A train, which celebrates two centuries of modern railway, has arrived at Ashton-On-Ribble for a short stay.
As a part of its national trip which started its journey last June the exhibition – set within railway carriages – will depart Ribble Steam Railway and Museum on Friday (9 January).
Inviting the public to view inside, the Mayor of Preston councillor Sue Whittam welcomed the opening of the Railway 200 Inspiration train, and a piper played a tune to mark the ceremony.
Read more: Inside the volunteer-powered railway keeping Preston’s steam heritage alive
Inside the train contains various interactive games, tasks, and information about the history of the modern railway.
Danielle, who works for Network Rail, has operated the logistics of the Inspiration Train trip and spoke about what the inside of the train has to offer to its visitors.
Danielle said: “We start off in the first carriage with an overview of the past, talking about people who worked on the railway as well.
“Then you go on to the present, go into infrastructure, and there are a lot of STEM activities as well, including interactive engineering tests.”
Watch below the opening of the Railway 200 train at Preston or on our YouTube channel
Aiming to appeal to all ages, the Inspiration Train has already welcomed over 40,000 visitors during its 60-stop tour of Britain.
Rochelle, who works for Northern Rail, started volunteering for the Inspiration Train when it came to Blackpool North station in November.
She said: “We have some school groups coming along in the next few days, and it will be nice to see the children get involved and learn more about railway history and hopefully be inspired.”
To visit the Inspiration train you need to book via the Ribble Steam website with time-slots every 15 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon and the cost is £2 per adult and £1 per child. There is free parking at the museum on the Docks.
The train’s next stop is Southport, and its final stop of the long tour will be in Huddersfield this June.
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