Whitehead Railway Museum Carrickfergus

Whitehead Railway Museum, which was officially opened in 2017, combines the past with the present. You can get up close to some of the magnificent steam locomotives in the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland collection – a chance to step aboard the footplate of an 1879-built steam engine.

Don't miss the dining car which houses an exhibition about “Meals on the Move”, and the signal box, where you can pull the levers. One of our five galleries is devoted to the social history of railways – the early seaside excursions to places like Whitehead and also how people used to smuggle butter across the border. And fire your children's imagination by letting them dress up in Victorian-style costumes.

On one of our one-hour conducted tours, you can see restoration work in progress on engines and carriages. The museum boasts a period style tearoom – think Brief Encounter – which serves morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea.