cover image Railroad: Identity, Design and Culture

Railroad: Identity, Design and Culture

Keith Lovegrove. Rizzoli International Publications, $14.95 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-8478-2719-0

Though the golden age of American rail travel may be long departed, enthusiasm for trains lives on. With an abundance of color photographs and informative accompanying prose, Lovegrove (Airline: Identity, Design and Culture) takes the reader on a beautifully illustrated journey through the many aspects of train design and railroad company branding from the late 19th century to the present. Focusing primarily on European, American and Japanese railways, the book features discussions of topics such as the nose design of modern high speed trains and the logo for Amtrak's Acela service, and includes photos of Japanese train washrooms, cramped kitchen staff on the Union Pacific, and the uniforms of Japanese and Belgian railway employees. Though the writing is occasionally dry, and more mentions of non-Western railway systems would be welcome-India has one of the world's largest railroad systems but it merits only a paragraph here-Lovegrove provides a comprehensive look at train design that's sure to appeal to train enthusiasts.