The Greatest Gathering was an exhibition of railway vehicles hosted at Alstom's Derby Litchurch Lane Works during 1–3 August 2025. 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 the construction of Locomotion No. 1 and hauling of the world's first passenger train along the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825.
Minister of State for Transport, Lord Peter Hendy stated that The Greatest Gathering "promises to enter the history books as the largest exhibition of railway equipment ever staged in the UK."
Event
Previous rolling stock exhibitions had been held every fifty years to celebrate the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway:
Rail 50: During 27–29 September 1875, the jubilee celebration exhibition was held at Darlington North Road Engine Works, hosted by the North Eastern Railway, with forty steam locomotives. Opened by George Leeman MP. Rail 100: During 1–3 July 1925, the centenary celebration exhibition was held at Darlington Faverdale Wagon Works, hosted by the London and North Eastern Railway, and opened by Prince Albert, Duke of York and Elizabeth, Duchess of York. Rolling stock was provided by the Metropolitan Railway plus each of the Big Four railway companies of the time. Both Locomotion No. 1 and Flying Scotsman participated in the rolling cavalcade. Rail 150: During 24–31 August 1975, the sesquicentenary celebration exhibition and cavalcade was held at Shildon railway works, hosted by British Rail. Flying Scotsman participated, along with a brand-new steamable replica of Locomotion No. 1. Metropolitan Railway No. 12 Sarah Siddons was present and hauled by LMR 600 Gordon during the cavalcade. Estimated spectators. Rail 200: During 1–3 August 2025, the bicentenary celebration exhibition was held at Derby Litchurch Lane Works, hosted by Alstom. Later during 26‒28 September 2025, replica Locomotion No. 1 recreated the initial journey; running from the Locomotion Museum at Shildon—with Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh in attendance—over the Skerne Bridge, and via Darlington railway station to Stockton railway station.
Tickets
In January 2025, for each of the three days, an initial 10,000 public tickets were released (30,000 tickets total). Daily tickets for a family cost £65, adults £30, and children £15. After the first day, ticket sales were suspended for a week when the website became overloaded.
Profits were to be split between five charities: Alzheimer's Research UK, the Railway Benefit Fund, Railway Children, Railway Mission and the Transport Benevolent Fund.
Public tickets to the main event were sold out. A free fringe event was held at Derby Guildhall Market for people without tickets, organised by Derby City Council and Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership East Midlands Railway sold souvenir platform tickets for railway photography of arriving and departing convoys at Derby railway station.
Timeline
An opening VIP event was held on 31 July 2025, with Locomotion No. 1 (oldest) and Greater Anglia's (newest) trains as the backdrop. Music performance was by The Grand Central Chorus. Opening speakers included the Member of Parliament for Derby South, Baggy Shanker, the French Ambassador to the UK, Hélène Duchêne, Head Curator of the National Railway Museum Andrew McLean, and Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge.
A fleet of vintage buses were used to shuttle visitors between Derby city centre, Derby railway station and the entrance to Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
On 1 August 2025, Jeremy Vine broadcast his BBC Radio 2 afternoon programme live from the site, with a live performance from Bill Ryder-Jones.
Locomotive namings Four locomotives were named during the event: 66200 The Jeremy Vine Show (1 August) 66710 Karen Harrison ‒ unveiled by Michael Portillo 66719 Michael Portillo ‒ unveiled by Michael Portillo 90018 The Greatest Gathering (2 August)
Exhibits The original plan had been for 30 to 50 exhibits and 5,000 visitors. During 1–3 August 2025 there were 40,000 visitors, and over 140 railway vehicles and railway locomotives on display covering two centuries.
Steam locomotives
Locomotion No. 1 ‒ National Railway Museum Furness Railway No. 20 (built 1863) ‒ Furness Railway Trust GWR 4900 Class 4930 Hagley Hall - Severn Valley Railway, built 1929 GWR 6000 Class 6023 King Edward II - Didcot Railway Centre Midland Railway 1000 Compound, 1000 Class (built 1902) by Samuel Waite Johnson ‒ National Railway Museum LNWR Webb Coal Tank no. 1054 LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado (built 2008) LNER Peppercorn Class A2 60532 Blue Peter LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman (no. 60103) LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley (no. 60007) LMS Jubilee Class 5596 Bahamas (BR no. 45596) LMS Jubilee Class 5699 Galatea, painted as 45627 Sierra Leone LMS Royal Scot Class no. 6115 Scots Guardsman (BR no. 46115) LMS Princess Royal Class 6203 Princess Margaret Rose (no. 46203) LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 4932, painted 44932 Black 5 LMS Stanier Mogul 13268 - Severn Valley Railway SR Merchant Navy Class 35018 British India Line ‒ West Coast Railways SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line, with Golden Arrow emblems ‒ Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society BR Standard Class 3 2-6-2T no. 82045 (new-build) BR Standard Class 5 no. 73129 BR Standard Class 9F no. 92214 ‒ Great Central Railway
Diesel and electric locomotives Diesel locomotives
08308 (08308e) (battery-electric conversion) 08635 (now H3802) (hydrogen-electric conversion) 08721 Ken Davies (diesel-electric) ‒ Alstom; named after a former Old Dalby Test Track manager and used for shunting during the Greatest Gathering setup 13000 no. 12099 ‒ Severn Valley Railway no. D8598 ‒ Severn Valley Railway no. D5910 "Baby Deltic" ‒ Barrow Hill Engine Shed no. 26007 ‒ Barrow Hill Engine Shed no. 27056 ‒ Great Central Railway no. 31108 ‒ Midland Railway - Butterley no. 33012 Lt Jenny Lewis RN ‒ Swanage Railway and 71A Locomotive Group no. D7076 ‒ East Lancashire Railway : D6700 ‒ Great Central Railway and National Railway Museum 37099 (Saturday onwards) 37401 Mary Queen of Scots ‒ Locomotive Services Limited 37418 ‒ Network Rail and Loram UK 37501 Teesside Steelmaster ‒ Rail Operations Group 37508 ‒ Loram UK 37516 Loch Laidon ‒ West Coast Railways 37800 37901 ‒ Europhoenix : D213 (40013) Andania 40106 Atlantic Conveyor, with The Caledonian emblems ‒ Class 40 Preservation Society and Severn Valley Railway no. D821 Greyhound HST power car: 43004 Caerphilly Castle ‒ Great Western Railway 43060, re-numbered as 43200 with Railway 200 livery ‒ 125 Group 43159 Rio Warrior, the World's fastest diesel ‒ 125 Group 43198 Driver Brian Cooper 15 June 1947 - 5 October 1999 Driver Stan Martin 25 June 1950 - 6 November 2004. ‒ Great Western Railway 43468 ‒ RailAdventure 43484 ‒ RailAdventure : D4 Great Gable ‒ Midland Railway - Butterley D8 Penyghent ‒ Peak Rail : 45108 ‒ Midland Railway - Butterley 45118 The Royal Artilleryman no. 46045 ‒ Peak Rail : 47715 ‒ Rail Engineering Solutions and Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway; features Virgin CrossCountry Livery. 47739 ‒ GB Railfreight "Hoovers": 50007 Hercules ‒ Class 50 Alliance 50033 Glorious ‒ Class 50 Alliance 50035 Ark Royal ‒ Class 50 Alliance and Severn Valley Railway; features special 'So. Many. Trains.' wrap 50044 Exeter ‒ Class 50 Alliance; features special 'This is it! The Greatest Gathering' wrap 50049 Defiance ‒ Class 50 Alliance No. D1015 Western Champion ‒ Diesel Traction Group "Deltic": 55009 Alycidon ‒ Deltic Preservation Society D9015 (BR no. 55015) Tulyar ‒ Deltic Preservation Society 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier ‒ Deltic Preservation Society 55022 Royal Scots Grey ‒ Locomotive Services Limited : 57003 Inter City Railway Society 50th Anniversary 1973‒2023 ‒ Locomotive Services Limited 57307 Lady Penelope ‒ Direct Rail Services 57314 Conwy Castle ‒ West Coast Railways 57604 Pendennis Castle ‒ Great Western Railway no. 58023 Leicester Depot no. 59201 Westbury PSB 1984-2024 ‒ Freightliner : 66004 ‒ DB Cargo UK 66200 The Jeremy Vine Show ‒ DB Cargo UK (Named during the weekend) 66301 ‒ GB Railfreight and Drax Group 66501 Spirit Of 65 Celebrating 60 Years of Freightliner ‒ Freightliner 66710 Karen Harrison ‒ GB Railfreight (Named during the weekend) 66719 Michael Portillo ‒ GB Railfreight (Named during the weekend) no. 67005 King's Messenger ‒ British Royal Train no. 68034 Rail Riders 2020 ‒ Direct Rail Services no. 69016 British Transport Police, painted as "61016" no. 70008 ‒ Freightliner Rolls-Royce Sentinel 0-4-0DH 10077 ‒ Plym Valley Railway Ruston & Hornsby no. 294266 Sir William McAlpine ‒ Lawrie Rose LNER Class Y11 no. 15097 Ubique ‒ Chasewater Railway Clayton Equipment Company CD40 B4618/4 shunter ‒ Rail Support Services
Electric locomotives Metropolitan Railway No. 12 Sarah Siddons ‒ London Transport Museum : 73119 Paul Taylor ‒ GB Railfreight 73136 ‒ GB Railfreight : 86101 Sir William A Stanier FRS ‒ Locomotive Services Limited 86401 Mons Meg ‒ West Coast Railways no. 87002 Royal Sovereign ‒ Locomotive Services Limited no. 88010 Aurora ‒ Direct Rail Services no. 89001 Avocet ‒ Locomotive Services Limited no. 90018 The Greatest Gathering (named during the weekend) ‒ Freightliner : 91105 National Railway Museum 50 Years 1975-2025 ‒ London North Eastern Railway 91110 Battle of Britain Memorial Flight ‒ London North Eastern Railway 91117 Project Electra ‒ Europhoenix no. 92011 Handel ‒ DB Cargo UK : 93003 ‒ Rail Operations Group 93009 (Used for Cab Rides) ‒ Rail Operations Group no. 99001 ‒ GB Railfreight spare power car no. 3999 ‒ Eurostar International Limited
Multiple units
Diesel multiple units Derby Lightweight no. 79900 Iris (formerly RDB 975010 Test Coach Iris) DMU Nos. 51941 + 52064 ‒ DMU Group (West Midlands) & Severn Valley Railway no. 142013 ‒ Midland Railway – Butterley no. 150231 ‒ Watercress Line no. 153317
Electric multiple units no. 313201 ‒ Peter Spokes / 400 Series Preservation Group no. 323221 ‒ Porterbrook no. 331013 ‒ Northern Trains no. 345055 Every Story Matters ‒ Elizabeth line; running along on-site railway test track no. 350106 ‒ London Northwestern Railway no. 390119 Progress ‒ Avanti West Coast, hauled by 57307 Lady Penelope tram-train ‒ South Wales Metro, (4VEP) no. 423417 Gordon Pettitt ‒ Southern Electric Traction Group and Bluebell Railway no. 455868 ‒ South Western Railway no. 465908 Chris Green OBE ‒ Southeastern Merseyrail no. 507001 ‒ Class 507 Preservation Society under restoration by apprentices no. 720568 Greater Anglia Flyer ‒ Greater Anglia no. 730202 ‒ London Northwestern Railway
Multi-mode multiple units hybrid train, backdrop for opening event ‒ Greater Anglia HydroFLEX ‒ Porterbrook
Others Inspiration, the Railway 200 Exhibition Train - hauled by GB Railfreight Class 66 710 Karen Harrison and 66 719 Michael Portillo locomotives. 4 car 4TC set ‒ London Transport Museum 4 car Mark 3 Coaches built at Derby Litchurch Lane Works and hauled by 125 Group HST power cars 43060 + 43159 ‒ 125 Group 975025 Caroline inspection saloon ‒ Network Rail and Loram UK IIA-D Biomass Hopper ‒ Drax Group RGX Rail Grinder ‒ Network Rail and Loram UK Bombardier Incentro AT6/5 tram no. 207 Mavis Worthington ‒ Nottingham Express Transit
Narrow gauge
Special tracks were built for the narrow gauge steam locomotives: Festiniog Railway 0-4-0TT Prince (built 1863) ‒ Festiniog Railway Trangkil No. 4 (built 1971) ‒ Statfold Barn Railway
Special tracks were built for the minimum-gauge railway locomotives: Katie (built 1896) ‒ Arthur Heywood's locomotive ‒ Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Anne (built 2004) by Exmoor Steam Railway for Longleat Safari and Adventure Park ‒ Perrygrove Railway