As part of this year’s Railway 200 celebrations, Alstom’s historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works will be front and centre, as its host the largest temporary gathering of trains and rail-related exhibits in a generation – The Greatest Gathering.

This three-day festival will feature more than 50 iconic vehicles from the past, present and future of the railways, and marks the first time in over 50 years that the train factory has been open to the general public.

Derby Litchurch Lane is one of the world’s largest rolling stock factories, and the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds and tests trains for domestic and export markets. The factory was opened by the Midland Railway in 1876 and the city of Derby has been building trains continually since 1839. In 2022, Derby was chosen by the Government as the home of Great British Railways following a vote by the public between contender cities.

What is Railway 200?

The Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) opened on September 27, 1825, connecting places, people, communities and ideas, and ultimately transforming the world. Railway 200 is a year-long nationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway and inspire a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail.

The first locomotive to run on the S&DR – Locomotion No. 1 – was built by the Newcastle upon Tyne-based Robert Stephenson and Company. It was the first company in the world created specifically to build railway engines and later manufactured several of the first locomotives for other countries. Through successive mergers, Robert Stephenson and Company became part of Alstom in 1989, giving the company a direct link to the dawn of the railways and making it the custodian of a unique legacy.

Although born in Great Britain, rail quickly spread across the globe. Railway 200 will showcase how the railway shaped and continues to shape our lives. A wide variety of activities and events – across the UK and around the world – are being planned to celebrate rail’s remarkable past, its role today and its importance to a sustainable future.