A railway enthusiast has toured behind the scenes at the Gresley Institute, Network Rail’s Doncaster training centre, having won the visit through a Gresley Society charity auction.
Anthony Pilkington secured the prize during the Society’s Gresley 150 celebrations, marking 150 years since the birth of railway engineer Sir Nigel Gresley on 19 June 1876. The Gresley Institute — Network Rail’s training, education and development hub, named for Gresley after a public ballot — opened in South Yorkshire in October 2025.
During his visit, Pilkington tried his hand at signalling on both traditional lever-pull equipment and modern visual display systems, and picked up a games controller for the very first time to move through the 3D world built inside “Immersiv,” a bespoke simulator used to train the mobile operations managers who respond to incidents on the network.
Behind the scenes
Pilkington said: “It was fascinating to see behind the scenes at the Gresley Institute and learn how railway staff are trained. As someone with a long-standing interest in railways and Sir Nigel Gresley’s legacy, I found it very impressive to see the various teaching methods used in a centre keeping Sir Nigel’s name alive.”
Bruce Langlands, Network Rail’s training delivery manager, said: “We were delighted to welcome Anthony to the Gresley Institute as winner of the Gresley 150 charity auction prize. The visit provided an opportunity to showcase the breadth of training delivered at the centre, from traditional railway skills through to innovative immersive technology. The Gresley Institute plays a vital role in developing the skills our railway needs, so it was a pleasure to share some of that work with someone who has such a strong interest in the railway and its heritage.”
