The Train Book: The Definitive Visual History (DK Definitive Transport Guides)

The Train Book: The Definitive Visual History is a photography-led guide to the development of rail travel, charting trains from early steam through to diesel engines and electric locomotives. With an international scope, it places railways in their wider social, political and cultural context, showing how networks were built around the world.

Alongside detailed coverage of iconic trains including the Palace on Wheels and the Orient Express, it profiles well-known railways and journeys such as the Union-Pacific Railroad and the Trans-Siberian Railway. The book also highlights key figures associated with train and track, from “Father of the Railways” George Stephenson to Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Fulgence Bienvenüe, and includes double-page images that capture both the beauty of railways and the challenges faced by the people who built them.

Key details

• Title: The Train Book: The Definitive Visual History
• Series: DK Definitive Transport Guides
• Focuses on trains from steam to diesel and electric locomotives
• Includes double-page photographic spreads
• Covers notable trains, railways and rail journeys from around the world

Synopsis

This visual history catalogues the evolution of trains and explores landmark locomotives and celebrated rail journeys. It also chronicles the social, political and cultural backdrop to railway building worldwide, while telling the stories of innovators, designers and engineers who advanced rail travel.