Railway 200
railway 200
Rail Fair 200: hundreds attend community gathering
August 1, 2025, by Paul Bromley

Rail Fair 200: hundreds attend community gathering

Hundreds of people have attended the celebration of communities and their railways. Rail enthusiasts, community groups and families flocked to Lewes town hall for the Rail Fair 200 on Friday 1 August. The date of the event – 1.8.25 – was chosen to acknowledge 200 years of the modern railways since the Stockton & Darlington Railway opened in 1825. Lewes mayor Cllr Emily Clarke, deputy mayor Cllr Nicky Blackwell and Seaford town crier Peter White officially opened the gathering. The Master of Ceremonies was former BBC and ITV broadcaster and rail enthusiast Nicholas Owen. Tim Barkley, chair of SCRP, said: “It was great to see how popular the event was. There was a wide range of stalls from partners, community groups and supporters.”...
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Another award for SCRP

Another award for SCRP

October 17, 2025, by Fiona Morton
At SWR Awards the Hounslow to Richmond Line Barnes Mural won Best Youth Engagement Project. Try s Train and a Bus goes from strength to strength with Brighton & Hove Buses now on board and Marshli...
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More awards and celebrations. Highlights 10th Oct 2025

More awards and celebrations. Highlights 10th Oct 2025

October 10, 2025, by Fiona Morton
More awards for our work, this time to honour Mick Burgess, former vice chair of the Marshlink Line. Lots to celebrate this week and into next. Read more here...
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Display of railway connections opens at Rye

Display of railway connections opens at Rye

September 29, 2025, by Paul Bromley
An exhibition promoting past and present connections to the railways has opened in the waiting room at Rye railway station. The display of posters with blue plaques coincided with national celebration...
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Lights, camera action. Check out our film and TV connecti...

Lights, camera action. Check out our film and TV connecti...

September 11, 2025, by Fiona Morton
So many of our community rail lines feature in films and television. Downton Abbey features one of the venues that we use for our steering group meetings for the Hounslow to Richmond Line. Pictured is...
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SCRP Welcomes Anna to Hounslow to Richmond

SCRP Welcomes Anna to Hounslow to Richmond

September 5, 2025, by Fiona Morton
We welcome our new Line Officer for Hounslow to Richmond, Anna Stearman to the SCRP Team. Anna has a background in education and the arts. SWR features a lot this week as we are nominating lots of pro...
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Rye Harbour Writers station poems book giveaway

Rye Harbour Writers station poems book giveaway

September 2, 2025, by Paul Bromley
A total of 200 books of station poems have been given away in one day to mark Railway 200. Poets from the Rye Harbour Writers travelled along the Marshlink line to hand out the books to passengers. Th...
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Improving the station environment. SCRP weekly highlights...

Improving the station environment. SCRP weekly highlights...

August 21, 2025, by Fiona Morton
This week the focus is on  improvements to station environments with our station partners who play such a significant role in making them places of welcome. Outreach health checks using station premi...
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Railway heroes , our blue plaques take their places at st...

Railway heroes , our blue plaques take their places at st...

August 15, 2025, by Fiona Morton
Railway 200 projects continue and although it is the holiday season education team have been busy and community work continues. Read more here...
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SCRP Special Rail Fair 200 Highlights

SCRP Special Rail Fair 200 Highlights

August 13, 2025, by Trevor Field
SCRP’s Special Rail Fair 200 gallery from Lewes Town Hall on 1st August 2025 at https://www.southeastcrp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SCRP-Special-Rail-Fair-200-Highlights-8th-Aug-2025.pdf Tha...
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Railway exhibition at Rye heritage centre

Railway exhibition at Rye heritage centre

, by Paul Bromley
A new exhibition telling the story of railways in Rye has opened at the town’s heritage centre. The displays outline the history of the coming of the railways in the 1850s and the development of...
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Write on Track poetry competition

Write on Track poetry competition

August 7, 2025, by Paul Bromley
Calling all budding poets. Here’s your chance to be part of a railway milestone and have your work seen by passengers. Rye Harbour Writers and Southeast Communities Rail Partnership are running a po...
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Profile of Danny Coope , consultant on SCRP 200 Blue Plaques

Profile of Danny Coope , consultant on SCRP 200 Blue Plaques

August 4, 2025, by Fiona Morton
We were lucky at SCRP to be put in touch with Danny Coope, who helped us put together the information for 200 Blue plaques. He also designed and produced many of the materials. Danny played a huge rol...
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Bringing health services to rural communities through com...

Bringing health services to rural communities through com...

July 31, 2025, by Fiona Morton
This week has mainly been about putting the final touches to our main Railway 200 event with our family friendly event at Lewes Town Hall on Fri 1st Aug 2025.  Our education team are having a well-ea...
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More Railway 200 events and success for project funding

More Railway 200 events and success for project funding

July 25, 2025, by Fiona Morton
We are at Bluebell Railway today as the exhibition train is in our region. We are building towards our 1st Aug event in Lewes Town Hall and are very grateful to Network Rail and Brighton and Hove Buse...
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Weekly Highlights 16th May

Weekly Highlights 16th May

July 23, 2025, by Fiona Morton
  Read more here...
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Guess which creature hopped on board this week

Guess which creature hopped on board this week

July 17, 2025, by Fiona Morton
All systems go for our Rail Fair 200 event at Lewes Town Hall on 1st Aug. We have had a great response from Network Rail, all five of our train operating companies and no fewer that 34 stall holders. ...
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The heat has not slowed us down. Read our weekly highligh...

The heat has not slowed us down. Read our weekly highligh...

July 3, 2025, by Fiona Morton
All steam head ahead for our Rail Fair 200 on 1st Aug in Lewes.  Glimpses of our 200 plaques are appearing at stations featuring some current station masters as well as those from the past. We are st...
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‘Blue plaques’ mark Marshlink railway connections

‘Blue plaques’ mark Marshlink railway connections

July 1, 2025, by Paul Bromley
A series of ‘blue plaques’ has been displayed to recognise the wide range of people who have contributed to the development of the Marshlink rail route. Each of the 10 plaques summarises the h...
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More good news stories. SCRP weekly highlights 27th June

More good news stories. SCRP weekly highlights 27th June

June 27, 2025, by Fiona Morton
At a time when unusually hot weather tests the railway infrastructure and we all get hot and bothered, it is nice to be able to share some good news stories that demonstrate that there is a lot of sup...
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UK’s favourite railway artwork revealed

UK’s favourite railway artwork revealed

June 9, 2025, by Paul Bromley
‘Train Landscape’ by artist Eric Ravilious has been named as the best-loved railway artwork in the UK. The watercolour was painted in 1940 and shows the chalk white horse of Westbury, Wiltshire, v...
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Cake highlights from this week’s SCRP news

Cake highlights from this week’s SCRP news

June 6, 2025, by Trevor Field
Read about Railway 200 celebrations & more community rail projects in this week’s news from SCRP link 6th June 2025  ...
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Railway 200: careers websites

Railway 200: careers websites

June 4, 2025, by Paul Bromley
Our Railway 200 project to create 200 ‘blue plaques’ of people and places with connections to the railways includes promoting the jobs of the future. Each of the train operators with whom ...
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TONBRIDGE-REIGATE – RAILWAY 200 BLUE PLAQUES

TONBRIDGE-REIGATE – RAILWAY 200 BLUE PLAQUES

, by Sharon Gray
TONBRIDGE-REIGATE – RAILWAY 200 BLUE PLAQUES by Danny Coope * * * * * * 1 JOHN TOWES 1872-1970 ENGINE TIMEKEEPER John Charles Towes, was the son of Martha and William Towes, a railway fireman an...
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Trains, boats bicycles and family fun days this weeks hig...

Trains, boats bicycles and family fun days this weeks hig...

May 29, 2025, by Fiona Morton
Catch up with our continuing adventures here 30th May 2025...
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Every week is Community Rail Week for SCRP

Every week is Community Rail Week for SCRP

May 23, 2025, by Fiona Morton
The sun has shone on many of our community rail week activities. A full report next week. The events during community rail week do a lot to answer the question “What is community rail?” Pe...
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Preparations underway for community rail week

Preparations underway for community rail week

May 15, 2025, by Fiona Morton
The range of work continues to connect people to their railway. A  Town Explores a Book added to to the the project at St Leonard’s Warrior Square, and funding was discussed to improve the appr...
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SCRP delivering on all four pillars of DfT community rail...

SCRP delivering on all four pillars of DfT community rail...

May 8, 2025, by Fiona Morton
This week includes news of: A line safari Delivery of some carved benches Launch of cycling and walking routes Blue Plaque and station birthday events Raising money for good causes and Great feedback ...
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Happy Birthday Shoreham by Sea Station – Let’s Party!

Happy Birthday Shoreham by Sea Station – Let’s Party!

May 7, 2025, by Lynda Spain
All Aboard for the Big Birthday Celebrations! The Shoreham Society is heading up a big day of celebration for many of the things that feature heavily in Shoreham life and history which are reaching si...
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Weekly Highlights

Weekly Highlights

May 1, 2025, by Fiona Morton
We work with so many different partners to encourage people to use public transport. See how the education team are giving groups the chance to try out lots of different active transport options. We a...
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SCRP grant and quality mark successes

SCRP grant and quality mark successes

April 24, 2025, by Fiona Morton
Lots to celebrate this week with the education team gaining a much sought after quality mark and more grant success. Railway 200 plaques are beginning to make their appearance at several events. Read ...
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Sussex Coast Line Blue Plaques – Background Stories

Sussex Coast Line Blue Plaques – Background Stories

April 23, 2025, by Lynda Spain
The Sussex Coast Blue Plaque project commemorates people past and present that have worked along the line.  The blue plaques are installed at some of the stations between Hove and Littlehampton.  In...
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Community Rail-themed model railway layout in box files

Community Rail-themed model railway layout in box files

April 22, 2025, by Paul Bromley
A model railway layout built inside four box files and reflecting the work of Southeast Communities Rail Partnership has been displayed at a festival of modelling. The layout – called Box End Gr...
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Award for Feltham Station Adopters- This week’s hig...

Award for Feltham Station Adopters- This week’s hig...

April 17, 2025, by Fiona Morton
An award for Feltham Station Adopters, our Blue Plaques are ready for an event at Novium Museum in Chichester, and a welcome to our newest member of the team, Kanna Ingleson, who takes over as Line Of...
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SCRP Weekly Highlights 11th April 2025

SCRP Weekly Highlights 11th April 2025

April 11, 2025, by Fiona Morton
We have very talented people at SCRP. See how you can turn a box file into your own model railway. Check out the new posters on the North Downs Line and some other films put together by the team. Read...
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Railway 200 exhibition at Hastings museum

Railway 200 exhibition at Hastings museum

March 24, 2025, by Paul Bromley
Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is joining in the national Railway 200 celebrations by installing an exhibition of local railway exhibits, dating back to the arrival of the railways in Hastings in t...
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Still celebrating! See our weekly Highlights

Still celebrating! See our weekly Highlights

March 20, 2025, by Fiona Morton
We are still celebrating the incredible wins at CRN Awards. The launch of the Arun Valley podcast took place, and we learned of the e ticket launch of the PlusBus Ticket. Officers are busy with Action...
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Awards success for station groups and Community Rail proj...

Awards success for station groups and Community Rail proj...

March 14, 2025, by Paul Bromley
A series of schemes to connect communities to their railways have won prestigious national rail awards. The projects from station groups and Southeast Communities Rail Partnership (SCRP) were recognis...
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Hoping for a lion’s share of awards

Hoping for a lion’s share of awards

March 13, 2025, by Fiona Morton
SCRP projects and volunteers were shortlisted in a record-breaking number of categories. Here’s hoping we come away with some winning certificates. In other highlights a lion features on one of ...
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Railway 200’s touring exhibition train

Railway 200’s touring exhibition train

March 3, 2025, by Paul Bromley
A special touring train to mark 200 years of the modern railways is coming to our area. The touring train, named Inspiration, is expected to visit 60 locations across Britain over the 12 months up to ...
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Highlights this week

Highlights this week

February 28, 2025, by Fiona Morton
Lots of community art in production this week. Our Try a Train Trips and Rail Education grow in popularity and demand. Go Learn Education project adds £8 million  per year in added social value alon...
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The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grand...

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grand...

February 20, 2025, by Fiona Morton
Lot’s of publicity this week for creating goodwill and good news stories with our Railway 200 chocolate giveaways . You may have seen the celebrations at Rye on ITVs Meridian news. New groups are wa...
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Celebrating Valentines Day on the Railway

Celebrating Valentines Day on the Railway

February 13, 2025, by Fiona Morton
Sharing the love for our railways this week through chocolate, Railway 200 birthday celebrations and art installations.  A big week for Hounslow to Richmond line with two major projects completed. In...
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Celebrations for Marshlink rail line anniversary

Celebrations for Marshlink rail line anniversary

, by Paul Bromley
Celebrations have been held to mark the anniversary of the opening of the railway line between Hastings and Ashford International. Marshlink Community Rail line officer Paul Bromley organised the spec...
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We love connecting communities to rail

We love connecting communities to rail

February 6, 2025, by Fiona Morton
In addition to Railway 200 events our team continues to support steering groups, commission and install new art work, spruce up planting and recruit station adopters. Last week we shared some of our o...
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Mini Rocket comes to Feltham

Mini Rocket comes to Feltham

January 16, 2025, by Fiona Morton
Feltham has its own Rocket. Railway 200 is proving to be the catalyst for more  community involvement with some creative ideas being proposed across all our lines. See our weekly highlights to learn ...
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Winnersh Station celebrates its 115th birthday.

Winnersh Station celebrates its 115th birthday.

January 14, 2025, by Sandy Mahon
An impressive number of guests from the local community in Winnersh came along to the unveiling of a permanent plaque to commemorate the 115th birthday of Winnersh Station on 10th January. A history p...
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Railway 200 Wave Off

Railway 200 Wave Off

January 1, 2025, by Paul Bromley
The official celebrations have begun for the start of a year-long programme of events commemorating 200 years of the modern railway. We joined our Community Rail colleagues for a ‘Wave Off’...
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Happy 137th birthday to Ore station

Happy 137th birthday to Ore station

, by Paul Bromley
Happy New Year – and Happy Birthday to Ore station on the Marshlink line. The station opened on 1 January 1888 making it 137 years old today. What a great way to start 2025 as we – and the...
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Ashford Museum railway history project

Ashford Museum railway history project

November 11, 2024, by Paul Bromley
Ashford Museum is holding a special day to collect people’s memories of the railways in the town. The ‘Railway Memories Collection Day’ is on Friday 22 November at Ashford MuseumR...
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Arun Valley and Sussex Coast Lines join for AGM and meeting

Arun Valley and Sussex Coast Lines join for AGM and meeting

October 21, 2024, by Rowena Tyler
In October, SCRP Line Officers Lynda Spain and Rowena Tyler facilitated a joint Annual General Meeting (AGM), kindly hosted at West Sussex County Council’s  County Hall,  Chichester. Over 30 p...
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Railway 200: Southeastern sets outs its plans

Railway 200: Southeastern sets outs its plans

October 14, 2024, by Paul Bromley
Southeastern Railway is planning a year of activities to mark 200 years of modern railways. The train operator says it will “honour our wonderful past, current successes and fantastic future ahe...
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Railway 200: past, present and future

Railway 200: past, present and future

September 25, 2024, by Paul Bromley
Southeast Communities Rail Partnership will be producing 200 ‘blue plaques’ to mark 200 people with connections to the railways on its lines as part of the national celebrations for 200 years of t...
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