Musée du Cheminot
Association-run museum in Ambérieu-en-Bugey devoted to railway trades, with driving cabs, reconstructed scenes and model trains.
No sound? Check your device’s silent switch.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
In 1856 the arrival of the railway transformed Ambérieu-en-Bugey, then a small farming commune of 2,472 inhabitants. The P.L.M. company created many jobs there and improved the lives of its employees. At its height, in 1930, it employed 2,150 railway workers in the town, which had 6,794 inhabitants, most of them living from the railway sector. Ambérieu became a railway junction linking Lyon with Bourg-en-Bresse, Geneva or Modane.
The Musée du Cheminot was born in October 1987 from a group of local history enthusiasts, with the aim of preserving railway heritage and testimonies. The collection quickly outgrew its space, and on November 9, 1988 the museum moved into the present building, which offers 950 m² of exhibition space. Volunteers from the association keep it running.
On the first floor, the visit presents the world of steam, the beginnings of the railway in France, vanished trades such as the lamp keeper, a control-desk room with about ten working driving cabs, including that of a TGV, and a reconstructed signal box. On the second floor are scenes of a station, a canteen, dormitories and an infirmary, a room of railway lanterns and the Résistance-Fer display, then a mezzanine with model trains and layouts.
Highlights
- About ten working driving cabs, including that of a TGV
- Control-desk room and reconstructed signal box
- Period scenes: ticket office, canteen, dormitories and infirmary
- Railway lanterns and display cases on the Résistance-Fer
- Model trains and a model of Ambérieu-en-Bugey station
Permanent exhibition
- Exposition permanente sur les métiers du chemin de fer – Locomotives and driving cabs, control-desk room, signal box, scenes of railway workers' daily life, lanterns, the Résistance-Fer and model trains across 950 m².
- Founded
- 1987
- Operated by
- Association du Musée du Cheminot
- Visitors per year
- approx. 4,005
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 11 · Free for children under 12 accompanied by at least one adult. |
| Groups | €4 per personPrice per person, by reservation only. Children in groups do not get free admission. |
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 11 |
|---|
The museum website says a visit is possible both as a family and as a group. Free admission for accompanied children under 12.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
There is a car park in front of the museum. Coaches are asked to park in the large car park behind the museum, reached via rue Jean Monnet.
Amenities & dining
The museum website mentions neither Wi-Fi for visitors nor a shop or café.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Volunteer guides present the exhibition through numerous reconstructed scenes. Visit reservations: +33 6 40 06 51 14. |
