Here at the West Shed Museum we have a small reference library of railway books and magazines in addition to a collection of railway objects, archival material and historic photographs relating to the locomotives & coaches in our collection. We are gradually documenting our collection and will add more information here as we progress. We welcome visitors to look at our research collections by prior arrangement. To enquire about the material we have or to book a study visit please contact the Museum Curator:
Tel. 01773 743986
Email: Contact us
What research materials are there at the West Shed?
Photographs: historic images of the locomotives and coaches in our collection during their working lives, plus modern images.
Books: reference books on subjects relating to Stanier locomotives and the London Midland and Scottish Railway, plus some general railway history.
Magazines: general railway magazines and historic publications, e.g. issues of the ‘LMS Magazine’ from the 1930s.
Archival material: relating to the operation of the railways including regulations, rule books, instruction manuals and worker’s notes.
Railwayana: including paintings, models, builder’s plates, lamps etc.
We welcome enquiries about specific material. Download / view a copy of our reference library collection listing HERE
Engineering Drawings
We often receive enquiries from model builders and researchers regarding access to our collection of engineering drawings. We only hold a small collection of drawings which are working copies for use by our Engineers, so we do not have the facilities to make copies of these drawings for other people.
The National Railway Museum holds the central collection of all railway engineering drawings (in fact many of our drawings were supplied by them) and they provide a full reproduction service. In the first instance, please explore the National Railway Museum archive collection by visiting the 'Research & Archive' section of their website: http://www.nrm.org.uk/researchandarchive
The Historical Model Railway Society (HMRS)
The HMRS holds a vast collection of engineering drawings and photographs relating to railway history. The HMRS study centre is based on the same site as the West Shed and offers a research and reproduction service. Please visit their website for further details and online catalogues: http://www.hmrs.org.uk/
Other research sources:
There are numerous research resources for railway and transport history. The website of The Railway & Canal Historical Society has a large list of organisations holding material relating to transport history. Please see their website for details: http://www.rchs.org.uk/
The Midland Railway-Butterley has its own archive collection - contact them for details:
http://www.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk/ There is also the Midland Railway Study Centre housed in Derby's Silk Mill Museum http://www.midlandrailwaystudycentre.org.uk/
Note: this is a separate organisation from the Midland Railway-Butterley and located approximately 12 miles away.
Facilities:
The library resource centre at the West Shed is a light and airy room ideal for carrying out research work. The room contains study desks and power points enabling laptops to be plugged in. Photocopying facilities are also available for a small charge, subject to copyright restrictions. Our library reading room facility is generally available for use Monday to Friday 11am - 4pm by prior appointment (February to November). It may be possible to visit outside those hours by arrangement - please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate you.
