Table Of ContentTHE
TRAIN
BOOK
THE DEFINITIVE
VISUAL HISTORY
HAN 4 0 0 OF THE WORL
ORE T GARLELA-TTIEMSETD ’S BE
M S
• FRANTDR LAAITNESST LI • TN
OM THE ROCKET TO T H E JAVE
THE
TRAIN
BOOK
THE
TRAIN
BOOK
THE DEFINITIVE
VISUAL HISTORY
Contents
LONDON, NEW YORK, MELBOURNE,
MUNICH, AND DELHI
DORLING KINDERSLEY
Senior Editors Sam Atkinson, Jemima Dunne, Kathryn Hennessy
Senior Art Editor Sharon Spencer
Project Art Editor Amy Child
Introduction: The Railway Revolution 8
Editors Suhel Ahmed, Rod Green, Alison Sturgeon, Miezen van Zyl
Editorial Assistance Alexandra Beeden
Design Assistance Alex Lloyd 1804–1838: THE IRON HORSE
Photographer Gary Ombler
Picture Research Nic Dean The invention of the steam-powered locomotive led to the
DK Picture Library Claire Bowers, Claire Cordier, Romaine Werblow
development of the first passenger railway in Britain. This
Jacket Designers Amy Child, Mark Cavanagh
new mode of transport spread to other countries, with
Jacket Editor Maud Whitney
Jacket Design Development Manager Sophia MTT Rocket setting the benchmark for future locomotives.
Producer, Pre-Production Nikoleta Parasaki
Producer Linda Dare
Pioneer: Richard Trevithick 14
Managing Editor Esther Ripley
A British Invention 16
Managing Art Editor Karen Self
Publisher Sarah Larter Profile: Rocket 18
Art Director Phil Ormerod
The Liverpool & Manchester Railway 22
Associate Publishing Director Liz Wheeler
Steam for Home and Export 24
Publishing Director Jonathan Metcalf
Pioneers: The Stephensons 26
DK INDIA
Managing Editors Pakshalika Jayaprakash, Rohan Sinha World Pioneers 28
Managing Art Editors Arunesh Talapatra, Sudakshina Basu Railroad Expansion 30
Senior Editor Anita Kahar
Senior Art Editors Chhaya Sajwan, Mahua Sharma
Project Editor Antara Moitra
Project Art Editor Vaibhav Rastogi 1839–1869: BUILDING NATIONS
Editor Vibha Malhotra
Art Editors Namita, Supriya Mahajan, Divya PR, Devan Das New tracks were laid across Europe, the US, and India.
Assistant Art Editors Roshni Kapur, Vansh Kohli, Riti Sodhi
Meanwhile, engineers made further innovations to all
Production Manager Pankaj Sharma
Pre-production Manager Balwant Singh aspects of rail travel, increasing its speed and efficiency.
Senior DTP Designers Sachin Singh, Jagtar Singh Mass city transit began with the London Underground.
DTP Designers Nand Kishor Acharya, Bimlesh Tiwary
Picture Researcher Aditya Katyal
The US Forges Ahead 36
Picture Research Manager Taiyaba Khatoon
Profile: Thatcher Perkins 38
General Consultant Tony Streeter
Building Great Railways: Union Pacific 42
Contributors Julian Holland, Keith Fender
Gary Boyd-Hope, Jonathan Randle Falconer, Peter Herring, Keith Langston, Britain Advances 44
Ashwani Lohani, Malcolm McKay, David Wilcock
First published in Great Britain in 2014 by
Dorling Kindersley Limited,
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL
A Penguin Company
Copyright © 2014 Dorling Kindersley Limited
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001 – 256473 – 10/14
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
A CIP catalogue record for this
book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1-4093-4796-5
Printed and bound in China by Leo Paper Products Ltd
Discover more at
www.dk.com
Euro Progress 46 1895–1913: GOLDEN AGE
Pioneer: Isambard Kingdom Brunel 48
Electric-powered railways came into prominence in North
The GWR’s Broad Gauge 50
America and Europe, while new innovations increased the
Mass Movers 52
efficiency of steam. Emulating London, Paris and New
Building the Tube 54
York introduced their own underground systems.
Nations and Colonies 56
Express Steam for the UK 96
British Evolution 98
1870–1894: Profile: GWR Auto Trailer No. 92 100
A WORLD OF STEAM Continental Glamour 104
Pioneer: Fulgence Bienvenüe 106
The rapid growth of the railway defined the power
Profile: H&BT Caboose No. 16 108
of human endeavour. Tracks negotiated every terrain
Rapid Development 112
and all kinds of obstacles, covering vast distances
Profile: VGN Class SA No. 4 114
and making rail travel across continents possible.
The New York Elevated Railway 118
The glamour of rail travel was epitomized by grand
On Other Gauges 120
stations and luxury services.
Building Great Railways: Trans-Siberian Railway 122
19th-century Racers 62 Competition From the New Electrics 124
London Locals 64
End of the Great Western Broad Gauge 66
Profile: C&PA Snow Plow 68 1914–1939: STEAM’S ZENITH
Delivering to America 72
During World War I locomotives were key in the transport
Building Great Railways: Canadian Pacific 74
of soldiers and munitions. After hostilities ended, steam
Specialist Steam 76
trains became faster and streamlined, and diesel trains
Profile: Merddin Emrys 78
were rolled out for the first time in the US and Europe.
Shrinking the World 82
Profile: DHR B Class No. 19 84 Locomotives for World War I 130
The First Electric Passenger Train 90 War Machines 132
Fast and Powerful 134 Britain Makes the Change 186
Profile: King Edward II 136 Profile: Deltic Prototype 188
Great Journeys: Orient Express 140 Europe Follows the US 192
Mixed-traffic Movers 142 Great Journeys: The Blue Train 194
Versatile Engines 144 Electric Charge 196
Freight Shifters 146 Post-war Steam 198
Pioneer: Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley 148 Profile: N&W J Class No. 611 200
Streamlined Steam Around Europe 150 World Steam’s Last Stand 204
Profile: Mallard 152 Profile: Class WP No. 7161 206
The Age of Speed and Style 156 Europe’s Last Gasp 210
Diesel and Electric Streamliners 158 Profile: Beyer-Garratt No. 138 212
Practical Diesels and Electrics 160 Moving People and Goods 216
Profile: Reading MU No. 800 162
1960–1979: BUILT FOR SPEED
1940–1959: WAR AND PEACE
The Japanese “bullet” train heralded a new age of
The destruction of many European rail lines during World high-speed rail travel, inspiring Western countries to
War II and the redrawing of national borders at the end of innovation on their own railways. Increasing competition
the confict forced many governments to overhaul their from road and air led to further modernization.
rail systems. Technological advances saw diesel- and
Freight and Passenger Accelerates 222
electric-power take over from steam.
Profile: Modified DR V100 224
World War II Logistics 170 High-speed Pioneers 228
Profile: DR No. 52.8184-5 172 The Bullet Train 230
Wartime Service 176 Profile: DR No. 18.201 232
US Moves into Diesel 178 Technology in Transition 236
Post-war US 180 Great Journeys: Indian Pacific 238
Profile: N&W GP9 Class No. 521 182 Travelling in Style 240
1980–1999: CHANGING TRACKS Profile: Javelin No. 395 017 284
Dubai Metro 290
New technology focused on developing high-speed
Into the Future 292
networks throughout the world, but the period also saw
the introduction of luxury trains. The Channel Tunnel
opened, linking Britain to mainland Europe.
HOW RAILWAYS WORK:
High Speed Goes Global 246 ENGINES AND TRACKS
Building Great Railways: Eurostar 248
This chapter offers an overview of basic rail technology,
Diesel’s Next Generation 250
from how rails and locomotive wheels are designed, to
A New Wave of Electrics 252
signalling systems past and present. The engineering
Profile: Palace on Wheels 254
principles behind steam, diesel, and electric locomotives
Urban Rail Solutions 260
are explained.
How Tracks Work 296
AFTER 2000: How Wheels Work 297
RAILWAY REVIVAL How Signals Work 298
Radstock North Signal Box 300
The new millennium has seen China become a major
How Steam Locomotives Work 302
proponent of rail travel, building tracks at an
How Diesel Locomotives Work 304
unprecedented rate and introducing new trains, including
How Electric Locomotives Work 306
the ultrafast Maglev. On a global level, rail travel offered a
more glamorous and luxurious alternative to the jetliner.
GLOSSARY 308
Universal Applications 266 INDEX/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 312
Historic Railways 268
Profile: Clan Line & Belmond British Pullman 270
High Speed – The New Generation 278
Spectacular Stations 280
Faster and Faster 282
The Railway Revolution
The click-clack of wheels on rails, the whiff of coal smoke reason to introduce it. Towns and cities set their own time
and oil, a whistle in the distance, the feeling of anticipation until the need for rigid timetables on the railways called for
and excitement at the start of a long journey … standardization. The new technology fuelled urbanization –
growing conurbations were fed by railways, delivering people
Railways capture our imagination. They speak to our soul. cheaply from ever farther afield. Rail networks moved
The elemental attractions of fire and steam, the fascination commodities that previously could not be transported long
of technology, and the glamour of connecting faraway places distances – perishable fruit, newspapers, flowers, and fresh
have all helped cement the place of railways in human hearts. milk were delivered to the masses in a timely manner.
For more than 200 years, trains have fuelled ambitions
and attracted ground-breaking engineers, inspiring them In these many ways, railways became essential to the
to create inventions that tapped into the human desire to creation of modern life, and achieved it with panache.
move forward and open up a world of possibilities. Companies gave their locomotives and services evocative
names; they came up with attractive colour schemes; and
Most importantly, railways have contributed to modern they worked hard on aesthetics to make their engines
history in prosaic, practical ways. Arguably, no single tool graceful, imposing, or dynamic, as well as functional.
has influenced today’s industrial world more. From the first The drive to move ever forwards shaped the railways too.
stuttering experiments in Cornwall and Wales in the UK As new technologies developed, builders of new routes
to the building of railways that opened up whole continents climbed higher, dug deeper, and went farther, taming the
and helped create nations, as they did in North America most inhospitable ground. The push to be ever faster, ever
and elsewhere, to their capacity to make modern warfare safer, and ever-more efficient drove that progress too.
feasible – the invention of the locomotive has shaped the
globe, for good and bad. Across the globe, railways put great effort into achieving
higher speeds, into selling the luxury of their most exclusive
Before the railways, life moved at a different speed; most trains, and into persuading people to use their services both
people travelled only short distances from where they lived for business and leisure. Modern marketing, public relations,
– there were no cars, no planes, no modern roads. Until the the seaside holiday – in all these areas, the railway has been
arrival of trains there was no unified time and no compelling an instrument of change and a driving force. It is no wonder
