The first 13 places to be visited by the Railway 200 exhibition train ‘Inspiration’ from 27 June have been announced.

The four-coach train will open to the public for the first time at the Severn Valley Railway between 27 June and 6 July.

The train is expected to visit 60 locations over 12 months, with some of its contents arranged by the National Railway Museum.

Rail’s innovation and pioneering pedigree will be explored in a ‘Railway Firsts’ coach, highlighting landmark moments in the development of the railway. Alongside will be a ‘Wonderlab on Wheels’, inviting visitors to test their engineering skills with a range of interactive exhibits.

This will be next to a carriage called ‘Your Railway Future’, explaining some of the less well-known jobs in rail and encouraging people to join the industry. There will also be a ‘Partner Zone’, offering free, flexible exhibition space.

The carriages, which are currently being fitted out, are supported by a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The train will be operated by GB Railfreight.

After the Severn Valley, the train’s next 12 dates are Birmingham Moor Street station from 8 to 10 July, London Euston from 12 to 15 July, London Waterloo on 18 and 19 July, Margate station on 20 and 21 July, the Bluebell Railway from 23 to 29 July, Alstom Derby from 1 to 3 August, Norwich station from 7 to 10 August, Lowestoft station from 11 to 14 August, Freightliner Doncaster on 16 and 17 August, the National Railway Museum in York from 23 to 31 August, Darlington station from 10 to 17 September and the Locomotion Museum at Shildon in County Durham from 20 September to 1 October.

The Shildon visit will coincide with the 200th anniversary of the first passenger train to be hauled by a steam locomotive, which ran along the Stockton & Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825.

The organisers say further details will be announced ‘as local arrangements and the complex train planning process’ continue, and that the train will visit all regions of England as well as Scotland and Wales.

Railway 200 programme manager Emma Roberts said: ‘This special exhibition train will provide a unique experience for hundreds of thousands of people across Britain, including many schoolchildren. ‘Inspiration’ will excite, enlighten, entertain and encourage people to take a fresh view of the railway, as part of its bicentenary celebrations.

‘It will also invite visitors to consider a career in rail. We look forward to welcoming them on board for an unforgettable and potentially life-changing experience.’

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