National Museum of Scotland
The National Museum of Scotland is the national museum on Chambers Street in central Edinburgh, holding Scotland's principal historical, scientific, and technological collections. For railway visitors the most important exhibit is Wylam Dilly, one of the two oldest surviving steam locomotives in the world, sister to Puffing Billy at the Science Museum in London.
Wylam Dilly was built around 1815 by William Hedley and the Wylam Colliery engineers as one of a small batch (along with Puffing Billy and Lady Mary) for working coal traffic on the Wylam Wagonway in Northumberland. The engine remained in regular service at Wylam Colliery until 1862, an extraordinary working life of over 45 years, and was acquired by the Edinburgh museum in 1862 directly from the Colliery, making it the oldest surviving steam locomotive to have been continuously in a museum collection.
The museum also holds substantial collections of Scottish industrial heritage, including engineering models, scientific instruments, and decorative arts.
History
The museum building has its origins in the Industrial Museum of Scotland (1854), which became the Royal Scottish Museum in 1904. After a major refurbishment, the building reopened in 2011 as the National Museum of Scotland, combining the previous Royal Scottish Museum with the Museum of Scotland (which had opened in an adjacent building in 1998).
Stations and infrastructure
The museum is housed in two adjacent buildings on Chambers Street: the Victorian Royal Scottish Museum (opened 1866) with its iconic Grand Gallery, and the modern Museum of Scotland addition (1998).
Route and stations
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Special events and operations
The museum runs an extensive programme of exhibitions, family events, and academic lectures.
Visitor information
Free admission. The museum is in central Edinburgh, a short walk from Edinburgh Waverley railway station. Open daily.