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Monday 29 Jun 2026

Exhibition train’s historic tour ends with celebrations and major announcement

• Inspiration’s final day of tour sees its 104,000^th visitor after 65 stops on ground-breaking tour
• Railway 200 also announced Locomotion and Network Rail as permanent hosts for the train’s carriages
• Celebrations included cab tours and an exhibition of Inspiration paintings by artist who followed train tour
• Railway 200 Commemorative Review released showcasing the achievements of the anniversary year

The unique touring exhibition train, Inspiration, celebrated the final day of its historic tour with train cab tours, an art exhibition and an exciting announcement about the new hosts of its carriages.

Over the past year Inspiration has been visited 104,000 times as its travelled 12,000 miles and made 65 stops from the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish coast.

The train tells the story of rail through interactive exhibits, historic artefacts and amazing stories. It aimed to spark appreciation for rail and inspire people to choose a career in the rail industry.

Many locations on its tour do not have easy access to the UK’s national museums. Inspiration brought a fun, fascinating and free exhibition to their local station.

On 22 June the popular Railway 200 attraction opened its doors in Scarborough for the final time, after almost 250 event days at mainline stations, heritage railways, museums and a freight depot.

There was a carnival atmosphere at the TransPennine Express station, as those involved in designing, creating and touring the train gathered to say goodbye.

Artworks by Glynis Dray, who has painted the train in watercolours at 50 destinations, were on display and locals were given cab tours by GB RailFreight, whose locomotives have hauled Inspiration.

Emma Roberts, Programme Manager for Railway 200, the anniversary campaign behind the train, spoke movingly about the train’s impact, as she announced the permanent hosts for the carriages:

• The Wonderlab on Wheels carriage is heading to Locomotion! Its interactive engineering challenges, designed by the National Railway Museum, will be a popular destination for the thousands of weekly visitors to Locomotion railway museum in Shildon, County Durham. Located in the world’s first railway town, Locomotion is a free museum that is home to the biggest undercover collection of historic rail vehicles in Europe, showcasing Britain's world-leading role in rail engineering.
• The Your Railway Future carriage is being retained by Network Rail and will be housed at its Test Track facility in Melton. Positioned within this working innovation hub, the carriage will help visitors connect what they see on the railway today with the opportunities and careers that will shape its future.

Emma Roberts, Railway 200 Programme Manager, said: “Turning a train into a multimedia exhibition and touring it across one of the world’s busiest rail networks was hugely ambitious – and there were many people who said it couldn’t be done.

“Now, after over one hundred thousand visitors across 250 event days, this unique project stands as testament to the skill, creativity and sheer determination of hundreds of rail industry colleagues. To everyone who played their part: thank you. You have achieved something truly extraordinary – something that will shape the future of our railway.”

George Thomas, Strategic Development & Stakeholder Director for TransPennine Express said: “We were delighted to welcome Railway 200’s Inspiration Train to Scarborough for the final stop of its incredible nationwide tour, which has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors and celebrated the people, places and achievements that have shaped Britain’s railway over the past 200 years.  

“Scarborough was a fitting place to bring the journey to a close, reflecting the town’s proud railway heritage and our own Railway 200 celebrations at TPE. It was fantastic to see so many people come aboard the exhibition and celebrate this important anniversary with us. As we reflect on the railway’s remarkable past, we also hope the event has inspired visitors to look ahead with excitement to a more joined-up, reliable and customer-focused railway for the future.”

Sarah Price, Head of Locomotion, said: “We’re so excited to bring Wonderlab on Wheels back to Locomotion. It was incredibly popular when it visited last year, bringing engineering to life for visitors of all ages. We’re also hoping to incorporate it into our school programme too, helping address the STEM gap and engaging children with experimentation and problem solving in a fun and creative way.”

Inspiration in numbers:

• Over 100,000 visitors
• 65 stops across England, Scotland and Wales
• 250 days open to the public
• 273 bespoke tours for 6,000 students from 188 schools, including 35 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Schools
• 12,000 miles travelled
• Over 44,000 litres of recycled vegetable oil used to power the generator

Inspiration’s tour was generously supported by a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Porterbrook funded its eye-catching livery.

It’s part of Railway 200, the national celebration marking two centuries of the modern railway. During 2025 the rail industry marked this occasion with a yearlong programme of events and activities. Some of its achievements are:

• One million four hundred thousand people attended Railway 200 related events and activities
• Over one hundred thousand young people engaged with careers and STEM based activities
• Over forty thousand people attended the world’s largest rail festival in Derby
• The rail industry hosted seven family friendly open days raising thousands of pounds for charity
• Community Rail delivered three hundred events attended by fifty thousand people, including 12,000 young people
• Five agreements were signed between heritage and mainline railways making it easier for them to share materials, resources and training facilities
• One million pounds was awarded in grants from The National Heritage Lottery fund to Railway 200 related projects

Find out more about the campaign’s achievements and legacy in The Railway 200 Commemorative Review released today. Download the full report here. https://railway200.co.uk/railway-200-commemorative-review