The railway was one of the main modes of long distance travel for Victorian Britons, and its processes - checking the timetable, buying a ticket, taking a seat - were central to both the industry and leisure of the period. David Turner here tells the story of travelling by rail between 1830 and the First World War: the development of stations, passenger carriages, waiting rooms and tickets; less familiar phenomena such as smoking and 'ladies only' compartments, and excursion trains; and the danger of accidents. This introduction to the Victorian and Edwardian railways shows the face of an era reflected in its new method of travel, and will allow the reader to note fascinating similarities between travel in that period and our own.

Author Biography

David Turner is a PhD student at the University of York and National Railway Museum's 'Institute of Railway Studies and Transport History' studying Victorian railway management between 1870 and 1914. He is also the author of the TurnipRail railway history blog.