Moving Museum: The UK's Only Exhibition Train Set to Arrive in Aberdeen
Platform 3 hosts interactive railway exhibit celebrating 200 years of the rail network on 19 and 20 October.
On 19–20 October, Platform 3 at Aberdeen station will host the only exhibition train on the UK rail network. Four carriages arrive for two days as part of a year-long tour marking 200 years since the modern railway began, and by the time it reaches Aberdeen, thousands of visitors will have already walked through it.
That mid-tour timing matters. The Inspiration train started its journey in June and has been refined by crowds at heritage railways, freight depots and major stations. Aberdeen gets a worked-in version of the exhibition, not the opening week.
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A station with stakes
Aberdeen’s current station, built in 1867, connected three railway lines and represents the city’s third generation of railway infrastructure. The exhibition arriving here picks up that thread of evolution, using the train itself as the venue for exploring 200 years of railway history.
The format is unusual: you walk through four carriages, each focused on different aspects of rail. The Wonderlab on Wheels carriage offers hands-on engineering challenges where you test the principles keeping modern trains running. Another carriage examines railway careers, focusing on less visible roles that keep networks functioning. If you’ve wondered what actually happens behind the scenes at a station like Aberdeen, this is where you’ll find answers.
What you need to know
Entry is free but requires booking through the Railway 200 website. Sessions start at 10am, with last entry at 4pm. Plan for an hour inside.
The National Railway Museum helped develop the exhibition, drawing on their collections and interactive gallery. Craig Bentley, the museum’s director, noted that “railways have shaped our world in so many ways, from what we eat to where we go on holiday.”
After two days in Aberdeen, the train continues to Edinburgh Waverley, then works through its remaining stops before the year ends. If you’re curious about how Britain’s rail network evolved or what keeps it moving today, this is a chance to explore both without leaving Platform 3.
