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On Track: The remarkable story of how trains have changed our world
All aboard for a journey through time and across continents!Jam-packed with fascinating facts and bright illustrations, this is the captivating story of how trains have transformed our world. This book showcases the railway’s incredible engineering breakthroughs – from the earliest trains used in underground mines, to the advent of the steam train, right up to the latest driverless trains and mag-lev technology. With this complete, colourful guide to the past, present and future of the Marvel at some of the world’s most spectacular stations Discover iconic train journeys like the Orient Express and the Pacific Railroad Learn about the trains used in social protests and during times of war Understand the changing role of women and people of colour in the industry Decode the inner workings of these magnificent machines Meet rail heroes and innovators including George Stephenson, Mary Elizabeth Walton and Hideo Shima And, as well as classic locos from history, readers can also delight in record-breaking train stats and learn about sky trains, suspension railways and monorails. But the book also explores the enormous impact that railways have had on our lives, including the development of industry and commerce, the growth of our cities – even the setting of time zones. This is a colourful, celebratory tribute to trains. These powerful machines opened the world to people like never before, and they continue to capture hearts and imaginations today. Look no further for the perfect gift for young train enthusiasts.Table of Introduction Chapter 1: The Origins of the Railways The Earliest Railways The First Passenger Railway The Liverpool and Manchester Rail George Stephenson Chapter 2: Rail Around the World Early Steam – US Style European Steam Crossing the Uncrossable Classic Stephenson’s Rocket Chapter 3: Golden Age of Steam Amazing Engineering Statement Stations Chapter 4: All Change Time for Change A Connected World Rail George Westinghouse Chapter 5: Running a Railway Tracks and Wheels The Comfort Zone Staying Safe Classic Mallard Chapter 6: Loco Power How a Steam Loco Works How a Diesel Loco Works How an Electric Loco Works Rail Granville T. Woods Chapter 7: Iconic Routes The Trans-Siberian Railway The Orient Express The Pacific Railroad The Indian Pacific Chapter 8: The Wheels of Progress A Woman’s World? Social Change Classic DHR B-Class Chapter 9: Going Underground The First Underground Line Underground Around the World Rail Mary Elizabeth Walton Chapter 10: Trains at War The Early Years World War Two Classic Jupiter Chapter 11: Oddballs Suspension Railways and Sky Trains The Weird and Wonderful Record Breakers Rail Hideo Shima Chapter 12: The Future The Train’s Second Age Future Power&l
96 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2024
19 people want to read
About the author
Tom Adams
84 books2 followersBorn Thomas Charles Renwick Adams, Tom Adams was a US-born Anglo-Scots illustrator and painter. Long active in a variety of visual formats, he is known for his work in book cover art, portrait painting, poster, advertising and album art. He is most widely known for his book cover art for the paperback editions of Agatha Christie.
After serving two years in the navy, 1944-1946, he then trained at the Chelsea School of Art and Goldsmiths College, where he received a National Diploma of Painting in 1949. Between 1953 and 1960 he provided illustrations for the youth-oriented UK comics Eagle, Girl and Swift.
In the 1960s and 1970s he became involved with several distinguished poets, including Edward Lucie-Smith, Ted Hughes, C. Day Lewis, Brian Patten, George MacBeth and Adrian Henri as well as artists Sandra Blow, John Piper, Josef Herman, and Mark Boyle among others, producing poetry prints published by his own gallery, the Fulham Gallery, London.
He also designed posters for Mark Boyle's light shows (The Sensual Laboratory), the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Soft Machine. His connection with the modern world of rock music continued when he met Lou Reed, an admirer of his Christie and Raymond Chandler covers. Adams designed the cover for his first solo album.
By the early 60s, Collins decided it wanted to do something more artistically distinct with Agatha Christie’s paperback covers. Impressed with Adams’s cover for John Fowles’ 'The Collector', they engaged Adams and a distinct partnership developed.
He was commissioned to do a trial cover of Christie's 'A Murder Is Announced', which was published with his cover in 1962. Everyone involved was pleased with the outcome. As a result, Adams ended up doing covers for many of Christie's paperbacks, often more than once. The only covers he did not create art for were the pre-1926 books which Fontana did not have the publishing rights to.
PocketBooks in the US very much wanted more realistic covers and for this reason, most of Adams' covers for the US editions feature a single dramatic or portentous scene from the novel that spans the front and rear covers. The two exceptions are "Nemesis" and "The Mystery of the Blue Train".
Fontana in the UK was much more open to Adams' creative input. Thus, the UK covers were often akin to a stylized tableau or surrealist collage. Adams ended up doing the covers for Agatha Christie paperbacks for 28 years (1962-1980), thus becoming connected with her intimately in the minds of many readers.
After serving two years in the navy, 1944-1946, he then trained at the Chelsea School of Art and Goldsmiths College, where he received a National Diploma of Painting in 1949. Between 1953 and 1960 he provided illustrations for the youth-oriented UK comics Eagle, Girl and Swift.
In the 1960s and 1970s he became involved with several distinguished poets, including Edward Lucie-Smith, Ted Hughes, C. Day Lewis, Brian Patten, George MacBeth and Adrian Henri as well as artists Sandra Blow, John Piper, Josef Herman, and Mark Boyle among others, producing poetry prints published by his own gallery, the Fulham Gallery, London.
He also designed posters for Mark Boyle's light shows (The Sensual Laboratory), the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Soft Machine. His connection with the modern world of rock music continued when he met Lou Reed, an admirer of his Christie and Raymond Chandler covers. Adams designed the cover for his first solo album.
By the early 60s, Collins decided it wanted to do something more artistically distinct with Agatha Christie’s paperback covers. Impressed with Adams’s cover for John Fowles’ 'The Collector', they engaged Adams and a distinct partnership developed.
He was commissioned to do a trial cover of Christie's 'A Murder Is Announced', which was published with his cover in 1962. Everyone involved was pleased with the outcome. As a result, Adams ended up doing covers for many of Christie's paperbacks, often more than once. The only covers he did not create art for were the pre-1926 books which Fontana did not have the publishing rights to.
PocketBooks in the US very much wanted more realistic covers and for this reason, most of Adams' covers for the US editions feature a single dramatic or portentous scene from the novel that spans the front and rear covers. The two exceptions are "Nemesis" and "The Mystery of the Blue Train".
Fontana in the UK was much more open to Adams' creative input. Thus, the UK covers were often akin to a stylized tableau or surrealist collage. Adams ended up doing the covers for Agatha Christie paperbacks for 28 years (1962-1980), thus becoming connected with her intimately in the minds of many readers.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 19, 2024
All the things you ever wanted to know about the history and science of trains, and then some more.
May 4, 2025
Fabulous!
June 19, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
I'm endlessly fascinated by innovations that have changed the way that people go about their daily lives, and yet there are fewer books about these sorts of innovations than about, say, World War II. Even though trains aren't the first form of transportation that comes to mind right now, there's no denying that their introduction changed the way that people got from one place to another.
This is a fascinating book that covers just about every facet of trains that one could imagine. The origins of trains are well laid out, there are several mini biographies of people involved in train innovations, and there's exquisite detail about things like running a railroad, and how the various types of trains (steam, diesel, electric) run. Famous trains and train lines are discussed, and there are fun facts like the introduction of time zones... I had no idea Eastern Standard Time came into existence because of train schedules. The chapters about Train at War will be very helpful for students researching different conflicts for National History Day, and I was captivated (and somewhat horrified) by the British use of railroads to control the native population of India. There are fun sections on some railway oddities, and a brief look at the future of trains. A timeline, index, and glossary complete this helpful and fascinating look at trains.
I especially appreciated that an effort was made to be inclusion of innovators from marginalized backgrounds, including the Black mechanical and electrical engineer Granville T. Woods, woman inventor Mary Elizabeth Walton, and Hideo Shima, who designed the Japan's bullet trains.
The one down side of this book is that there is so much information crammed onto the pages that the print was rather small. The trim size on the book is only 10"x 12". Also, the price of this is about $30, which shouldn't be surprising, but is a little alarming.
Do you remember The Way Things Work (1988), by David McCauley? This book is rather like that; a really good overview of everything you would ever need to know about trains, extremely well illustrated, but, sadly, without wool mammoths. There aren't a lot of students who are interested in trains at my middle school, but the ones who are tend to be obsessive. This is the one book about trains that will answer all of their questions. I've been looking for something like this for twenty years!
I'm endlessly fascinated by innovations that have changed the way that people go about their daily lives, and yet there are fewer books about these sorts of innovations than about, say, World War II. Even though trains aren't the first form of transportation that comes to mind right now, there's no denying that their introduction changed the way that people got from one place to another.
This is a fascinating book that covers just about every facet of trains that one could imagine. The origins of trains are well laid out, there are several mini biographies of people involved in train innovations, and there's exquisite detail about things like running a railroad, and how the various types of trains (steam, diesel, electric) run. Famous trains and train lines are discussed, and there are fun facts like the introduction of time zones... I had no idea Eastern Standard Time came into existence because of train schedules. The chapters about Train at War will be very helpful for students researching different conflicts for National History Day, and I was captivated (and somewhat horrified) by the British use of railroads to control the native population of India. There are fun sections on some railway oddities, and a brief look at the future of trains. A timeline, index, and glossary complete this helpful and fascinating look at trains.
I especially appreciated that an effort was made to be inclusion of innovators from marginalized backgrounds, including the Black mechanical and electrical engineer Granville T. Woods, woman inventor Mary Elizabeth Walton, and Hideo Shima, who designed the Japan's bullet trains.
The one down side of this book is that there is so much information crammed onto the pages that the print was rather small. The trim size on the book is only 10"x 12". Also, the price of this is about $30, which shouldn't be surprising, but is a little alarming.
Do you remember The Way Things Work (1988), by David McCauley? This book is rather like that; a really good overview of everything you would ever need to know about trains, extremely well illustrated, but, sadly, without wool mammoths. There aren't a lot of students who are interested in trains at my middle school, but the ones who are tend to be obsessive. This is the one book about trains that will answer all of their questions. I've been looking for something like this for twenty years!
October 5, 2024
Jam-packed with fascinating facts and bright illustrations, this is the captivating story of how trains have transformed our world.
Thank you Quarto Books for making this book available as a Read Now book on Netgalley! I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was interesting. I didn’t know anything about trains before reading this. The train that I was the most interested in reading about in here was the Orient Express that’s in England. I didn’t know that it was a real train. I thought that it was just something that Agatha Christie made up in her book “Murder On The Orient Express”. I wanted to read this because I don’t live very far from the railroad tracks. Tonight in the middle of the night when I took my dog outside to use the bathroom in my backyard, I heard a train going by.
Thank you Quarto Books for making this book available as a Read Now book on Netgalley! I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was interesting. I didn’t know anything about trains before reading this. The train that I was the most interested in reading about in here was the Orient Express that’s in England. I didn’t know that it was a real train. I thought that it was just something that Agatha Christie made up in her book “Murder On The Orient Express”. I wanted to read this because I don’t live very far from the railroad tracks. Tonight in the middle of the night when I took my dog outside to use the bathroom in my backyard, I heard a train going by.
March 13, 2025
I must admit skipping over the details of the engineering/mechanical parts, but the history here is perfect. The pages on Record Breakers and Oddballs, what fun! Most famous stretch of track is the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland. Yes, please. The deepest railway line is 5 statues of library deep in Japan. NO, thank you. There are pilot programs with implants as train tickets in Sweden. YIKES, MT Anderson's FEED reality keeps coming closer and closer. Hyperloop train reaching speeds of 620 mph. Um, maybe? This is a book that a train fan, kid or grown-up, will read on repeat.
November 20, 2024
A book that uses good levels of clarity and interest, and ditto for the visuals, to convey everything the young might need to know about trains – from the Mallard to their place in the Holocaust. It's written in paragraph-long factoids and with a sense of trivia, but it still works as a decent history of and scientific explanation about the choo-choos. I'd choo-choose it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews