Anthony Burton: On The Rails: Two Centuries Of Railways

Reviewed by MARGIE THOMSON

This year marks the bicentennial of an invention that changed the world: in 1804 a steam engine designed by the brilliant, impatient Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick hauled a 10-ton load over 9 and a half miles (15km) of track in South Wales, making it the world's first working railway locomotive.

The consequences were unimaginable, as trains chuffed over the world, linking continents and oceans, scaling mountain peaks and tunnelling under them, enabling industries and migrations — and sparking a breed of enthusiast which has been the object of humour ever since.

And rail isn't finished yet: new developments such as the Maglev system enable trains to reach 430km/h, with passengers travelling in luxury.

This book, a well-illustrated companion to a Discovery channel series, will bring a smile to the faces of those long-suffering trainspotters.

Aurum, $59.99