Swedish Railway Museum
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Railway Museum, , in Gävle
, Gästrikland
, Sweden
, national museum for Sweden's railway history.
The Swedish Railway Museum is tasked with acquiring, preserving and supplying knowledge about Swedish railway history on the basis of the national collection. The museum is owned by Banverket
(Swedish National Rail Administration), which receives an annual sum for the museum's activities from the Government.
. In 1942, a hall for locomotives and rolling stock was added at Tomteboda
railway station in Stockholm. The Swedish Railway Museum has been located in Gävle
since 1970. The Museum has the use of two yards with tracks and several large buildings, including two round loco sheds and a sizeable workshop. The complex covers a total area of some 16,000 square metres.
Apart from locomotives and rolling stock, tools, instruments, and models, as well as crockery, textiles and art in specially built settings are displayed at the museum. Photographs form an exciting pathway into historical times. The museum collection of photographs contains several hundred thousand pictures, and the museum is currently transferring copies of negatives, glass plates into digital form to make them more available for the public.
Gävle
Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle...
, Gästrikland
Gästrikland
' is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Uppland, Västmanland, Dalarna, Hälsingland and the Gulf of Bothnia. Gästrikland is the southernmost of the Norrland provinces....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, national museum for Sweden's railway history.
The Swedish Railway Museum is tasked with acquiring, preserving and supplying knowledge about Swedish railway history on the basis of the national collection. The museum is owned by Banverket
Banverket
The Swedish Rail Administration was a government agency that owned and maintained virtually all railway lines in Sweden except many short sidings for freight only. It was formed in 1988 when Statens Järnvägar was split, leaving Statens Järnvägar as mainly a train operator and real estate owner,...
(Swedish National Rail Administration), which receives an annual sum for the museum's activities from the Government.
History
In 1915, the National Railway Board opened a railway museum in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. In 1942, a hall for locomotives and rolling stock was added at Tomteboda
Tomteboda
Tomteboda is a place in northern Stockholm, Sweden known for its post terminal and its shunting yard. A new railway tunnel for commuters is planned between Stockholms södra station and Tomteboda.- External links :...
railway station in Stockholm. The Swedish Railway Museum has been located in Gävle
Gävle
Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle...
since 1970. The Museum has the use of two yards with tracks and several large buildings, including two round loco sheds and a sizeable workshop. The complex covers a total area of some 16,000 square metres.
Collections
Some items for the collection had already been acquired by the end of the 1800s. The present collection, which is one of the finest of its kind in the world, contains more than 100 locomotives, some 150 coaches, and several hundred other items of rolling stock. The best of these are displayed in the basic exhibition. Although most of the other items are kept in the stores, they are available for viewing by groups or by pre-arrangement.Apart from locomotives and rolling stock, tools, instruments, and models, as well as crockery, textiles and art in specially built settings are displayed at the museum. Photographs form an exciting pathway into historical times. The museum collection of photographs contains several hundred thousand pictures, and the museum is currently transferring copies of negatives, glass plates into digital form to make them more available for the public.