Event: Railways – 200 Years that Transformed Britain

Railways: 200 Years that Transformed Britain will take place at Lancaster University on Saturday 21 November 2026, with the option to attend either in person or online. The conference is jointly organised by the Regional Heritage Centre and the Midland Railway Society, marking both the bicentenary of the birth of the railway and the 150th anniversary of the Midland Railway’s Settle–Carlisle route.

Rather than looking only at railway history, the day explores the much wider impact of the railways on nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Britain: how they changed population and economic growth, transformed literature and ideas about modernity, challenged Victorian law and corporate regulation, and shaped the working lives of railway employees.

Speakers include Ian Gregory on railways and population change between 1851 and 1911; Michael Greaney on railway accidents in Victorian fiction; James Taylor on the rise and fall of the ‘Railway King’, George Hudson; and Michael Brown and Joanne Begiato on the station staff, signalmen, drivers and firemen who helped the public navigate the new world of railway travel.

The conference is open to everyone and no specialist knowledge is required. There will also be a showcase of new research by Lancaster postgraduate students.

Tickets are £40 standard, £36 for RHC Patrons and Friends and Midland Railway Society Members, £20 for students, or £20 to attend online. In-person tickets include lunch and refreshments (student tickets exclude lunch). Booking closes at midday on 13 November.

Full programme and booking