Sally Jones, an art teacher at East Riding College, talks about how her students have been inspired by Railway 200 to bring art deco into the 21st century using contemporary design techniques to re-imagine classic railway poster art in celebration of the railway in Beverley and Sheffield. As well as providing a colourful talking point and beautiful designs for the station walls, the resulting posters have given the students confidence, pride and self-belief.

You can see some of the students artwork here: Artwork inspired by famous British Railway posters unveiled at Beverley station - East Riding College

Karen Bennett, Education Team Leader at Community Rail Lancashire, shares the story of “200 stories of railway pride”, an anthology of 200 stories celebrating how inclusive the rail network is when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. Karen’s passion for working on the railways is infectious and her story shares her joy and genuine pride at the inclusivity of working in rail where she can be herself and be accepted.

Historian Dr Alexander Medcalf reflects on the inter-war years, a period when expectations of what travel by train could provide rose in line with the sleek marketing and glossy poster campaigns which served up beautiful, luxurious images of travel. We might reflect on the era as the golden era of train travel in the UK but behind the glossy images Alexander Medcalf reveals the moans and complaints which passengers levelled at the railways, from noisy children to arguments over seat reservations and people eating on the train!