HistoRail

About the museum

HistoRail was founded in 1987, at a time when the SNCF was modernizing its regional networks, especially in the Limousin. The museum is run by an association of volunteers passionate about railway history and rail travel. It opened to the public in 1988 and was inaugurated on July 2, 1988, by the musician Claude Bolling, honorary president. It is housed in a former shoe factory in the center of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, linked to the arrival of the railway in the town in 1881.

The museum has two covered halls of about 500 m² and nearly 300 m² of outdoor space. The first hall displays real equipment, largely donated by the SNCF: a station ticket window, a pantograph, an optical control desk and driving simulators. The second hall houses the “Traversothèque”, devoted to railway ties, rails and track maintenance tools.

Outside, the Moyse No. 28 shunting locomotive, donated by Rhône-Poulenc, illustrates the transition from steam to diesel and the history of private sidings. Also on display are a hydraulic crane, signals, a level crossing, a draisine and the engine of a railcar. Several model railway layouts complete the visit, including a model of the Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat station and a steam depot from Cherbourg donated in 2014.

Highlights

• Real railway equipment, largely donated by the SNCF
• Moyse No. 28 shunting locomotive displayed outdoors
• Traversothèque on the track and its maintenance
• Several model railway layouts, from HO gauge to garden railways
• Fête du Train Miniature in autumn

Permanent exhibition

• Collections ferroviaires et réseaux de trains miniatures – Two rooms and outdoor areas with real railway equipment, a traversothèque, a shunting locomotive and several model railway layouts.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Association HistoRail (loi de 1901), gérée par des bénévoles

Admission & discounts

2026 rates. No reduced or family rates are published.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum’s mascot, “Bout d'Rail”, accompanies visitors. No specific offer for children is detailed.

Getting there & parking

The museum is at 20 bis rue de Beaufort; the association’s office is at 18 rue de Beaufort. The website’s access page is under construction. Nearby: the Moulin du Gôt and the collegiate church of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit