Bookings are still open for visits to Llandudno station this November 15-18 to see the unique Exhibition Train ‘Inspiration’ as part of Railway 200, this year’s national celebration of the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.
Visitors are invited to secure their tickets to the exhibition train when it arrives at Llandudno on 15 November. The schedule for the train, named Inspiration, now covers 27 locations across England, Scotland and Wales to the end of the bicentenary year. The train is travelling across Britain for 12 months, visiting 60 locations and showcasing rail’s past, present and future. The tour for 2026 will be unveiled later this year.
Free tickets to board the train are still available to book and registrations of interest are open here for visits until 20 December 2025. Those who register their interest will be the first to be informed when new bookings open.
Curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, Inspiration will be the only exhibition train on the rail network and will help to attract the next generation of pioneering talent to the railway.
Inspiration will comprise four eye-catching carriages. Rail’s pioneering pedigree will be explored in a ‘Railway Firsts’ coach, highlighting landmark moments in rail’s development. Alongside will be a ‘Wonderlab on Wheels’, inviting visitors to test their engineering skills with hands-on exhibits. Next will be a ‘Your Railway Future’ carriage, showcasing some of the more hidden roles in rail and encouraging people to join the railway to shape the next 200 years. The final coach is a ‘Partner Zone’, offering free, flexible exhibition space.
There will also be a dedicated area showcasing how Transport for Wales work with industry partners, including a focus on Network North Wales.
The carriages have been supported by a £250k grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
More than 200,000 people from across the UK, including many schoolchildren, are expected to visit by prior booking. Admission to the train will be free, but normal entry charges to heritage railways and private sites where it is located will apply.
The train will visit the North East of England in September – rail’s 200th anniversary month – as part of S&DR200, a nine-month international festival inspired by the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) in 1825, a journey that changed the world forever.
No passengers will be carried on the train as it travels to its exhibition sites. Booked visits will begin at 10am and the last entry will be at 4pm. The train will close at 5pm. Visits are expected to last up to an hour. A virtual tour of the exhibition experience is planned for those who are unable to visit in person.
Emma Roberts, programme manager for Railway 200, a cross-sector, Government-backed bicentenary campaign, said: “This special exhibition train is set to become a new, national visitor attraction, providing 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.”
To book and find out more about Inspiration visit www.railway200.co.uk/inspiration
For more on Railway 200 and how to get involved visit www.railway200.co.uk
Image credit: Network Rail
