I went with my son! We saw Michael Portillo 😂 it was a good day but it shut too early IMO.
Amazing! Was this a one off for 2025? Are they planning on running something like this again?
It’s something I really wish I was able to go to! Friend of mine went and it looked fantastic.
Great set of photos!
I know very little about trains but I’ve always loved the Sir Nigel Gresley. It just looks so cool.
Glad you had great trip.
It was an excellent event! Great to see they raised over £100k for charity too.
I Missed it sadly
From Friday, 1 August, to Sunday, 3 August 2025, I visited The Greatest Gathering [1][2][3][4][5] at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works. It was the world’s largest-ever gathering of historic and modern rolling stock.
The event marked 200 years in the history of rail transport since locomotive Locomotion No. 1 hauled the world’s first public passenger train service along the Stockton and Darlington railway on 27 September 1825 [6]. There were 40,000 visitors [3] and over 140 railway vehicles and locomotives on display, spanning two centuries.
Amongst the trains on display were an assortment of steam locomotives, including Locomotion No. 1 [6], LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman [7][8], LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley [9], LNER Peppercorn Class A1 Tornado [8], LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 [1] and Black Five No 44932 [10]. Also on display were a Class 390 Pendolino [11], a Class 398 tram-train [1], a Class 373 spare power car with Eurostar [12], and Class 43 power cars [1]. There were also Class 323 [13], Class 465 [10], Class 507 [14], Class 720 [10][15], Class 730 [16] and Class 755 [15] electric multiple unit trains. There were also plenty of diesel locomotives, including representatives from Classes 23, 26, 31, 33, 37, 40, 44, 55, 57, 66, 88, and 99 [1].
Inspiration, a touring exhibition train showcasing the past, present and future of railways, made an appearance, and visitors could go inside [17]. An Elizabeth line Class 345 Aventra train gave test-track rides to attendees [18], and rides on other steam locomotives were also available [19]. The oldest operating narrow-gauge locomotive in the world, built in 1863, also gave rides to visitors [20]. A mockup of an HS2 train interior was on display [21], and HS2 staff were seeking feedback on the interior design. Porterbrook showcased its Class 799 Hydroflex train and gave tours inside [22].
Rail industry professionals, including Chris Green [23], delivered insightful talks at the event. An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine debuted in the UK on Saturday evening [24]. There were also miniature railway displays and rides on site [4], with many stalls selling railway models, toys, magazines, books, and other merchandise, as well as recruitment stands advertising careers in the industry. Vintage shuttle buses were also running between Litchurch Lane and Derby station during the event.
I thoroughly enjoyed all three days at the event, and it felt great being part of this historical gathering of trains. Here are some photographs I took during the event. I also took videos showcasing different parts of the gathering on each of the three days [25][26][27], a tour of the HS2 mockup [28] and a tour of the Class 799 HydroFLEX train [29].
The top speed of the Eurostar is only 60mph faster than the steam train. The other modern trains do the same speed as a steam train. It’s depressing how little things have improved in all that time.
Do the old trains still have the ads from the old days in them? i love seeing that stuff.
I can smell this haha.
So it’s the train version of Tankfest (Bovington Tank Museum). That’s pretty cool if I’m honest.
I’ve seen the Pride pendolino! It’s rainbow all the way down the train 🙂
No hyperloop, no flying taxis, no two ton SUV’s – we’ve had the solution for getting thousands of people in to cities efficiently for 200 years.
There’s that kid who pops up on my insta feed from time to time. Biggest nerd, but seems to love trains so whatever makes you happy. He seems to be doing mega well from it.
Anyway this looks like his Valhalla.
Makes me emotional thinking about the wasted potential of Britain’s railways. Could have been on par with France or Japan by now.
It cannot be understated how much I fucking love trains.
I used to work at the Hitachi plant in the north east building those class 801s.
Worked on around 50 of them in total.
I used to love trains when I was young. Not into them any longer but this looks really cool.
The deltic in picture 14 is truly a thing of beauty. They don’t make them like that anymore…
This looks really cool, seeing the eurostar train aswell make it better
Wow amazing!!!!
Great pictures – If you were playing cards then you’d have a full house!
Is that a class 17 ref D8568?
If so, I had a go on that when it was at Princes Risborough and loved the little kitchen area.
Geoff Marshall is this you?
That Pacer looks far too clean and shiny to have ever seen service! Does it still have that old, musty smell inside, and the threadbare seats? Ah, memories…
That’s why trains are never on time! They are all hanging around at the back of the factory together, doing what whatever.
Choo Chooooo ✊
Seeing this has reminded me that I need to try and get a copy of the talk that I gave on the Sunday!
Picture 16, trains have DRS now? Is that safe?
This is so cool ! I never knew about this place and derby is fairly local to me! do they do this every year or was this just for the 200 year anniversary?
Now THAT’S big engineering 🙂
Nice, but not as nice as the collection on the Island of Sodor.
The original Eurostar is the best. It looks fucking awesome
Fun story about the Flying Scotsman – maybe 20 years ago (i was about 10) it was in York station passing through and the driver was letting people into the cab and pull the whistle – I had been separated from my parents and was frantically looking for them around the station, starting to panic about not finding them when I noticed this. I knew it was a rare opportunity so decided to barge to the front of the small flying scotsman queue and got into the cab, pulled the whistle and ran off again to find my parents in what was probably the shortest amount of time anyone has ever spent in the cab of Flying Scotsman – happy days!
33 comments
I went with my son! We saw Michael Portillo 😂 it was a good day but it shut too early IMO.
Amazing! Was this a one off for 2025? Are they planning on running something like this again?
It’s something I really wish I was able to go to! Friend of mine went and it looked fantastic.
Great set of photos!
I know very little about trains but I’ve always loved the Sir Nigel Gresley. It just looks so cool.
Glad you had great trip.
It was an excellent event! Great to see they raised over £100k for charity too.
I Missed it sadly
From Friday, 1 August, to Sunday, 3 August 2025, I visited The Greatest Gathering [1][2][3][4][5] at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works. It was the world’s largest-ever gathering of historic and modern rolling stock.
The event marked 200 years in the history of rail transport since locomotive Locomotion No. 1 hauled the world’s first public passenger train service along the Stockton and Darlington railway on 27 September 1825 [6]. There were 40,000 visitors [3] and over 140 railway vehicles and locomotives on display, spanning two centuries.
Amongst the trains on display were an assortment of steam locomotives, including Locomotion No. 1 [6], LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman [7][8], LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley [9], LNER Peppercorn Class A1 Tornado [8], LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 [1] and Black Five No 44932 [10]. Also on display were a Class 390 Pendolino [11], a Class 398 tram-train [1], a Class 373 spare power car with Eurostar [12], and Class 43 power cars [1]. There were also Class 323 [13], Class 465 [10], Class 507 [14], Class 720 [10][15], Class 730 [16] and Class 755 [15] electric multiple unit trains. There were also plenty of diesel locomotives, including representatives from Classes 23, 26, 31, 33, 37, 40, 44, 55, 57, 66, 88, and 99 [1].
Inspiration, a touring exhibition train showcasing the past, present and future of railways, made an appearance, and visitors could go inside [17]. An Elizabeth line Class 345 Aventra train gave test-track rides to attendees [18], and rides on other steam locomotives were also available [19]. The oldest operating narrow-gauge locomotive in the world, built in 1863, also gave rides to visitors [20]. A mockup of an HS2 train interior was on display [21], and HS2 staff were seeking feedback on the interior design. Porterbrook showcased its Class 799 Hydroflex train and gave tours inside [22].
Rail industry professionals, including Chris Green [23], delivered insightful talks at the event. An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine debuted in the UK on Saturday evening [24]. There were also miniature railway displays and rides on site [4], with many stalls selling railway models, toys, magazines, books, and other merchandise, as well as recruitment stands advertising careers in the industry. Vintage shuttle buses were also running between Litchurch Lane and Derby station during the event.
I thoroughly enjoyed all three days at the event, and it felt great being part of this historical gathering of trains. Here are some photographs I took during the event. I also took videos showcasing different parts of the gathering on each of the three days [25][26][27], a tour of the HS2 mockup [28] and a tour of the Class 799 HydroFLEX train [29].
[1] https://www.alstom.com/greatest-gathering
[2] https://www.thegreatestgathering.co.uk/
[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4dpvj2gvjo
[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgj93qwjy1o
[5] https://www.bbc.cof.uk/news/articles/cg50d4p4dnpo
[6] https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/5/worlds-first-steam-locomotive-run-public-railway-will-appear-greatest-gathering-organised-alstom-derby-uk
[7] https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/6/worlds-most-famous-steam-locomotive-appear-alstoms-greatest-gathering-more-tickets-sale-friday-27-june
[8] https://railway-news.com/railway-200-flying-scotsman-to-appear-at-the-greatest-gathering/
[9] https://railway-news.com/sir-nigel-gresley-showcased-at-alstoms-greatest-gathering/
[10] https://www.keymodelworld.com/article/alstom-greatest-gathering-august-2025-gallery
[11] https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/8/worlds-first-pride-parade-train-takes-place-alstoms-greatest-gathering
[12] https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/7/eurostar-class-373-power-car-3999-appear-alstoms-greatest-gathering-derby
[13] https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/more-tickets-being-released-for-railway-200s-greatest-gathering-82002/
[14] https://www.class507.org.uk/2025/07/all-aboard-for-the-greatest-gathering/
[15] https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/about-us/news-desk/news-articles/greater-anglia-greatest-gathering
[16] https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2025/05/class-730-set-for-greatest-gathering-appearance.html
[17] https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/3/railway-200s-unique-touring-exhibition-train-visit-alstoms-greatest-gathering-uk
[18] https://thegreatestgathering.seetickets.com/timeslot/greatest-gathering-test-track-tr1
[19] https://thegreatestgathering.seetickets.com/timeslot/greatest-gathering-steam-train-tr2
[20] https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/6/worlds-oldest-operating-narrow-gauge-locomotive-action-alstoms-greatest-gathering
[21] https://railway-news.com/hs2-to-showcase-class-895-concept-model-at-the-greatest-gathering/
[22] https://www.porterbrook.co.uk/news/hydroflex-showcased-at-the-greatest-gathering
[23] https://www.sapt.org.uk/railway-200-and-the-greatest-gathering/
[24] https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/6/thomas-tank-engine-documentary-receive-uk-premiere-alstoms-greatest-gathering
[25] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkpJdKmv0lQ
[26]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb3WnAHry70
[27] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VVZVRlLSnk
[28] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQ1al2XC-I
[29] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuauhFES_Kg
The top speed of the Eurostar is only 60mph faster than the steam train. The other modern trains do the same speed as a steam train. It’s depressing how little things have improved in all that time.
Do the old trains still have the ads from the old days in them? i love seeing that stuff.
I can smell this haha.
So it’s the train version of Tankfest (Bovington Tank Museum). That’s pretty cool if I’m honest.
I’ve seen the Pride pendolino! It’s rainbow all the way down the train 🙂
Francis Bourgeois…
https://preview.redd.it/de64nh38l48g1.png?width=408&format=png&auto=webp&s=e612cee66a2de491941c931546d6a8fe5ad531b7
No hyperloop, no flying taxis, no two ton SUV’s – we’ve had the solution for getting thousands of people in to cities efficiently for 200 years.
There’s that kid who pops up on my insta feed from time to time. Biggest nerd, but seems to love trains so whatever makes you happy. He seems to be doing mega well from it.
Anyway this looks like his Valhalla.
Makes me emotional thinking about the wasted potential of Britain’s railways. Could have been on par with France or Japan by now.
It cannot be understated how much I fucking love trains.
I used to work at the Hitachi plant in the north east building those class 801s.
Worked on around 50 of them in total.
I used to love trains when I was young. Not into them any longer but this looks really cool.
The deltic in picture 14 is truly a thing of beauty. They don’t make them like that anymore…
This looks really cool, seeing the eurostar train aswell make it better
Wow amazing!!!!
Great pictures – If you were playing cards then you’d have a full house!
Is that a class 17 ref D8568?
If so, I had a go on that when it was at Princes Risborough and loved the little kitchen area.
Geoff Marshall is this you?
That Pacer looks far too clean and shiny to have ever seen service! Does it still have that old, musty smell inside, and the threadbare seats? Ah, memories…
That’s why trains are never on time! They are all hanging around at the back of the factory together, doing what whatever.
Choo Chooooo ✊
Seeing this has reminded me that I need to try and get a copy of the talk that I gave on the Sunday!
Picture 16, trains have DRS now? Is that safe?
This is so cool ! I never knew about this place and derby is fairly local to me! do they do this every year or was this just for the 200 year anniversary?
Now THAT’S big engineering 🙂
Nice, but not as nice as the collection on the Island of Sodor.
The original Eurostar is the best. It looks fucking awesome
Fun story about the Flying Scotsman – maybe 20 years ago (i was about 10) it was in York station passing through and the driver was letting people into the cab and pull the whistle – I had been separated from my parents and was frantically looking for them around the station, starting to panic about not finding them when I noticed this. I knew it was a rare opportunity so decided to barge to the front of the small flying scotsman queue and got into the cab, pulled the whistle and ran off again to find my parents in what was probably the shortest amount of time anyone has ever spent in the cab of Flying Scotsman – happy days!
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