An impressive book that charts the history of the train. We enter the age of the railway and meet Richard Trevithick, William Hedley’s Puffing Billy, and Stephenson’s Rocket. Then we move round the world to The Festiniog Railway, electric and diesel locomotives, passenger and express trains including The Flying Scotsman. I enjoyed the glamour of The Orient Express, and was intrigued by The Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. We examine mail by rail, making connections and overcoming obstacles. The Californian Zephyr is spectacular and we travel on to meet mountain and funicular railways. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is astonishing, and we consider stations, mass rapid transit, trams, sky lines, control and management. I found the sections on Railways at War, Women and Children and the Princess Christian mobile ambulance train especially interesting. The author discusses the end of the Golden Age and new opportunities such as high-speed rail and The Shinkansen network. The book concludes with discussion about the future of trains. I loved the double-page train timeline, and the record breaking trains around the world. There is a comprehensive glossary and a detailed index.
There is plenty of information and this is well-balanced with sumptuous illustrations that carry the reader on a range of exciting journeys. Informative, engaging and inspirational, it is a perfect book for train enthusiasts of any age.
Brenda Marshall
Locomotion: A Visual History of Trains by Alastair Steele
Illustrated by Ryo Takemasa
Big Picture Press ISBN
9781835874318
£10.99
Published 2026
First published 2022
