The train changed the face of the world. From slow beginnings at the very beginning of the nineteenth century, it was, by the 1840s, possible to cover vast distances across the United States, Britain and Europe at unprecedented speed.
Writers, architects, engineers and other Victorian professionals could now live far away from their work, sending their designs and scripts to cities by fast, regular and reliable train. Only the telephone, and later the Internet, would have such an immediate impact on peoples' working lives. With the coming of the train, goods could be shifted vast distances, too. At the same time, trains were romantic machines and vehicles, often magnificent and capable of stirring emotions.
'The Train' is a visual slice of history, from the atmospheric age of steam through to the high powered electric trains of the present day. Much more than a collection of models through the ages, 'The Train' offers an insight into the ways in which trains have made an impact upon the modern age. Admire some of the world's greatest trains from New York Central's sleek 20th Century Limited to the high-speed Japanese Shinkansen “bullet train”. Take a look at the splendid architecture of the word's great train stations. Consider the role of trains in film, from Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train to Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot.
In the same impressive format as Space, Flight and The Car, this photographic collection combined with pithy and informative text will appeal to all rail enthusiasts, as well as anyone interested in modern social history.
