London Transport Museum depot open day
In a fairly unassuming shed, not far from Acton Town station hides a treasure trove. A very specific treasure trove. Because this is the London Transport Museum depot, housing over 370,000 objects stretching back for almost 200 years.
review visit*
Tickets, trains, trams, buses, signs, machines, antique phones: all parked and piled a few minutes from one of London’s busiest roads.
And two or three times a year, usually in March and September, this incredible store of treasures belonging to the London Transport Museum opens to the public. It’s trainspotter (and bus/tram-spotter) heaven – as well as a preschooler’s dream.
For my complete set of tips on visiting London’s museums with toddlers and kids, check out my ultimate guide
So off I set with Minnie, two friends of mine, their three-year-old and new baby to discover what is tucked away in this collection rather than on display at the main museum in Covent Garden.
Enough to occupy us for hours and still we were rushing to see everything before it closed for the day.
We certainly didn’t get chance to hop on the shuttle bus to the Heathrow Express depot where you could sit in a train driver’s cab and meet Paddington.
Nor did we get chance to ride on one of the vintage Routemasters or the miniature locomotives (you watch enough Peppa Pig and there’s no other way to think of them) in the grounds.
Or find out how moquette, that distinctive seat covering on the tube, is made.
In three hours, we wandered round the huge echoing shed – a cross between a museum and a memorabilia jumble sale – looking at vintage trains and buses, spotting equally antique signs, and finding out more of London’s transport history.
Those open cabs in the trams, for example, were insisted upon by the police who thought drivers would fall asleep if they were enclosed after the switch from horsedrawn vehicles.
And the double decker design was a bright idea instituted for the Great Exhibition, when the capital’s transport simply couldn’t cope with all the people wanting to use it – to modern eyes, an extra nine places on top seems tiny!
Then there were the trains and trams converted for use in the war, armoured or stripped out to be used behind the front lines.
Half the fun is getting so close to the vehicles. I don’t think I’d realised quite how big a bus’s wheel is until Minnie stood next to it.
Or clambering into a vintage first class carriage to discover how many hundreds of thousands of pounds had been needed to restore it to its original highly polished glory.
One of my favourite parts was the design section, with old signs dating from before the famous roundel as well as maps which bear no resemblance to the recognisable and stylised version we know today.
They bear a lot more resemblance to London’s actual geography though.
Minnie was desperate to touch which was one of the only drawbacks of the day. Fortunately there’s also plenty that’s aimed at kids.
Along with some inflatable fun outside thanks to a bouncy castle bus – plus some very good ice cream and doughnuts – there were activities for children inside too, designing your own station sign.
If there were a prize for most colourful, I think Minnie’s might have been in the running. Even if none of us were quite sure where Z C O M A S F I Q was…
Then suddenly the afternoon had vanished. Ladies and gentlemen, mind the gap.
Need to know: London Transport Museum depot with kids
Details of the depot’s open days can be found on the website, tickets cost £17.50 for adults, £9 for children aged 4–17 are free – under fours are free. If you have an annual ticket for the main museum, it doesn’t allow free access to the depot.
There are toilet and baby changing facilities as well as a cloakroom where you can leave buggies (although you are free to take them around the depot). There are also some snacks to buy, mainly drinks, ice creams and doughnuts, as well as outdoor and some indoor tables.
For our day out at the main London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, check out my review
PIN FOR LATER: LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM ACTON DEPOT OPEN DAY
Disclosure: Our entry to the depot was courtesy of London Transport Museum. All opinions and dangerous preschoolers are my own.
Images and video copyright MummyTravels
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What a shame it’s only open twice a year! It looks fantastic especially the bouncy castle bus!
Definitely, I’m sure I’d go more often if not. And the bouncy bus was very cute, although my daughter very tentatively bounced near the edge and refused to go in…
Oh I love that old bus with all the signs. Design was so much better back then, more aesthetically pleasing x
It is fab, isn’t it – I wonder if in 100 years, people will look back at bendy buses with nostalgia?!
I was only saying over on insta that I love the retro pic’s of Minnie! The vintage buses, trains and trams look so cool. Well worth a visit!
Absolutely. They are such great retro designs, so cool to explore – lots of fun snapping a three-year-old next to them too 🙂
What a cool museum. They have so many things on display, my kids would really enjoy seeing all of the old buses & trains. There are so many fab museums in London! x
Isn’t it – like a real treasure trove, and perfect for kids.
what a great taste of living history. I love all social history and how things have changed. Looks like a great trip out.
This is perfect for that, a few lovely glimpses into the past.
FAB! My son Jack is obsessed with Buses and Transport he would be heaven at that Museum! I love all the vintage buses 😀 They really don’t make them any where near as beautiful now 😀
He would love it then – the vintage designs are just gorgeous too.
Oooh am so jealous, I would have loved to have taken Nate here, so will definitely be putting this in the calendar for the next open day, Nate is transport mad and will absolutely adore this! The bouncy castle looks awesome and the old signage would definitely keep me amused for a while.
Thanks for sharing, I love learning about little known places and events.
Kat x
Oh yes, the perfect place for transport mad kids – should be open again in March. And I love the designs.
It’s a shame that it’s not open more often as it looks fab. I would love to see the big red buses in person and the bouncy castle looks ace!
Definitely – such a fab experience to get to see it all.
This place looks incredible! I kinda like that it’s only open a couple of times a year, keeps the transport well preserved and looked after, and makes the day out that extra bit more special x
That is true, and forces you to seize the opportunity – otherwise I wonder if it would be one of those places on the doorstep which you never quite get to!
This looks great and the bouncy bus sounds fun. I went to a train museum once and I was shocked at just how much i enjoyed it.
I have to admit, I thought it would be more fun for my daughter than me then turned out to absolutely love it!
What a treat! Tin Box Tot loves buses and I doubt I would have been able to drag her away from the bouncy castle bus – it combines two of her favourite things ever! 🙂
I do love a bouncy castle myself (although my daughter tends to stay near the edge in case of unexpected bounces!)
Sooo cool!
I never heard of this museum before. How nice that they have open days.
I love all the old double deck buses <3
Happy to have you on #MondayEscapes
It is a bit of a secret, I think, I wonder if I’d have heard of it if it wasn’t so near me – definitely worth discovering when they do open though! Very cool old buses aren’t they?