Students revive the classic railway poster

New art has gone on display at stations across Yorkshire to mark the 200th anniversary of the railway.

College students were asked to put a fresh spin on iconic posters from the 1930s and 1940s.

Their designs, which promote destinations around the region, are now being shown at Beverley, Rotherham, Pontefract and Keighley stations.

Claire Haigh, head of faculty at East Riding College, which took part in the project, described the posters as "a wonderful advertisement" for the railways and "the skills, insight and, above all, creativity these students are developing".

Eleven students from the college created the art to celebrate Beverley and promote destinations such as Sheffield.

They based their work on posters by the likes of Frank Henry Mason, who designed many advertisements promoting destinations such as East Coast seaside resorts during the first half of the 20th Century.

"The brief gave them the chance to comprehensively research the railways and Sheffield as a tourist destination," said Ms Haigh.

"Bringing in the historic designs of previous posters broadened the project out even more into the history of graphic design."

Students from Rotherham College, New College Pontefract and Keighley College also took part in the project.

They were taken on journeys by members of Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership to help them gain inspiration.

Rail companies Northern, which funded the project, and Hull Trains also took 21 students to visit the Houses of Parliament, where they met MPs.

Railway 200 – the nationwide celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of the modern railway – is expected to include more than 300 events and activities.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.