The choice of countries is arbitrary and is restricted to those in the
eastern part and Scandinavia, most countries in Western Europe have
preserved steam operations and national railway museums with official websites
which are easily located using search engines, those further east are less well
known.... This list is not by any means inclusive of smaller sites, some of
which are operational, for lists which includes many European Museum sites see http://www.heritagerailways.com/world.html
(English only) European Federation of Museum & Tourist Railways http://www.fedecrail.org/en/index_en.html
and http://www.innvista.com/culture/travel/rail/museuro.htm
(various languages). If you are prepared to spend some time browsing then the
pictures on this site will take you to many preservation sites - http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix_frameset.html.
Belarus
There are railway museums in Brest (opened in 2002, closed Mondays and
Tuesdays, best visited in the morning) and Baranovichi (opened
in 1999, apparently closed Sundays), see http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/by/steam/pix.html
for some good pictures. These appear to be major collections.... Torsten
Schneider has sent a (nearly complete) list of the steam
locomotives at Brest and several pictures (30th November 2008).
Bulgaria
The National Museum of Transport and Communication is at
Rousse, see http://www.museums.hit.bg/
which has some English content.
Croatia
There is a railway museum in Zagreb, see the unofficial site http://www.mytrains.at/eisenbahnmuseum_zagreb.htm
which is in German. As of November 2008, the museum had serious
staff problems and was not always open as advertised - advanced notice of an
intended visit using the contact in the link below is strongly advised (in
English!). Information on the museum is within http://www.hznet.hr/
(Croatian Railways), when I visited you had to click the "izdvojeno
button", then click the "kultura" button at the bottom then click
on "muzej" for contact details. The actual page address was http://www.hznet.hr/iSite3/Default.aspx?sec=197
but that sort of address is never very stable. Even allowing for it being in
Serbo-Croat this has got to be one of the worst designed railway websites I have
ever seen - I only found the page by accessing the site map ("mapa weba").
James Waite reports on his
attempted visit which includes an access map.
Czech Republic
The Czech railway museum is at Lužné (Luzna), see http://www.os.cd.cz/muzeum/
which has some English content. For an English language introduction see http://www.czechtourism.com/133premier/en/cd/en/memories/memo055.htm.
See also the
report of James Waite's visit (7th January 2009)
Denmark
The Danish Railway Museum is in Odense, see www.jernbanemuseum.dk/GB/index_gb.html.
There is a small narrow gauge museum at the Hedelands Railway, http:// www.ibk.dk,
James Waite was here
in May 2008.
Estonia
The main Railway Museum is in Haapsalu, see http://www.jaam.ee/index.php?lk=25.
(limited English information).
See also http://www.museumrailway.ee/
which is a preserved narrow gauge railway as opposed to a traditional museum. James
Waite was
here in July 2009 (25th July 2009).
Finland
The Finnish Railway Museum is at Hyvinkää, see www.rautatie.org/web/en/start.asp. Harvey
Smith has produced a feature on the country
which includes Hyvinkää's international collection of 19th century steam
locomotives.
Germany
There are numerous railway museums in the country
which I don't attempt to list. Exceptionally, you can read about James
Waite's June 2009 visit to the Frankfurter Feldbahn Museum
(added 21st June 2009)..
Greece
There is a railway museum in Athens see http://www.greece-museums.com/museum/29/
and there seems to be an embryonic railway museum in Thessaloniki - see http://www.greece-museums.com/museum/95/. There
is also an open air museum at Kalamata, see http://www.greece-museums.com/museum/48/
and http://www.culture.gr/h/1/eh151.jsp?obj_id=3499.
Keith Smith reported on his
visit to Thessalonika (18th October 2007).
Holland
James Waite has been to the railway museum at Utrecht, parts of it are
excellent but for me the most interesting exhibit (CC5022 from Indonesia) is almost invisible!
You can read
his report (added 26th January 2008).
Hungary
The 'Hungarian Railway Historical Park' is a museum based on the site of the former Budapest North locoshed. For a range
of pictures of the steam locomotive exhibits, see http://eurospotter.fotopic.net/c727745.html
and http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/hu/museum/Fusti/steam/pix.html. See
also Colin Young's pictures on this site (27th December 2008).
Peter Nettleship recommends the Budapest Children's Railway (formerly the
Young Pioneers' Railway until 1990), in the Buda Hills and easily combined with
rides on the tram and funicular - see http://www.gyermekvasut.com/english.html.
Italy
The Italian national railway museum in Naples is open (again) at long
last. James Waite visited
in January 2008 (28th February 2008), Keith Smith has also been here and
fills in a few gaps (23rd April 2009).
There is also a national transport museum at La Spezia with rail exhibits
(including steam locomotives) - see http://www.museonazionaletrasporti.it/
(added 21st June 2008).
There is a narrow gauge museum at Monserrato on the outskirts of Cagliari in
Sardinia, James Waite has
provided a short guide (2nd August 2009).
See also the
notes from Stefano Paolini (added 15th August 2008) and his Regional
Guide to Italian Heritage Steam (21st August 2008).
Latvia
There are railway museums in Riga and Jelgava, see http://www.railwaymuseum.lv/index-eng.htm. Click
here for a report on a visit here from James Waite (updated 25th July 2009).
Lithuania
There is a railway museum in Vilnius, see http://muziejai.mch.mii.lt/Vilnius/Gelezinkeliu_muziejus.en.htm
and a narrow gauge museum which is part of the at Anyksciai station on the Panevezys-Anyksciai-Rubikiai preserved railway,
see James Waite's
report of a July 2007 visit..
Norway
The national railway museums is in Hamar, see http://www.norway.com/directories/d_company.asp?id=9230. The
official website http://www.norsk-jernbanemuseum.no/
is still 100% in Norwegian and not very well developed. See James Waite's excellent
report from June 2008 (added 21st June 2008).
Poland
There is a railway museum at Chabówka, see http://www.parowozy.pl/steamtrains/.
Colin Young has sent some
pictures of his visit in June 2008, (added 24th December 2008).
There is a narrow gauge railway museum at Wenecja - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrow_Gauge_Railway_Museum_in_Wenecja
and the Polish language official site http://www.paluki.pl/mzp/kolejka.php.
(added 21st June 2008).
There is a major railway museum in Warsaw,
just across the road from Warszawa Ochota suburban train station (added 30th
November 2008) - http://www.muzeumkolejnictwa.waw.pl/
(Polish language)
Miroslav Karas tells me there is a railway
museum at Kościerzyna in the north of the country - see http://parowozownia_koscierzyna.republika.pl/
(Polish language) (added 25th July 2009)
I believe there is a railway museum also at
Koscierzyna but I know little of it - in case it was reported closed in
January 2009 owing to a cash shortage (added 6th March 2009).
There are many pictures of the steam
locomotives in the museum collections on this page http://www.muzeumkolejnictwa.waw.pl/?dzial=artykul&id=128
(added 30th November 2008).
I would appreciate the help of an expert in
cataloguing museum steam in Poland...
Portugal
There is a museum at Santarem, about 40 miles north of Lisbon
and a (new) National Railway Museum at Entroncamento See James Waite's excellent
report from January 2009 (added 6th March 2009). James has also visited the
narrow gauge museum at Lousado (link
added to exisiting report, 11th April 2009).
Romania
There is a railway museum in North Bucharest, for
pictures see http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ro/steam/misc/pix.html.
There is also a steam railway museum in Sibiu see http://www.enzia.com/Pages/Railpg6.html.
Russia
(updated 26th August 2009)
For the indoor museum in St. Petersburg, see
www.museum.ru/Museum/RAILWAY/museng.htm
or http://www.saint-petersburg.com/museums/central-railway-museum.asp.
However, for most enthusiasts it is the outdoor museum which is the
attraction, but there seem to be few pictures on the web, Harvey Smith has
rectified this with some images taken during his stay
in the city in early 2006.
The Rizhskaya Railway Museum in Moscow
(opened in 2004) does not seem to have an English
language website - Harvey Smith has
now sent a guide to it (26th August 2009). In addition, I found three pictures of exhibits here - http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?city=Moscow&country=Russia.
The following steam locomotives have been reported - (Em
740-57, Er 766-11, FD 21-3125, L 2342, LV
0441, Ov 841, SO17 2211, TE 5415 and a 9R ,
now numbered 17347). L 3348 is now reported by Caspar Bielok to be
additional exhibit in working order and used to ferry visitors in and out.
There are pictures of quite a few exhibits on this page - http://www.legendtour.ru/eng/russia/moscow/north-04.shtml, (updated 5th December 2008).
Elsewhere in Moscow, Lenin's funeral train is preserved near Paveletsy Station, it
includes 4-6-0 U-127. Harvey Smith has now sent some
pictures (updated 26th August 2009), note that this is now officially
'closed' but access may still be possible. Harvey Smith has also sent information about other
preserved items in Victory Park (updated 3rd September 2007).
There is a narrow gauge railway and museum at
Pereslavl,
see http://narrow.parovoz.com/pereslavl/main-e.html
and the official site (in Russian) http://kukushka.ru
(added 31st May 2008). James Waite was here in July 2009 - the hospitality
was overwhelming - see http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/russia11.htm
(added 11th August 2009).
There is a railway museum in Nizhni Novgorod (Gorky) see http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/russia13.htm
(added 22nd August 2009) which also has an
(occasionally steam operated) children's
railway - link added 11th August 2009).
Colin Young has sent a nice
set of pictures of the railway museum at Novosibirsk.
Serbia
There is a narrow gauge railway and museum at Mokra
Gora,
see this page for basic information - http://www.zlatibor.co.yu/voz/english/--%20sarganska8%20--.htm.
Pozega Railway Museum has a collection of narrow gauge steam locomotives
which may one day be sent to Mokra Gora where they would probably be better
taken care of. You can read James
Waite's account of a 2005 visit (added 22nd August 2007).
There is a railway museum in Belgrade, see the official
site http://www.yurail.co.yu/eng/kultura/muzej.htm
and this unofficial
site http://www.angelfire.com/co3/drustvo/roundhou.htm.
Slovakia
There is a railway museum in Bratislava, see the unofficial site http://members.surfeu.at/magag/skmuseumbratislava.htm. For
many preserved steam images, check out the links on http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/sk/steam/pix.html.
Slovenia
There is a large railway museum in Ljubljana, see www.burger.si/MuzejiInGalerije/ZelezniskiMuzej/index.html,
also for some pictures http://www.mytrains.at/eisenbahnmuseum_ljubljana.htm
and http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/si/museum/pix.html.
James Waite was here in March 2008 and sent me an
illustrated report (added 18th March 2008, amended 8th
November 2009).
Spain
For information on the Madrid Railway Museum and links to websites for
others, check out James
Waite's notes (25th September 2007). On a related note, there is a
comprehensive list of preserved steam locomotives available on http://www.locomotoravapor.com/
(2nd December 2008), when I looked the English language summary link was broken.
James has since been to the
Rio Tinto system which includes a small museum and an operating system which
very occasionally uses steam. (23rd April 2009).
Sweden
The national railway museum has two sites Gävle, Gästrikland and
Ängelholm,
see http://www.banverket.se/en-gb/Swedish-Railway-Museum/Huvudrubriker/About-Banverket-Telenet.aspx.
Turkey
There is a museum at Camlik, see this unofficial website http://www.trainsofturkey.com/museum.htm.
Other places of museum interest are also covered on this comprehensive site.
James Waite has sent a report on the preserved railway
attractions of Istanbul, which includes the Rahmi M Koç museum, Istanbul
(added 2nd October 2007). Keith Smith has supplied some pictures of the Camlik
museum (1st October 2008). There is a railway museum in Ankara, see http://www.trainsofturkey.com/w/pmwiki.php/RailwayMuseums/AnkaraMuseums
which includes among its exhibits 10 rusty steam locomotives in an open air
park (3rd December 2008), the museum at Eskişehir http://www.trainsofturkey.com/w/pmwiki.php/RailwayMuseums/EskisehirMuseum
has no steam locomotive but has a plinthed 0-6-0T nearby (3rd December 2008).
Ukraine
There is railway museum at Donetsk see http://www.donetskplus.com/portal/profile.do?profileID=1016677.
Check out the images descriptions from this page for more ideas on preserved
steam in the Ukraine - http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ua/steam/pix.html.