Railways

by Christopher Valkoinen

Exquisite drawings of locomotives, carriages, and stations offering unparalleled insight into the history, design and operation of the railway. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the first railway was established in Great Britain, contributing to the country’s dramatic social and economic revolution. Detailed plans were created of locomotives, carriages, wagons, stations, bridges, and tunnels to facilitate the manufacturing process and maintenance of the railway network. Miraculously, about one million of these exquisite drawings have survived and are housed at the National Railway Museum, York. In A History in Drawings , Christopher Valkoinen has selected over 130 examples from the museum’s collection that illustrate the innovative history of Britain’s railway. Accompanied by lively and insightful commentary, as well as contemporary photographs and posters, featured plans range from Queen Victoria’s royal saloon, Stephenson’s Rocket, and the Flying Scotsman to the boiler for the famous John Bull―the oldest surviving steam locomotive in the United States―and modern experiments with hovertrains. Perfect for train and engineering enthusiasts and anyone interested in British history, this compendium of drawings gives unparalleled insight into all aspects of the design and operation of the British railway system from the early nineteenth century to the 1970s. 300 illustrations

Genres: Travel

304 pages, Hardcover

Published September 7, 2021

Reviews

[Frank Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tomb of a book has to be something of a classic amongst texts concerning railway literature.
I say, 'tomb', not in the sense of it being dull or overbearing, but merely because of the sheer weight and size of it.
If it weren't for the lavish and amazing illustrations, the book might appear, to all but the most earnest railway enthusiasts, as too much of an undertaking.
But the pages of text, all of it informative and interesting, are taken up with page after page of the most beautiful drawings and diagrams of all aspects of railways and railway life and history.
I spent more time analysing the drawings and plans as I did reading, probably more. I love technical drawings, and some of these are the finest you can find. The skill in producing them is breathtaking.
I learned an amazing amount about all aspects of railway life and history reading this, and can now often bore my non railway pals with small bits of railway information. It is encyclopaedic in its contents.
I am by no means a railway fanatic, but I am sort of interested in trains and railways, but I was as much engrossed by the quality of draughtsmanship as I was about them actually being railway based.