Alistair Hardaker
Image: Inspiration - Railway 200 train (Northern Rail)
National Railway Museum partners with Railway 200 to develop touring exhibition train with interactive displays celebrating 200 years of railway history.
The National Railway Museum has partnered with Railway 200 to create a mobile museum housed within four railway carriages, touring Britain as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the modern railway.
The exhibition train, named Inspiration, was curated and developed by the National Railway Museum in York to showcase railway history, innovation and careers through interactive displays and hands-on activities. The train features a distinctive livery emblazoned with the words Past, Present, Future and Together.
Each of the four carriages contains different themed exhibitions. Railway Firsts presents historical innovations and key moments in railway development. Wonderlab on Wheels, inspired by the National Railway Museum’s Bramall Gallery, offers engineering activities for visitors. Your Railway Future showcases career opportunities within the rail industry, whilst the Partner Zone features exhibits from organisations supporting the railway sector.
The mobile museum concept was developed through a partnership between Network Rail and the National Railway Museum, with GB Railfreight operating the train between venues. Organisers expect more than 200,000 visitors to experience the exhibition during its nationwide tour.
The train offers free entry with advance booking required. Opening times are 10am to 5pm daily with final entry at 4pm during its stops at stations across Britain, including Blackpool North Station from 4 to 7 November.
Andy Griffin, Network Rail’s North West route community rail lead, said: “Railways have been part of the North’s story for centuries, connecting communities and driving change.
“This exhibition is a wonderful reminder of how the railway has kept people moving safely and reliably for 200 years. It’s also a chance to see how today’s railway is working towards a safer, greener future.
“It shows how far we’ve come, and how rail will continue to serve communities for generations to come.”
The National Railway Museum is simultaneously celebrating its 50th anniversary alongside Railway 200’s commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway’s opening in 1825, regarded as the birth of the modern railway.
