Photos by: 1 - Frank Martin, 2 - Corran Selman, 3 - David Babaian, 4 + 5 - Geoff Griffiths
The One:One Collection: Kent’s railway museum in the making
Join The One:One Collection on its most exciting journey yet, as we bring some of the most iconic and historically important UK railway locomotives and rolling stock to their new home on the Hornby site in Margate, Kent.
In The One:One Collection, the stars of the show aren’t scale models, but the real thing – iconic locomotives, rolling stock, maintenance vehicles and memorabilia – 1:1 scale and up close. The collection’s new home isn’t yet fully open to the public, but now you can get on board, follow its progress, and learn about opportunities to be among the first to see the collection as it arrives.
The One:One Collection Museum gets the green light
We’re thrilled that in January 2021, Thanet District Council granted our planning permission application, giving us the go-ahead to transform the 130,000sq foot former Hornby Warehouse in Margate, Kent, into a brand new visitor attraction.
The application was developed together with Haptic Architects, who have been working with us since the beginning of 2020. Their exciting ideas for this evolving project captured the imagination of the Planning team, who agreed that the new attraction and facilities would have benefits to the community and have the potential to bring economic benefits to the area.
Haptic’s ideas include transforming the building’s fascia to include wall displays which give you a sense of what the museum is about from the moment you arrive, then take you on a fascinating journey into the world of locomotive engineering.
Once open, we plan to operate The One:One Collection museum operate seven days a week from 10am to 4pm.
You’ll have to wait a little longer to see inside, though. Fully developing The One:One Collection Museum is expected to take three to four years, subject to construction schedules, and we’ll be updating you regularly here and on our Facebook page. We do hope to be able to offer some opportunities to see parts of the museum from time to time, so keep an eye out for announcements.
We’d like to thank Thanet District Council, the Turner Contemporary and Thanet MPs Sir Roger Gale and Craig Mackinlay for their support.
Keep in touch with us on our Facebook page for more news.
Read what Kent Online has to say
A new home for an historic railway collection.
The One:One Collection currently includes over 20 steam and diesel locomotives, as well as coaches, rolling stock and memorabilia and large-scale models. They’ve been housed all over the UK, stored or undergoing renovation and conservation, with several still out and about on the rail network as part of heritage tours. But until now, they haven’t had a permanent home where they will be seen and enjoyed by members of the public.
Although The One:One Collection’s home is still in development, some of the collection has already moved in, and we’re expecting new arrivals all the time. See what’s on- and off-site.
Get in touch
Opening details
The One:One Collection is not currently open to the public on a regular basis, although we hope to develop the museum as a visitor attraction in the future. Information about occasional opportunities to view will be posted on this website and on social media, so please connect with us, and bookmark this site.