| Official TCDD English Name | Eskişehir Museum |
|---|---|
| Turkish Name | TCDD Eskişehir Müzesi |
| Museum Type | Railway museum |
| Operator | Turkish State Railways (TCDD) |
| Opened | 16 October 1998 |
| Location | Beside Eskişehir Railway Station, Tepebaşı, Eskişehir, Türkiye |
| Current Status | Closed for restoration through 31 December 2026 |
| Telephone | +90 222 225 80 80 / 4395 |
| Official Website | TCDD Eskişehir Museum |
TCDD Eskişehir Museum is a railway museum beside Eskişehir Railway Station, with exhibits documenting railway technology, communications, station equipment and the working history of Turkey’s rail network. The Eskişehir Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism states that the museum is closed for restoration through 31 December 2026. Visitors planning a trip after that date should check the official TCDD or provincial culture authority pages for a confirmed reopening date and revised visiting arrangements.
How the Museum Began
The museum developed from a small display created in 1997 at TCDD’s Eskişehir Branch 13 office. Decorative stoves kept in the branch’s material store were restored and placed on display. The stoves had been ordered from Germany in 1908 and were decorated with tulip motifs.
Interest in these railway objects led to the idea of forming a museum. Further material was gathered with contributions from TCDD’s 1st Regional Directorate and the former TÜLOMSAŞ General Directorate in Eskişehir. The completed museum opened to visitors on 16 October 1998.
Railway Equipment in the Museum Grounds
The museum occupies a historic building and its surrounding grounds next to Eskişehir Railway Station. The outdoor display includes both motorized and hand-operated draisines, vehicles used by railway personnel to travel along the tracks for inspection and maintenance work.
Other outdoor objects include level-crossing equipment and barriers, a water tanker, sections of railway track and locomotives. These larger pieces show parts of railway operation that are difficult to represent through photographs or documents alone.
Inside the Historic Building
One of the indoor displays is a railway station model measuring 5 metres long and 3.5 metres wide, representing a station and its surrounding railway environment.
The collection also covers steam, diesel and electric railway traction and rolling stock. Railway communication equipment forms another part of the display, including old telegraph and telex machines and magneto telephones. Lamps, railway signs, heating equipment and other objects used in railway workplaces illustrate the tools and infrastructure required to operate stations and trains.
Documents and Railway Photography
The museum preserves documentary material alongside its technical objects. Among the historical records is an imperial decree associated with Sultan Abdülhamid II and the construction of the Anatolia–Baghdad Railway.
Photographs of older railway stations and trains provide a visual record of railway buildings, vehicles and operations from earlier periods. Together with telecommunication devices, signs and working equipment, these records place the larger mechanical exhibits within the everyday operation of the railway system.
Museum Location and Restoration Closure
The museum stands directly beside Eskişehir Railway Station in the central Tepebaşı district. Its location reflects Eskişehir’s long connection with railway operations and railway industry rather than placing the collection in a separate museum complex.
The official provincial museum page records the museum’s usual admission as free, but those normal visitor arrangements are suspended during the current restoration closure. The closure is scheduled to remain in effect until 31 December 2026.