The railway revolution opened up new destinations, expanded our culinary horizons and dramatically improved trade. Jonathan Self takes us on a whistle-stop tour of ‘railway mania’

Chugging and chuffing their way around heritage lines across the country, steam locomotives continue to capture our imagination, says Octavia Pollock

Although some perceived the advent of the locomotive as a threat to the countryside, by allowing artists a quick and easy way to travel, it broadened their choice of painting horizons, discovers Carla Passino

Kicking off a special final section of Railway 200 features to round off our year of anniversary celebrations, TIM DUNN looks at how art has long been used to romanticise and promote Britain’s railways

The myriad tracks and carriages of the British rail network have proved fruitful inspiration for generations of writers, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee

We’re heading into a momentous year for railway preservation as the Talyllyn Railway marks 75 years since it was saved from almost certain extinction to become the first heritage railway. But how did the concept of railway preservation emerge and develop? MARK PEARCE digs deeper.