Railway 200 Exhibition Train arrives in Blackpool next week

One week to go! Exhibition train Inspiration arrives in Blackpool from 4-7 November.

There is just one week to go until a travelling exhibition train celebrating 200 years of the modern railway arrives in Blackpool. 

Thousands of people have already enjoyed Inspiration, the free Railway 200 attraction on a 60-stop, year-long tour of Britain. 

One attendee said it was “so interactive for the children and the volunteers were incredibly friendly”. Another said they “enjoyed trying all the hands-on exhibits and learning more about trains and how the railways are built." 

Inspiration reveals how the railways shaped the UK – and ultimately the world. It includes a fascinating look at railway firsts, hands-on engineering challenges and a whistle stop tour of some of the interesting – and lesser-known – careers available on our railways. 

The exhibition train was co-curated with the National Railway Museum. Charlotte Kingston from the National Railway Museum said: “The National Railway Museum is a proud partner of Railway 200 and we’re thrilled that ‘Inspiration’ will be touring the country, sharing our stories with so many people. Railways have shaped our world in so many ways, from what we eat to where we go on holiday, and to inspire people with that epic narrative and give them a chance to get involved in this celebration is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” 

Railway 200 celebrates two centuries years since Stephenson’s Locomotion No. 1 steamed along the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The journey changed our world forever: supercharging economies and enabling tourism, mass migration, diet changes and even the standardisation of time. 

Inspiration is calling at 60 stations around the country, and it will be in Blackpool from 4 – 7 November. 

To find out more and book tickets, visit the Railway 200 website. 

Image credit: Jack Boskett