The idea, was to use abandoned railways as a living classroom, that could move students and facilities to different towns as needed, when needed. Spaces could be easily altered to the will of the class or research. If it was rainy or to hot the whole school could be moved to a more indicative part of the city.
This was never truly implemented to the fullest sense; with cargo container classrooms and labs being placed where learning needed to be done. It did however, energize and start society to think about the idea of a mobile learning spaces and many of the current ideas of work and education telecommuting and having schools in all over the world to teach one degree.
Now architect and interior designers, are finally catching up to the needs of education and business. Creating an environment that is a transmogrification of space to best suit the people and type of work that the space is being used for.
http://studio-9.wikispaces.com/file/view/The+Potteries+Thinkbelt.pdf