Railroad: Identity, Design and Culture

Celebrating the culture and design of the railroad from its beginnings in the Industrial Revolution through its 20th-century heyday, Railroad is a loving tribute to the unique aesthetic of trains. With hundreds of archival and contemporary photographs, it examines the glamorous early days, when train travel meant sumptuous, luxurious interiors with formal black-tie dining cars and private sleeping-suite cabins, up to the present with the sleek, streamlined design and record-breaking speeds of modern trains around the globe. Touching on every aspect of railroad design, from the interiors and exteriors of the trains, to railroad stations, signage, and trestles and tunnels, Railroad also abounds in such train ephemera as tickets, conductor uniforms, timetables, and advertisements, and is sprinkled with trivia and anecdotes illuminating railroading’s colorful history.
As both harbinger of modern engineering and nostalgic symbol of an earlier age, the railroad continues to exert a fascination over all those interested in travel, engineering, and design. Railroad is a stylish trip down memory lane, paying whimsical tribute to our earliest modern form of transportation and examining how design continues to shape and reflect transportation.