Author(s): Jonathan Glancey

Lexical

The train changed the face of the world. From slow beginnings in the collieries of England at the start of the nineteenth century, it was possible by the 1840s to cover vast distances at unprecedented speed, changing modern communications forever. Only the telephone, and later the internet would have such an impact on the way people lived and worked. The Train is a visual slice of locomotive history, from the romantic age of steam through to 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 impacted upon the modern age. Climb aboard and travel some of the great journeys of the world from the Venice-Simplon Orient Express to the wonderful Coast Starlight route from Los Angeles to Seattle. Take a look at the splendid architecture of the word's great train stations, or consider the role of trains in film, from Dr Zhivago to Some Like it Hot.