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
Upcoming 2026 Inspiration tour dates & destinations
| Date | Destination | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 24 Nov – Sat 29 Nov 202524 Nov - 29 Nov 2025 | West Somerset Railway | Book now (West Somerset Railway) |
| Mon 8 Dec – Sat 13 Dec 20258 Dec - 13 Dec 2025 | London Paddington station | Book now (London Paddington station) |
| Sun 14 Dec – Tue 16 Dec 202514 Dec - 16 Dec 2025 | Southampton Central station | Book now (Southampton Central station) |
| Thu 18 Dec – Sat 20 Dec 202518 Dec - 20 Dec 2025 | London Victoria station | Book now (London Victoria station) |
| Tue 6 Jan – Fri 9 Jan 20266 Jan - 9 Jan 2026 | Ribble Steam Railway | Book now (Ribble Steam Railway) |
| Sat 10 Jan – Tue 13 Jan 202610 Jan - 13 Jan 2026 | Southport station | Book now (Southport station) |
| Thu 15 Jan – Mon 19 Jan 202615 Jan - 19 Jan 2026 | Crewe station | Book now (Crewe station) |
| Wed 21 Jan – Sat 24 Jan 202621 Jan - 24 Jan 2026 | The East Lancashire Railway | Book now (The East Lancashire Railway) |
| Mon 26 Jan – Fri 30 Jan 202626 Jan - 30 Jan 2026 | Upminster station | Book now (Upminster station) |
| Sat 31 Jan – Sun 1 Feb 202631 Jan - 1 Feb 2026 | Cambridge station | Book now (Cambridge station) |
| Tue 3 Feb – Wed 4 Feb 20263 Feb - 4 Feb 2026 | Colchester station | Book now (Colchester station) |
| Thu 5 Feb – Fri 6 Feb 20265 Feb - 6 Feb 2026 | Clacton station | Book now (Clacton station) |
| Sat 7 Feb – Sun 8 Feb 20267 Feb - 8 Feb 2026 | Hertford East station | Book now (Hertford East station) |
| Mon 16 Feb – Wed 18 Feb 202616 Feb - 18 Feb 2026 | Swanage Railway | Register your interest (Swanage Railway) |
| Thu 19 Feb – Fri 20 Feb 202619 Feb - 20 Feb 2026 | The Watercress Line | Book now (The Watercress Line) |
| Sat 21 Feb – Mon 23 Feb 202621 Feb - 23 Feb 2026 | Salisbury station | Book now (Salisbury station) |
| Wed 25 Feb – Thu 26 Feb 202625 Feb - 26 Feb 2026 | Kingston station | Book now (Kingston station) |
| Fri 27 Feb – Sat 28 Feb 202627 Feb - 28 Feb 2026 | Worthing station | Book now (Worthing station) |
| Mon 9 Mar – Wed 11 Mar 20269 Mar - 11 Mar 2026 | Tattenham Corner station | Book now (Tattenham Corner station) |
| Thu 12 Mar – Sun 15 Mar 202612 Mar - 15 Mar 2026 | Hastings station | Book now (Hastings station) |
| More locations: wait for announcement |
Previous Inspiration stops
| Date | Destination | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 15 Nov – Tue 18 Nov 202515 Nov - 18 Nov 2025 | Llandudno station | Departed – Read update (Llandudno station) |
| Tue 4 Nov – Fri 7 Nov 20254 Nov - 7 Nov 2025 | Blackpool North station | Departed (Blackpool North station) |
| Sat 25 Oct – Sun 2 Nov 202525 Oct - 2 Nov 2025 | Keighley & Worth Valley Railway | Departed (Keighley & Worth Valley Railway) |
| Wed 22 Oct – Thu 23 Oct 202522 Oct - 23 Oct 2025 | Edinburgh Waverley station | Departed (Edinburgh Waverley station) |
| Sun 19 Oct – Mon 20 Oct 202519 Oct - 20 Oct 2025 | Aberdeen station | Departed (Aberdeen station) |
| Thu 16 Oct – Fri 17 Oct 202516 Oct - 17 Oct 2025 | Strathspey Railway | Departed (Strathspey Railway) |
| Mon 13 Oct – Tue 14 Oct 202513 Oct - 14 Oct 2025 | Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway | Departed (Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway) |
| Sat 11 Oct – Sun 12 Oct 202511 Oct - 12 Oct 2025 | Glasgow Central station | Departed – Read update (Glasgow Central station) |
| Sun 5 Oct – Tue 7 Oct 20255 Oct - 7 Oct 2025 | North Yorkshire Moors Railway | Departed (North Yorkshire Moors Railway) |
| Sat 4 Oct – Sat 4 Oct 20254 Oct - 4 Oct 2025 | Hitachi Open Day, Newton Aycliffe, Co. Durham | Departed (Hitachi Open Day, Newton Aycliffe, Co. Durham) |
| Sat 20 Sep – Wed 1 Oct 202520 Sep - 1 Oct 2025 | Locomotion Museum | Departed (Locomotion Museum) |
| Wed 10 Sep – Wed 17 Sep 202510 Sep - 17 Sep 2025 | Darlington station | Departed (Darlington station) |
| Sat 23 Aug – Sun 31 Aug 202523 Aug - 31 Aug 2025 | National Railway Museum | Departed – Read update (National Railway Museum) |
| Sat 16 Aug – Sun 17 Aug 202516 Aug - 17 Aug 2025 | Freightliner Doncaster Railport | Departed – Read update (Freightliner Doncaster Railport) |
| Mon 11 Aug – Thu 14 Aug 202511 Aug - 14 Aug 2025 | Lowestoft station | Departed – Read update (Lowestoft station) |
| Thu 7 Aug – Sun 10 Aug 20257 Aug - 10 Aug 2025 | Norwich station | Departed (Norwich station) |
| Fri 1 Aug – Sun 3 Aug 20251 Aug - 3 Aug 2025 | The Greatest Gathering, Derby | Departed – Read update (The Greatest Gathering, Derby) |
| Wed 23 Jul – Tue 29 Jul 202523 Jul - 29 Jul 2025 | Bluebell Railway | Departed – Read update (Bluebell Railway) |
| Sun 20 Jul – Mon 21 Jul 202520 Jul - 21 Jul 2025 | Margate station | Departed – Read update (Margate station) |
| Fri 18 Jul – Sat 19 Jul 202518 Jul - 19 Jul 2025 | London Waterloo station | Departed – Read update (London Waterloo station) |
| Sat 12 Jul – Tue 15 Jul 202512 Jul - 15 Jul 2025 | London Euston station | Departed (London Euston station) |
| Tue 8 Jul – Thu 10 Jul 20258 Jul - 10 Jul 2025 | Birmingham Moor Street station | Departed (Birmingham Moor Street station) |
| Fri 27 Jun – Sun 6 Jul 202527 Jun - 6 Jul 2025 | Severn Valley Railway | Departed – Read update (Severn Valley Railway) |
Answers to questions
Yes. Admission to the train is 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, 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 can enjoy a virtual visitor experience using the digital guide on Bloomberg Connects.
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 is visiting about 60 locations across England, Scotland and Wales over 12 months. This will include every region in England.
🎧 Get your digital guide to the exhibition
Explore Inspiration with our digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app.
This digital guide offers a fascinating way to explore Inspiration – whether you’re visiting in person, or virtually from anywhere in the world.
After downloading the Bloomberg Connects app – search for Inspiration or Railway 200 to start planning your visit.
If you want to use the app during your visit, remember to bring headphones so you can enjoy the video or audio content it contains.
The Story of Inspiration
The story of the Railway 200 Exhibition Train and the people who made it happen.
Register your interest
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.