Choose your favourite railway-themed artwork

As part of the Railway 200 celebrations, the public has the chance to choose their favourite railway-themed artwork from a selection of 200 originals.

Art education charity Art UK has teamed up with the Railway 200 campaign for the vote. Art UK and its museum partners have assembled 200 artworks dating from the 1830s to the 21st century from 94 public collections for the public to choose from.

Among the candidates for the UK’s favourite railway-themed artwork are paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Entrants can select their three favourite artworks, and have until midnight on Friday, 11th April to submit their choice.

The 20 most popular choices will be announced on World Art Day, Tuesday, 15th April and displayed online by Art UK, the UK’s online national art collection, until 31st December 2025.

From the final 20, the public will be asked to vote again for their favourite railway artwork of all time, with the outright winner announced on 9th June 2025, the 200th anniversary of the birth of railway pioneer George Stephenson.

Artworks from renowned railway painters such as Terence Cuneo and Norman Wilkinson will be included in the Railway 200 Gallery alongside famous names such as Lucien Pissarro and J. M. W. Turner. Among the subjects relating to railways will be Anthony Stones’ sculpture of a Victorian Railway Navvy, William Powell Frith’s oil painting The Railway Station, and illustrator Clara Vulliamy’s work depicting the official naming of a train.

Anyone can register to vote for their three favourite artworks by visiting https://railway200.artuk.org/

The railway has shaped Britain’s cultural landscape and inspired artists down the ages. It is hoped that this vote will encourage more people to appreciate the cultural contribution of railways and the enjoyment of travelling by train.

An increasing number of railway stations are staging art displays to brighten up their surroundings, including Aldershot, which opened in January and Birmingham Snow Hill which opened in November 2024.

“We are thrilled to be giving the public the chance to vote for their favourite railway artwork. The long list of artworks shows the wide range of artists who have been inspired by train travel and gives an insight into the wonderful richness of the UK’s collections of publicly owned art. There are 132 named artists and 94 collections represented in The Railway 200 Gallery and we hope that people from across the world will enjoy exploring these artworks and voting for their favourites.”

Andrew Ellis, Chief Executive of Art UK