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Museum train marks 200 years of rail

Angela Kalwaitesin Newquay
BBC A train comprising four carriages with the words Railway 200 and Inspiration Tour is pulled into Newquay station under a blue sky. There are two railway lines - the one not in use by the exhibit train has one depaerting away from Newquay. On the exhibit train - the carriages are brightly coloured and they each have a different exhibition inside them. They are called Railway Firsts (history), Wonderlab on Wheels (interactive engineering), Your Railway Future (careers/innovation), and a Partner Zone.BBC
The Inspiration train at Newquay Station

A special train with hands-on interactive exhibits has pulled into Newquay Station to celebrate 200 years of public rail travel in the UK.

Inspiration is a mobile exhibition which toured the country last year as part of national celebrations and its tour has now been extended due to its popularity.

It arrived in the north Cornwall town on Monday as part of its 60-stop tour which Network Rail said had already attracted 80,000 visitors.

Emma Roberts, programme manager for Railway 200, said: "Railways are one of history's most important inventions and inside this train you can explore the story of rail in a fun and family-friendly environment."

A white haired man with glasses and a white moustache and dressed smartly with a shirt, tie and jacket is standing inside one of the carriages on the exhibit train. He is smiling.
Mike Lamport from Railway 200 loves meeting people on the tour

Mike Lamport who is involved in Railway 200 and is also a railway heritage advisor said the focus of the tour was to show people the history of the modern railway but to also look forward in a bid to "attract the rail workers of the future".

Lamport added: "There is so much to do on the train; from building bridges, to pulling levers.

"You can have a go on a model railway and just learn a huge amount - it's great."

Lee Goodson, GWR station manager for West Cornwall, said: "We're excited to be hosting the Railway 200 Inspiration train."

He added that it has already "really captured the imagination since the beginning of the tour".

This is an interior photograph of one of the carriages on the train - there are levers at the bottom of the picture. Above them is a screen that that says: "Pull and return a lever to complete the journey to 1825." There is aso an explanation next to the screen of how 200 years ago saw the opening of Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825.
The Railway 200 tour focuses on the past and the future

The exhibition train is in Newquay until Saturday.

Tickets are free but those wishing to go along are advised to book in advance.

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