Musée lorrain des cheminots

About the museum

The Musée lorrain des cheminots association was founded on February 22, 1997 by railway enthusiasts. Its founding president, Laurent Courtade, the son and grandson of railway workers, had been collecting railway objects since childhood. After two open-air exhibitions in the streets of Rettel, the mayor of the time offered him a room; the association moved in on November 1, 1997.

The building is a typical Lorraine house, already visible on 18th-century plans and located near the Maison de la Dîme. It belonged to Marie Klein, the village’s first female railway worker, who worked at the Sierck-les-Bains station. During the Trente Glorieuses (the postwar boom years), more than 70% of Rettel’s residents worked for the railway, even though the Thionville–Apach line runs through the commune without ever having had a station there.

The museum occupies more than 220 m² on two levels and recreates scenes from railway workers’ lives: a lamp room, track and maintenance equipment, a signal box, a 1898 station ticket window, a medical office, uniforms, caps and a model railway layout. A driving simulator, built from a real locomotive control desk, lets visitors try their hand at driving. The association also holds railway archives and keeps alive the memory of railway workers who were victims of war.

Highlights

• Lamp room, track and signal box recreated
• 1898 station ticket window and medical office
• Driving simulator built from a real locomotive control desk
• Uniforms, caps and a model railway layout
• Guided tour by an association member, with equipment demonstrations

Permanent exhibitions

• Le rez-de-chaussée : lampisterie, voie et poste d'aiguillage – Lanterns and the lamp-keeper’s tools, a typical regional track with maintenance equipment, an area on track workers (lignards) and overhead-line workers (caténairistes), and a signal box with signals in the courtyard.
• Le premier étage : guichet, cabinet médical et simulateur – Plates, uniforms and caps, a model railway layout, the 1898 station ticket window, a medical office, an area on locomotive operation and maintenance, and a driving simulator.

Founded

1997

Operated by

Association du Musée lorrain des cheminots

Admission & discounts

Card payment accepted. Railway workers show their Camillon pass at reception.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Reduced rates for children and a family pack. The driving simulator and equipment demonstrations invite hands-on experience.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about 60 km from Metz, 50 km from Trier, 40 km from Luxembourg and 20 km from Thionville.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop selling postcards, magnets, magazines and books on the history of the railway in Lorraine; proceeds fund the museum’s operations.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit