200 years of railways

From Theodor Herzl, Old New Land (Altneuland) 1902, trans. Lotta Levensohn 1960, Markus Wehner/Herzl Press 1960 (1987 edition). Herzl was dead by 1904, only two years after he published this utopia which provided a blueprint, of sorts, for 20th century Israel. My real point, if I have one, is nothing about Herzl or Altneuland but about the fact that today marks 200 years of railway services. In fact what it appears happened was they picked a nicer time of year (the account below is from page 11 of the 4 July 1925 issue of the San Bernadino County Sun) and did a facile re-enactment using the actual engine.

Here's another news item from the 12 July 1925 edition of the Kansas City Star with a picture. 

There was also a celebration on the 27th but according to the Guardian 28 September 1925 p. 11 most of the festivities took place in Manchester because that was where Stephenson et al really made their mark and it was more important. There was also a big exhibition in London. 

I'm writing this in 2020 so I have no idea how the bicentenary of railways will be commemorated, for all I know by World-President-for-Life Trump declaring all railways be concreted for highways and aeroplane runways.