Overview
From the atmospheric age of steam to today’s high powered electric vehicles, The Train takes readers on a visually stunning ride through history. Much more than a collection of models, this volume offers insight into the way trains have shaped the modern age. It looks at train design (including New York Central’s sleek Twentieth Century Limited, France’s high-speed TGV, and Japan’s Shinkansen "bullet”); the splendid architecture of the top train stations; and the important role trains played in movies. Rail enthusiasts, as well as anyone interested in modern social history, will find this an irresistible journey.
Synopsis
There are many people who cannot read, many more who do not own a car, or have the money for an air ticket, yet even some of the world's poorest people have travelled by train. From the earliest steam locomotives to sleek modern inter-city European expresses, or battered diesels grinding across savanah and desert, The Train captures the enterprise and romance of the railways.
The birth of the train was regarded by many as a symbol of progress, prosperity and liberation from old ways and settled places. For others it was a belching, mechanical monster that threatened to shatter the social and physical landscape of the time. There can be little doubt that the train had an enormous impact upon our world. After slow beginnings in the ironworks and collieries of south Wales and north-east England, by the 1840s it was possible to travel across Britain, Europe and the United States at unprecedented speed. Working lives were transformed, goods could be transported vast distances speedily and efficiently, and for those with the time and the means, the world was opened up for exploration as never before.
In superb photographs accompanied by insightful and informative captions, author Jonanthan Glacey examines the train in a variety of compelling contexts. From engineering feats such as Scotland's splendid Forth Railway Bridge to architectural marvels like New York's original Penn station, or the train's wartime function in carrying arms, troops, prisoners and refugees, this book presents a unique and illuminating perspective on the train's fascinating history.