Railway 200's exhibition train celebrates past, present and future of rail for 200th anniversary
40,000 have visited, describing it as "brilliant" and "interactive"
The popular and family-friendly attraction is on a 60-stop, year-long tour of Britain and will feature a University of Portsmouth led exhibition on its first stop on the South Coast
Photo credit: Jack Boskett and Railway 200
A family-friendly exhibition train celebrating 200 years of the modern railway is heading to Hampshire.
Inspiration , the Railway 200 touring train created in partnership with the National Railway Museum, celebrates 200 years of the modern railway and features interactive displays, including a Portsmouth-led exhibition on the train's stop in Southampton.
Dr Mike Esbester, a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Portsmouth, will present the Railway Work, Life & Death project, highlighting 'The South Coast's Forgotten Railway Workers' exhibition on 16 December 2025 at Southampton Central station. The exhibition tells the life stories of railway workers in and around Portsmouth from the 1850s to the Second World War and was produced with a team from the Havant Local History Group. The work was funded by the University of Portsmouth's Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation.
More than 40,000 have already visited Inspiration on its 60-stop, year-long tour of Britain.
Co-curated with the National Railway Museum, Inspiration reveals how railways transformed the UK - and ultimately the world. It includes a fascinating look at railway firsts, hands-on engineering challenges and a whistle-stop tour of interesting and lesser-known careers on the railways.
Dr Esbester, from the University's School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics and Literature, said: "It's brilliant to be able to bring our exhibition onto Inspiration and share it with visitors as part of Railway 200. One of the key themes of Railway 200 is 'celebrating railway people', and the South Coast's Forgotten Railway Workers exhibition does exactly that. We're really connecting local people now with people from our area in the past.
"What's really lovely is that our exhibition came out of our local community, so it's fitting that we can showcase the hard work and passion of the project team onboard Inspiration while it's in Hampshire."
Inspiration is part of Railway 200 , the national campaign celebrating two centuries of the modern railway. Thousands of events across the UK and the world have celebrated a British innovation that revolutionised travel, supercharged economies and enabled mass tourism, sports leagues and the standardisation of time.
Emma Roberts, Programme Manager for Railway 200, said: "Railway 200 isn't just about a British innovation that changed the world, it's about the people behind the railways and recognising their contribution over the past two centuries.
"The University of Portsmouth's pop-up exhibit will showcase some fascinating research while telling stories of local rail workers. There are only a few tickets left for Inspiration's stop in Southampton, so book now to avoid disappointment."
Inspiration was supported by a £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Porterbrook funded its eye-catching livery.
Free tickets for Inspiration at Southampton Central are nearly fully booked, but remaining places can still be reserved here.
