Inspiration - The Railway 200 Exhibition Train Margate 20-21 July 2025
The Railway 200 exhibition train, Inspiration, visited Margate station 20-21 July, an unique exhibition train, part of a national celebration of the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.
In addition to the train’s exhibition carriages, a special event at Margate station saw Kent CRP join local people from the tourism sector in Thanet including Dreamland, the Turner Contemporary and the Crab Museum, with market stalls also present from several organisations. A local conservator presented archaeological finds discovered when the original South Eastern Railway was built in the 1840s.
Shortly after opening on Sunday, Southeastern’s Matt Fraser extended an invite to Kent Community Rail Partnership to come onboard Inspiration and exhibit in the partnership carriage. While informative, the static displays from Visit Thanet and Creative Isle Community Rail Partnership were not engaging.
We were both honoured and delighted to accept and with support from volunteers Dominic Noades and Jonathan Fryer, we were soon set up to rotate our team to have a presence both in the exhibition marquee and on the train.
Across the two days over 1,000 people came to visit Inspiration, both from the Thanet area and further afield, offering us the chance to engage new audiences with our project work and places to visit on Days Out By Rail adventures along our lines.
We chatted, we gave out brochures, colouring-in sheets, tote bags and our very own Railway 200 pencils as a souvenir of the day.
Steve White, managing director of the South Eastern Railway, said: “Since 1846 the railway has played an important role in the Thanet community supporting access to employment, education and leisure. We are now the first in a new era of integrated railways, under public ownership, working to support thriving communities through increased access to opportunities.
“Through targeted recruitment to enable social mobility, and the development of our people through a huge apprenticeship programme recently ranked 24 in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025, we are making a difference.
“Looking to the future, we want to attract a whole new generation of talent to consider a career in railway. On board Inspiration, visitors are seeing how young people are already building exciting careers in rail whether you’re interested in cyber security, sustainability or piloting a drone. Not all careers on the railway are what you might expect.”
Inspiration attracted over 1,000 people during its two-day stopover at Margate station, showcasing the jobs and careers that the railway can offer, as well as the social purpose that has driven it for two centuries, connecting people and goods with places across the country.
The Inspiration train has already received an award from Visit England for its Outstanding Contribution to Tourism as part of the organisation’s Awards for Excellence 2025.
Inspiration at Margate was a truly joyous event, celebrating the past, present and future of railways and their connection with our communities.
Our thanks go to Southeastern for inviting us to be part of this historic experience, and to our dedicated volunteers for their support on both days.
Inspiration returns to London and the South in December, with additional dates and locations to be announced for 2026. Check the Railway 200 website for details.
