Birmingham Thinktank
Birmingham Thinktank is the city's science museum, occupying part of the Millennium Point complex in central Birmingham. The museum opened in 2001 as a successor to the former Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry, which had occupied a former electroplating works on Newhall Street since 1951.
For railway enthusiasts the principal exhibit is LMS Princess Coronation Class No. 6235 <em>City of Birmingham</em>, built at Crewe in 1939 and presented to the City of Birmingham by British Railways in 1964. The locomotive was withdrawn after a relatively short BR career and donated to the city in recognition of its name; it has been on permanent display ever since, originally at Newhall Street and now in the much larger transport hall at Thinktank.
The transport gallery also houses other Birmingham-built engineering, including a 1797 Boulton & Watt steam engine (the oldest working engine of its kind), Birmingham-built motor cars and motorcycles, and tramway artefacts.
History
Thinktank traces its lineage to the Birmingham Museum of Science and Industry on Newhall Street, founded in 1951 to preserve the engineering heritage of the city. The Newhall Street building closed in 1997, and after a four-year hiatus the collection reopened in 2001 in a purpose-built museum within the new Millennium Point development on Curzon Street.
The new building gave the transport collection, particularly Princess Coronation 6235, a much-improved display. The locomotive was moved by road in pieces during 2001 and reassembled inside the building.
Stations and infrastructure
The museum is housed within Millennium Point on Curzon Street, central Birmingham. The transport gallery occupies a substantial portion of the museum and includes the locomotive, several historic cars, motorcycles, and aircraft.
Route and stations
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Special events and operations
Thinktank runs a regular programme of science exhibitions, family events, and talks. Specific railway-themed events are less common than at heritage railways but occasional engineering anniversaries (e.g. milestones for City of Birmingham) feature.
Visitor information
Thinktank is open daily; admission is charged. The museum is a short walk from Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham New Street stations. Combined tickets with the planetarium are available.