London Transport Museum

Tucked into the Covent Garden Piazza is the London Transport Museum (LTM), housing a collection of over 450,000 items related to London's history of urban growth and development as it ties to its transportation. I went to this museum to find out more information about train travel and timetables for my research paper, and though I was disappointed to learn the library is closed because they are in the process of moving their collection, I was able to find out lots about the evolution of all forms of London's transportation and their projections for the future. They also have an excellent website with lots of information about their library's physical and digital collection which has filled in a lot of gaps for me. 

According to their website, the LTM library "holds a unique collection of over 14,000 books, journals and special collections covering the development of public transport in London – past, present and future." Online users have access to over 6,000 items from LibraryThing, though most items are in-library use only. They have curated reading lists for many different topics and a complete list of journals they subscribe to, also. 

Their collection covers "a wide spectrum of materials and media, including vehicles, rolling stock, posters and original artworks, signs, uniforms, photographs, ephemera, maps and engineering drawings. Together, they make up the most comprehensive record of urban mass transit in the world." 

I've been able to find a number of digitized train tables that may be useful in my project. There are records for books that will be useful, but they are unfortunately not digitized. All the same, their online catalogue has been a helpful starting point and I think their collection is quite comprehensive.

The museum does not have their own archive but rather suggests that users ask their local archive for information about the history of their local transportation. The website directs users to the National Archive for a listing of local archives. 

The LTM exhibit was the most kid-friendly museum I have so far experienced, displaying their large collection of posters, pamphlets, maps, uniforms, videos, and full-sized vehicles in interactive and colourful ways throughout the museum. Among other things, kids could climb buses and drive simulated trains, both of which were tons of fun (because of course I tried too). This was an enjoyable and informative experience!