On Thursday, 17th July, the special Railway 200 Exhibition Train ‘Inspiration’ continued its year-long tour around Britain by visiting the UK’s largest station at London Waterloo.

The train was preceded into Waterloo by Merchant Navy Class No. 35028 Clan Line, and the following morning, Friday, 18th July, it was opened to the public after a formal welcome by representatives from Network Rail and South Western Railway, and VIPs including Rail Minister Lord Hendy.

During its tour of Britain, the train will travel to 60 locations and be visited by over 200,000 visitors, including numerous schoolchildren, who will be able to discover the history and future of railways in informative and engaging ways.

From 8th to 10th July, it was based at Birmingham Moor Street station.

Inspiration is the centrepiece of Railway 200, which is a year-long celebration marking 200 years of railways in Britain.

The train is designed to highlight the railway industry’s diverse range of roles and opportunities and inspire interest in railway careers.

Curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, the train has four carriages:

• A ‘Railway Firsts’ coach highlighting significant moments in the development of railways.
• A ‘Wonderlab on Wheels’ carriage with various interactive exhibits, where visitors can test their engineering skills.
• A ‘Your Railway Future’ carriage showcasing less-visible roles on the railway, encouraging people to consider following a career in the industry.
• A ‘Partner Zone’ that will change as the train travels across the country and stops at different locations.

At Waterloo, the train was open for visits on Friday, 18th and Saturday, 19th July, but all spaces were fully booked.

Also on display at Waterloo on the glass wall at the top of the Orchestra Pit is the winning image by Nancy Zhang in the Southern Renewals Enterprise’s Railway 200 ‘Future Train’ competition.

Nancy attends Thorndean School in Hampshire, where she is a Year 7 pupil.

‘Inspiration’ will return to London in December, when it will be at Paddington from Monday, 8th to Saturday, 13th December, visit Southampton Central from Sunday, 14th to Tuesday, 16th December, then return to London again at Victoria station from Thursday, 18th to Saturday, 20th December.

Further information about Inspiration and to book tickets via their website at www.railway200.co.uk/inspiration, and about Railway 200 at www.railway200.co.uk.

“This special exhibition train is a new, free national visitor attraction, offering an unforgettable experience for hundreds of thousands of people across Britain, including many schoolchildren. It will excite, enlighten, entertain and inspire them to take a fresh look at the railway, as part of its anniversary celebrations.”

Emma Roberts, programme manager for Railway 200