Son Carrió: New Railway Museum Opens in the Old Depot

A depot that tells its story again: the new railway museum in Son Carrió

When the morning sun hangs low over the olive trees and the cicadas are just beginning to chirp, the old depot in Son Carrió feels like a local secret that has now been officially revealed. Last night the Museu del Ferrocarril de Mallorca was opened here – in the hall along the former line towards Artà, where for a long time only rusty track remnants and traces of past repairs were visible. Now the building has new voices: those of travelers, conductors and old timetables.

What awaits inside

The exhibition is compact but assembled with great care. Alongside restored carriages and signs you can find old suitcases, uniform jackets and tools that make the everyday life of railway workers palpable. Especially striking is a large projection in the style of the 19th century: half old film, half museum stage — you can almost hear the whistle of a steam locomotive and the creak of wooden wagons. Interactive stations have been set up for families: children may test signals or put together a mini timetable, while older visitors can flip through historic photographs and plans in a quiet corner.

Practical: The museum opens from tomorrow. Admission is free during the opening week; afterwards the doors are open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. There is parking near the depot; but a relaxed walk through the village is better — Son Carrió's atmosphere is best experienced on foot.

A place with roots and many stories

The building itself is more than an exhibition space: it is a fragment of a vision that once envisioned a line between Manacor and Artà. Trains on this line never went everywhere, plans remained incomplete — and that is precisely the charm. During the tour, locals told of Sunday outings they took as children, of suitcases that were barricaded when getting off, and of the sound when rails expanded in the heat. These small anecdotes give the museum a warm, very personal face.

You can feel the community: volunteers built shelves, neighbors donated old photos, and in the children's corner the laughter of little ones mixes with the rustle of old timetables. It is not a high-tech temple with flashing screens, but rather a neighborhood project built with care and a love of memories.

Who should visit

The Museu del Ferrocarril is recommended for families, hobby historians and anyone who appreciates local curiosities. Those hoping for large high-tech installations may be disappointed — but anyone who likes an honest, down-to-earth museum grown from the neighborhood will feel at home. The first week is especially worth the trip: free admission and often a flyer with background information provided by the volunteers.

Before you go in: take a stroll through Son Carrió. Sit on a bench, listen to the distant ringing of a village church, smell the espresso from the small café on the plaça and look at the still visible rail remnants. Perspective changes when you know which route plans were never realized — and that's what makes this visit on Mallorca so charming.

A small, honest museum visit: ideal if you want to do something different this week than beaches and boat trips.