will also see the unveiling of a dramatic new permanent artwork by Steve Messam. Called ‘Mass’ the brightly coloured inflatable sculpture dominates the centre of the gallery at 40ft high and more than 50ft wide. Like a hot air balloon, the structure uses air under pressure to support itself.Commenting on his latest artwork for Wonderlab, Mr Messam said: “Art is about experimenting and pushing the boundaries and engineering is all about finding solutions, so it feels appropriate that it is to be part of Wonderlab.”

Visitors will also be able to build and design large scale structures like bridges and towers in Pippa Hale’s ‘Play Revolution’. This colourful interactive artwork comprises large foam shapes that can be moved around the space encouraging visitors of all ages to think like engineers.

Visitors will be able to see a live science show as part of the general entry ticket to Wonderlab. Fire Powered, an explosive and dramatic show will demonstrate how (safe) explosions can be created and controlled to make an engine work.Visitors can also get up close to exciting and unusual explainer-led experiments at the Demo Bar that explore railway engineering.

The launch of Wonderlab will create a significant new attraction for families visiting York and for family residents of the city. The museum has seen an increase in visitor numbers following the Covid-19 pandemic with 572,577 visits in 2022, making it the most-visited free attraction in the region.Visit: www.railwaymuseum.org.uk/2025/wonderlab-the-bramall-gallery.