London Transport Museum’s depot is holding this year’s final Open Days from Thursday, 22nd to Sunday, 25th September, when visitors can discover what it takes to keep the collection store running smoothly.

The Open Days are being held at the museum’s depot in Acton Town, west London. Members of the museum’s curatorial team will describe the work they do to care for the large number of objects in the collection, from London’s first red Routemaster bus to historic maps and signs, and even a futuristic prototype Tube train from 1986.

Visitors can tour many secret parts of the depot, including both the bus and train sheds, where they learn about the heritage vehicles that are stored there.

Thursday 22 September:

• Senior Curator Georgia Morley will talk about a project that is researching and protecting the museum’s moquette collection; moquette is the woollen seating fabric used on public transport but requires a great deal of care to protect it from various pests and light pollution.
• Stephen Umpleby, who is a conservator with Artefacts Conservation Services will explain how he restores and repairs objects in the museum’s collection. He will describe the processes and materials that he uses to restore historic objects while maintaining an artefact’s heritage.

Thursday, 22nd, Saturday, 24th, and Sunday, 25th September:

• An enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of volunteers and London Transport Museum Friends work on-site throughout the year, and much of the depot’s work could not be achieved without them. Visitors can talk to the team as they work on 1930s Q stock carriages that are being restored.

Saturday, 24th and Sunday, 25th September:

‘Hack the Collection’ will tell visitors what they should look out for when exploring the Depot. Visitors will learn how to identify which architect designed a particular Tube station, or what the number of lines on the arrow on an Underground sign means.

Sunday, 25th September:

• Documentary Curator Rosamund Lily West will tell the story of the most-recent collecting projects, including stories, objects, and experiences that chart the story of the Elizabeth line leading up to its public opening.

Tickets to visit the depot are timed and must be booked online in advance. Adult tickets cost £15 and children £7.50. Children aged 3 and under go free. Concessions are available, including local resident tickets for residents of Ealing, Hounslow, and Hillingdon. To book visit: https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/depot/september

The depot holds regular open days, including earlier this year in April and July.

London Transport Museum Director, Sam Mullins OBE, said: “With such a rich and varied collection, there is a wealth of associated stories and knowledge preserved at the Museum Depot. Opening the doors is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the huge amount of work that goes into caring for our collection. I’m looking forward to being able to share more of this knowledge with our visitors in September.”