‘From Past to Present’ London Transport Museum Acton Depot Open Days

London Transport Museum is opening the doors to its Museum Depot in Acton for one weekend this July. Only open to the public on special dates throughout the year, Depot Open Days give ticketholders a chance to explore an amazing collection of over 320,000 objects from London’s transport past not currently on display in the Covent Garden Museum, while enjoying a lively programme of themed activities.

The ‘From Past to Present’ Depot Open Days event will offer guests a line-up of talks, workshops, and family activities inspired by stories of ingenuity from London’s transport past and present, and how these can pave the way for a greener London of the future.

Visitors can also explore the Depot’s vast collection of historic vehicles, plans, posters, signs and maps, including early plans for the Underground and original versions of Harry Beck’s iconic diagrammatic Tube map from 1933. Plus the largest collection of London transport signage in the world.

Event highlights include:

• Expert talks that delve into fascinating moments in London’s transport history – such as the creation of the world’s first electric railway – as well as the exciting things TfL are doing today that can give us a glimpse of what a green London of the future could look like.
• Tours uncovering the weird and wonderful objects that can be found at the Depot. Discover station models, curiosities from the large object store, and explore the poster store – home to famous works of graphic art that have adorned the Tube network since the 1900s.
• STEM zone demos and workshops where visitors can learn about and test out tech – including railway engineering simulators used by TfL – and take on problem-solving challenges such as coding train signals and controlling a set of traffic signals with representatives from Yunex Traffic.
• A talk from Siddy Holloway from the Museum’s Hidden London team about her experience presenting UKTV’s hit ‘Secrets of the London Underground’ series. Expect fascinating tales of her underground adventures with behind-the-scenes footage.
• Green-themed creative workshops for families, inspired by eco-friendly vehicles such as a Transport UK London Bus zero-emissions Electroliner bus which will be on display, and TfL’s station gardens.

The ‘From Past to Present’ Depot Open Days event is part of London Transport Museum’s Enjoyment to Employment scheme that tackles the engineering and green skills shortage in the UK transport sector by turning childhood enthusiasm into future careers. The programme is sponsored by ABM, Cubic Transportation Systems, Hitachi Rail, Sopra Steria, telent  and Transport for London.