Marco Topo at the Madrid Railway Museum

Discover Madrid by playing

The Madrid Railway Museum opened to the public in 1984. Its main mission is to communicate the reality of railways, both past and present, promote knowledge of rail transport, encourage railway research and highlight the value of railway heritage. Managed by the Spanish Railways Foundation, it has been part of Spain’s national museum network since 2009. The museum is housed in the historic Delicias station, a fine example of the iron architecture typical of the 19th century. Designed by the French engineer Émile Cachelièvre and opened in 1880 in the presence of King Alfonso XII, it was the first large monumental station in Madrid built with a metal structure. A visit to the museum reveals an extensive collection of historic railway material. The station’s central nave contains a wide variety of locomotives and passenger carriages, illustrating the evolution of traction from steam to electric and diesel across more than a century and a half of railway history in Spain, as well as changing passenger conditions. Several themed galleries open off the nave, including one devoted to old station clocks, another to model railways with working layouts, and a third explaining the main elements of railway infrastructure and track. Since its beginnings, the museum has expanded the number and variety of activities designed to bring railway culture to the public, particularly school and family activities in its Educa-Tren programme.