We meet around noon at Derby Station and let the train take the strain to the wonderfully named Whatstandwell. Close by is Crich Tramway village where our afternoon is spent enjoying replica street scenes, “country” tram rides, and museum presentations.

Today we dedicate to the Rail 200 celebrations and the massive ‘Greatest Gathering’ at Derby works. Expect a huge display of locomotives and rolling stock from across pretty much the whole of the 200 years of ‘railways as we know them’ with trams and trains combining to get us there and back! At the time of writing we don’t know the exact programme for this historic event but we are confident that the organisers will pull out all the stops.

This morning we head out by tram and transfer to the northern part of the Great Central Railway at Ruddington. There’s lots to see at this former Army Camp and trains are running again on the line almost to Loughborough! The rest of the day is at the Great Central Railway – what an experience it is! Armed with rover tickets and itinerary suggestions to maximize your time. Be transported back to the heyday of the railways on Britain’s only preserved double-track steam mainline.

Off to Derbyshire’s Peak District today. We start at the Midland Railway Centre, before heading to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway for a nine-mile journey through the fields. Then, it’s steam this afternoon courtesy of Peak Rail. After a full round trip we return to Nottingham by train on the Matlock Branch Line affording riverside views.

Time to head for home. The Abbey Pumping Station Museum tells the story of how steam helped create the modern world by improving living standards. Right next door is the National Space Academy, where we learn about the next stages in the revolution of travel and transport started between Stockton and Darlington 200 years ago. Homeward bound journeys commence from Derby Station in the early afternoon.