Beyond the Tracks — Google Arts & Culture

Celebrating 15!

All aboard the untold journey of the railway

In collaboration with Science Museum Group's

National Railway Museum

200 years on track

Step into railway history

Immerse yourself in unique 3D virtual exhibitions

What Happens When Trains Inspire Art?

Railway Posters That Sold More Than Just the Ticket

Journey through a one-of-a-kind collection

Inside Europe's Largest Indoor Rail Vehicle Collection

Travel Back In Time

An Introduction to Railway Heritage

Cruise Through 5 Curious Objects

Start your adventure

Which type of passenger are you?

The Innovator

Uncover the history behind the machine

The Story Seeker

Hear the stories from the tracks

The Creative Eye

See the arts of the railway

All aboard!

Choose which locomotive in history you want to explore

Sans Pareil

Trevithick, 1800

Steam Locomotive

Goodrich, 1826

Standard Passenger

Dawson, 1837

Firefly

Clement, 1840

Eclipse

Turner, 1841

Ice Locomotive

Grew, 1861

Egyptian Locomotive

Bey, 1862

Dockyard 2-2-2

Stevens, 1890

A trip through history

Explore the world's first public railway

Travel Along the Brusselton Incline

Through the heritage landscape of the iconic track

Wander Down the Railway Tracks

Explore with Street View

Next stop: Locomotion

The National Railway Museum's site in Shildon

Explore The Main Hall

Explore The New Hall

Meet the pioneers

The Innovators Who Drove the Birth of the Railway

The revolutionary ideas of Trevithick, Hudson, and Hackworth

Race with Stephenson's 'Rocket'

Learn about the winning locomotive of the Rainhill Trials, 1829

Inside the engineer's mind

John Rastrick's judging notes on 'Rocket' from the Rainhill Trials

Multi-tubular boiler, firebox and chimney

John Rastrick, 1829

Weights, dimensions, observations

John Rastrick, 1829

Construction

John Rastrick, 1829

Water consumption

John Rastrick, 1829

Weights, dimensions, observations

John Rastrick, 1829

Inside Rastrick's Notebook

Danger ahead

The Perilous Track

Safety, tragedy, and the cost of progress

Mapping a new world

Early railway maps across Britain

First Inter-City Railway: Liverpool to Manchester

1829

Network Lines of England

1836

Network Lines with Turnpike Roads and Canals of England & Wales

1845

Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway

1846

Metropolitan Railway Including Bridges and Embankments

1863

Network Lines of Ireland

1897

Signalling advancements

Tracing the history of railway communication

Colour Light Signal Head

Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, 1912

Five Needle Instrument

Sir William Fothergill Cooke, 1845

Three Telegraphic Block Instrument

G. K. Winter, 1880-1885

Single Needle Block Instrument

Norfolk Railway, 1845

Sykes Lock and Block System

Sykes, 1875

Blueprints of a revolution

19th-century engines, carriages, and components

Trevithick's Tram Engine

1803-12

Lancashire Witch

1828

Long Boiler Locomotive

1841

Terrier Locomotive

1870

Express Passenger Engine

1874

Air Brake Regulator

1879

Family Carriage

1881

Festiniog Slate Wagon

1888

Learn how maths shaped the railway

People power

What was it like working on the early railways?

Life On the Line

Meet the people behind Britain's steam story

Jobs on the rails

Engine Driver

Fireman

Guard

Policeman

Coach Driver

The draughtsmen's diaries

A look inside the Great Western Railway Drawing Office scrapbook, 1899-1938

Tools of the trade

What objects did they bring to work?

Truncheon

Whistle

Money Bag

Drawing Instruments

Detonator Box

Lantern

Scissors

Fireman's Helmet

An era-defining journey

The Funeral Train of Queen Victoria

What part did the railways play in this period of national mourning?

All aboard the art express

Paintings from the National Railway Museum

First Class: The Meeting

Abraham Solomon, 1855

Seats for Five Persons

Unknown, 1850-1855

Second Class: The Parting

Abraham Solomon, 1855

Journey into the art collection

Tracks beyond Britain

Indian Colonial Railways in the Turnbull Collection

What can the collection tell us about European attitudes towards India?

Explore Indian Railways

151,000 km of laid track, 1 billion people, and an infinite source of memories

Brushstrokes and steam clouds

How railways sparked a new era of leisure and changed society

Selling the Railway Age Through Graphic Design

Explore the bold visual artistry that made rail travel irresistible

Where to next?

Use Art Projector to see full-size vintage railway posters in your own space

Isle of Wight Railway, 1900

South Eastern & Chatham Railway, 1900

Great Western Railway, 1890

Glasgow & South Western Railway, 1910

Midland Railway, 1879

Thomas Cook & Son, 1900

Great Western Railway, 1908

Early fears of the railway

'Railway Panic' sketches digitized for the first time

Dreadful accident on the London and Birmingham Railway

C.A.S

The Queen's Staghounds Narrow Escape

C. A. S

The Gentleman who was Locked Up Because he Had Lost his Ticket

C.A.S

Mr Kendrick of Crewe Being Refused His Luggage

C.A.S

Sale of the Effects of the Sufferer on the Railway

C.A.S

The Flood on the Thames Junction

C.A.S

The Constable on the Great Western Railway

C.A.S

Sketching scandal

The Fall of the Railway King

Discover how George Hudson’s empire went off the rails through sharp, 19th-century satire

Buy a ticket for your next journey

First Class (Season)

Second Class (Single)

Third Class (Single)

Third Class (Season)

Third Class (Weekly)

Continue your journey...

Stories

Images

Virtual Tours

The National Railway Museum

View Collection

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