Tuesday 15 Sep 2026
Gresley 150 auction winner enjoys exclusive visit to Doncaster training centre
- Region & Route:
- Eastern
- | Eastern: East Coast
A railway enthusiast was treated to a unique behind-the-scenes experience at Network Rail's Gresley Institute in Doncaster after winning the prize in a charity auction.
Anthony Pilkington, a member of the Gresley Society, secured the visit during the group’s Gresley 150 celebrations – marking the 150th anniversary of the legendary railway engineer’s birth on 19 June 1876.
The prize offered a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes at Network Rail's operational training, education and development hub, which was named after Gresley following a public vote.
The visit showcased how the South Yorkshire centre – opened in October 2025 – uses innovative methods to educate the next generation of railway colleagues.
During his tour on Friday 11 September, Anthony was able to try out signalling scenarios on both traditional lever-pull models and modern systems with visual display units. He also held a videogame controller for the first time to explore the 3D environments of the custom-built “Immersiv” simulator used to train Network Rail’s mobile operations managers – the frontline responders who attend and deal with incidents on the network.
Anthony Pilkington said:
“It was fascinating to see behind the scenes at the Gresley Institute and learn how railway staff are trained. As someone with a long-standing interest in railways and Sir Nigel Gresley’s legacy, I found it very impressive to see the various teaching methods used in a centre keeping Sir Nigel’s name alive.”
Bruce Langlands, Network Rail training delivery manager, said:
“We were delighted to welcome Anthony to the Gresley Institute as winner of the Gresley 150 charity auction prize. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase the breadth of training delivered at the centre, from traditional railway skills through to innovative immersive technology.
“The Gresley Institute plays a vital role in developing the skills our railway needs, so it was a pleasure to share some of that work with someone who has such a strong interest in the railway and its heritage.”
Click here for information about careers and training at Network Rail.
Notes to Editors
Click here to learn about the efforts of the Gresley Society to celebrate the life and works of Sir Nigel Gresley.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Gareth Dennison
Media relations manager, Eastern region
Network Rail
07561 874858
gareth.dennison@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk