Rail Fair 200 A celebration of communities and their railways

The free family-friendly fun day is being held in Lewes town hall on Friday 1 August from 11am to 3pm.
Visitors will be able to ‘drive’ a train in a simulated cab, learn about the life of pioneering railway engineer Thomas Brassey, hear first-hand about opportunities for railway careers, delve into the world of community rail with a miniature model railway inside box files and discover dozens of ideas for Days Out by Rail.

Senior representatives from train operators Southern Railway and Great Western Railway as well as Network Rail will join community organisations and the public at the special event. The Master of Ceremonies will be former BBC and ITV broadcaster and rail enthusiast Nicholas Owen.

Lewes mayor Cllr Emily Clarke and Seaford town crier Peter White will officially open the event called ‘Rail Fair 200 – a celebration of communities and their railways’.

The date 1.8.25 has been chosen as part of the celebrations for 200 years of the modern railway since the Stockton & Darlington Railway opened in 1825.

A total of 200 ‘blue plaques’ marking people in the South East who have contributed to the development of the railways will be unveiled on the day - 100 people with past links to the railways and 100 modern jobs to help recruit the next generation of staff.
The event has been organised by Southeast Communities Rail Partnership (SCRP) which connects communities to their railways on 10 Community Rail lines in East and West Sussex as well as parts of Surrey, Kent, Berkshire and south-west London

https://www.southeastcrp.org/railway-200/