For one weekend this April, London Transport Museum’s Depot in Acton, west London, will open its doors, giving you the chance to explore its huge collection of transport heritage.
The depot is essentially the overflow site for the Covent Garden museum, and is where a lot of their trains and buses are stored, plus a massive collection of old “clutter”.
To coincide with the District Line’s 150th anniversary, the event will celebrate London’s Underground network. From their architecture and design, to the stories and communities that surround them, visitors will discover another side to their journey through a programme of talks, tours, demonstrations and family activities.
Apart from the objects on display, activities on the day:
Step into the shoes of a TfL engineer and change a Metropolitan line brake block in a virtual reality training programme. Led by the Central Engineering Research and Development Team at TfL.
Go green in a workshop with inspiring community organisation, Energy Garden, and learn about their mission to transform London Overground platforms and stations into thriving gardens and food growing plots.
Take a special highlights tour of the Museum’s Poster Store.
Learn about London’s living rail-side ecosystem with Mathew Frith, Director of Conservation at London Wildlife Trust, as he explores the relationship between railway infrastructure development, communities and wildlife in the city.
Visit the Depot’s train shed to see the innovative ‘silver’ R49 stock car, the first Underground stock constructed from aluminium alloy and finished with an unpainted car body.
See the restoration of the Q-Stock train.
Go underneath of a vintage bus on a guided bus pit tour.
Join London Transport Museum’s Assistant Director of Collections and Engagement, Chris Nix, for a talk on the Jubilee line, which celebrates two big birthdays this year – the 40th anniversary of the line opening in 1979 and the opening of the Jubilee line extension in 1999.
Watch demonstrations of original London Underground signalling equipment.
Shop for unique transport-related products and gifts in our Depot shop – including — for the first time — a chance to buy rolls of moquette fabric.
Hop on a vintage bus to take a scenic tour of Acton and the surrounding area.
The open weekend takes place over the 27th and 28th April.
Tickets cost £12 for adults and £10 for concessions and are valid for one day only. Open from 11am-5pm. Last admission 4pm. Children and young people aged 17 and under go free (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).
Note, if bringing large bags, you need to leave them in the cloakroom, and the queue can be quite long, so don’t bring big bags if you can avoid it.
You can turn up on the day, but it’s usually quicker to get in if you book a ticket in advance here.
The nearest tube station is Acton Town, and TfL’s travel planner says there’s no closures that weekend.
I want go to London Transport Museum’s Depot in Acton, West London. As I have never ever been there in my entire life. I have been to the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden in Central London many times in my life.
What’s this; twelve quid for up to six hours of talks, demos and general wandering about in a forest of Underground reveries? Unbelievable…
It’s great that interests range from green corridors via the back of a bus, to 1930s preserved stock.
A veritable smorgasbord and all for less than the price of a ticket to see Captain Marvel.