Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias

About the museum

The Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias opened in 1998 and is dedicated to conserving, researching and disseminating the industrial history of Asturias, in which the railway was a structuring element. It is located at the start of the Natahoyo working-class district, whose origins in the late 19th century are linked to the construction in 1874 of the terminus of the Ferrocarril del Noroeste, which is today the museum's main building.

The station, a first-class one designed by the engineer Melitón Martín, ceased to function as a terminus in 1990. For the museum a parallel building was erected by the architects Hernández Sande, connected to the station by a canopy, which houses the permanent exhibition rooms and the assembly hall. The complex is completed by a multipurpose hall, the platforms and the former track yard, altogether more than 14,000 m², of which about 10,000 form the permanent exhibition.

The collection brings together more than two thousand pieces, including more than a hundred locomotives, wagons and coaches in up to seven different track gauges, the largest ensemble of preserved historic railway material in Spain. Notable are the steam locomotives and those of mining and industrial railways. The museum also has an archive, a library, a press archive and a photographic collection, and is a museum of regional scope for the Principality of Asturias.

Highlights

• Largest ensemble of preserved historic railway material in Spain
• More than a hundred locomotives, wagons and coaches in up to seven track gauges
• Steam locomotives and those of mining and industrial railways
• Former Norte station of 1874 and historic platforms
• Steam Days (Jornadas del Vapor) with historic trains in operation
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Exposición permanente del ferrocarril en Asturias – Thematic units on the social, economic, technological and industrial history of the Asturian railway, spread across the station, the permanent exhibition building and the multipurpose hall.
• Material móvil histórico en andenes y playa de vías – Locomotives, wagons and coaches of several track gauges, some of them in working order, displayed on the platforms and in the former track yard.

Founded

1998

Operated by

Ayuntamiento de Gijón (Fundación Municipal de Cultura, Educación y Universidad Popular)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission. Payment is accepted in cash only, at the museum's paid services.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the accessibility listing (PREDIF, 2021), the main entrance has no level changes and movement inside in a wheelchair is fully possible. There is a lift with high-contrast buttons and an adapted toilet in the common areas; on the ground floor, the workshop room and the temporary exhibition room are reached by steps and a ramp. Only guide dogs are admitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers workshops for schoolchildren, holiday activities and, during the Steam Days, short trips on historic trains and special guided tours.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Natahoyo district, very close to Playa de Poniente beach.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop on the ground floor, next to the public information area.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit