Sporting an eye-catching livery, visitors young and old will go on a journey of discovery exploring the railway’s 200-year story of innovation, brought to life by interactive exhibitions and hands-on activities.
What’s inside Inspiration?
Curated in partnership with the National Railway Museum, Inspiration’s exhibition carriages are:
- Railway Firsts: Showcasing groundbreaking innovations in railway history
- Wonderlab on Wheels: Offering engaging hands-on activities to explore the science and engineering behind railways
- Your Railway Future: Uncovering some of the more hidden roles in rail and encouraging people to consider a career in rail to shape the next 200 years
Inspiration arrivals
| Date | Destination | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 27 Jun – Sun 6 Jul27 Jun - 6 Jul | Severn Valley Railway | Book now (Severn Valley Railway) |
| Tue 8 Jul – Thu 10 Jul8 Jul - 10 Jul | Birmingham Moor Street station | Book now (Birmingham Moor Street station) |
| Sat 12 Jul – Tue 15 Jul12 Jul - 15 Jul | London Euston station | Fully booked (London Euston station) |
| Fri 18 Jul – Sat 19 Jul18 Jul - 19 Jul | London Waterloo station | Fully booked (London Waterloo station) |
| Sun 20 Jul – Mon 21 Jul20 Jul - 21 Jul | Margate station | Book now (Margate station) |
| Wed 23 Jul – Tue 29 Jul23 Jul - 29 Jul | Bluebell Railway | Book now (Bluebell Railway) |
| Fri 1 Aug – Sun 3 Aug1 Aug - 3 Aug | The Greatest Gathering | Sold out (The Greatest Gathering) |
| Thu 7 Aug – Sun 10 Aug7 Aug - 10 Aug | Norwich station | Book now (Norwich station) |
| Mon 11 Aug – Thu 14 Aug11 Aug - 14 Aug | Lowestoft station | Book now (Lowestoft station) |
| Sat 16 Aug – Sun 17 Aug16 Aug - 17 Aug | Freightliner Doncaster Railport | Book now (Freightliner Doncaster Railport) |
| Sat 23 Aug – Sun 31 Aug23 Aug - 31 Aug | National Railway Museum | Book now (National Railway Museum) |
| Wed 10 Sep – Wed 17 Sep10 Sep - 17 Sep | Darlington station | Register your interest (Darlington station) |
| Sat 20 Sep – Wed 1 Oct20 Sep - 1 Oct | Locomotion Museum | Register your interest (Locomotion Museum) |
| Sat 4 Oct4 Oct | Newton Aycliffe | Sold out (Newton Aycliffe) |
| Sun 5 Oct – Tue 7 Oct5 Oct - 7 Oct | North Yorkshire Moors Railway | Register your interest (North Yorkshire Moors Railway) |
| Sat 11 Oct – Sun 12 Oct11 Oct - 12 Oct | Glasgow Central station | Register your interest (Glasgow Central station) |
| Mon 13 Oct – Tue 14 Oct13 Oct - 14 Oct | Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway | Register your interest (Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway) |
| Thu 16 Oct – Fri 17 Oct16 Oct - 17 Oct | Strathspey Railway | Register your interest (Strathspey Railway) |
| Sun 19 Oct – Mon 20 Oct19 Oct - 20 Oct | Aberdeen station | Register your interest (Aberdeen station) |
| Wed 22 Oct – Thu 23 Oct22 Oct - 23 Oct | Edinburgh Waverley station | Register your interest (Edinburgh Waverley station) |
| Sat 25 Oct – Sun 2 Nov25 Oct - 2 Nov | Keighley & Worth Valley Railway | Register your interest (Keighley & Worth Valley Railway) |
| Tue 4 Nov – Fri 7 Nov4 Nov - 7 Nov | Blackpool North station | Register your interest (Blackpool North station) |
| To be confirmedTBC | Llandudno station | Register your interest (Llandudno station) |
| Mon 24 Nov – Sat 29 Nov24 Nov - 29 Nov | West Somerset Railway | Register your interest (West Somerset Railway) |
| Mon 8 Dec – Sat 13 Dec8 Dec - 13 Dec | Paddington station | Register your interest (Paddington station) |
| Sun 14 Dec – Tue 16 Dec14 Dec - 16 Dec | Southampton Central station | Register your interest (Southampton Central station) |
| Thu 18 Dec – Sat 20 Dec18 Dec - 20 Dec | London Victoria station | Register your interest (London Victoria station) |
| More locations: wait for announcement |
Answers to questions
Yes. Admission to the train will be free, but normal entry charges to heritage railways and private sites where it is located will apply.
We welcome group bookings of up to 30 people. Please note that due to the nature of the experience, we are unable to offer private or exclusive sessions. However, we’ll do our best to accommodate your group together within a regular time slot.
Yes, by registering your interest below, you’ll be among the first to know about event updates, including dates, locations, and ticketing information via email.
Yes. We’re keen that as many people as possible have the opportunity to visit and have as enjoyable and educational an experience as possible.
Those who are unable to visit the train in person should be able to enjoy a virtual visitor experience.
Mobility scooters are welcome, subject to the following limitations:
Length: Must not exceed 1200mm
Width: Must not exceed 700mm
Weight Limit: The combined weight of the scooter and passenger must not exceed 300kg (47 stone)
Turning Radius: Must not exceed 900mm
Because mobility scooters come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and different train companies may have different policies, we recommend that if travelling by train to visit Inspiration you check the dimensions of your non-folding scooter with Passenger Assist on 08000 223 720.
There is no age limit for visitors. The exhibition train offers something of interest for all age groups to enjoy.
Yes, you can certainly visit the train more than once during the tour! However, we encourage visitors to consider attending just once if possible. This allows us to share this unique experience with as many people as possible during its 12-month journey.
Inspiration will visit about 60 locations across England, Scotland and Wales over 12 months. This will include every region in England.
Register your interest
We’ll be announcing details of how to book free tickets shortly and you can get the inside track, straight to your inbox, by signing up for email updates today.
We anticipate high demand for this unique experience.