Steam journey into the blue

As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, Emily Scaife explores the enduring bond between trains, rail lines and our great British countryside

BACK in 1606, Lord North was unwell. His “lingering consumptive disorder” baffled his doctors. A stay in a remote hunting lodge cadged from a friend hadn’t helped, but on a country ride he came across

To mark the bicentenary of the first public passenger steam railway, Tom Chesshyre picks his top British train trips

1 NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY Covering 24 undulating miles between the North Sea resort of Whitby and the town of Pickering, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway operates regular rides pulled by classi

EXPERT ANALYSIS OF THE ISSUES AFFECTING TODAY’S MAIN LINE CHARTER SCENE

This trip is confusing me. One moment I feel like I’m in New Zealand, surrounded by dense tree ferns in a damp and mossy glade above a waterfall. A couple of hours later I’m bombarded by ker-chings of