Alstom has launched its own celebrations of Railway 200 with a preliminary event at Derby, as a curtain raiser to a special three days at the start of August when the Litchurch Lane works will be opened to the public for the first time in half a century.

More than 50 items of rolling stock, both historic and modern, will be on display, and Alstom said it will be the largest gathering of its kind ever seen in this country. A complicated programme of special workings will be needed for all these vehicles to reach Litchurch Lane, and this is being worked out by Network Rail and Alstom staff at Derby.

Yesterday’s event was attended by Railway 200 programme manager Emma Roberts, Derby South MP Baggy Shanker, GB Railfreight CEO John Smith, railway enthusiast Pete Waterman and Alstom’s European region president Gian Luca Erbacci. In addition, the King was represented by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Colonel John Wilson.

The rolling stock will include an LNER A4, a Southern Railway Merchant Navy class locomotive, a number of diesel locomotives and several multiple units. The oldest of these units will be a preserved Class 507, recently retired from Merseyrail, which will be accompanied by an Alstom-built Pendolino as well as a pair of Class 701 and Class 720 units built at Derby last year.

Alstom’s Gian Luca Erbacci said: ‘The Greatest Gathering, presented by Alstom for Railway 200, is a unique opportunity to celebrate not only the incredible progress of the past two centuries but also the bright future of rail.’

The August event will offer rides along the Derby test track, while a variety of narrow-gauge trains will be in operation. There will also be a Model Railway Village, fairground attractions, street food and live music which Alstom said will add to the festival atmosphere.

Derby is to be the headquarters city of Great British Railways, and legislation to create GBR is expected later this year.

Emma Roberts of Railway 200 said: ‘Our railways are here for everyone. They bring friends and family together and enable us to enjoy new opportunities and experiences. It’s wonderful that Alstom is marking Railway 200 with this fun-packed festival for everyone to enjoy, in Derby, the new home of the railway.’

Tickets for the August event go on sale today, at £30 for adults and £15 for children under 16. All profits will go to charity.

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