Quest for Speed

A visual history of high-speed trains.

Hop aboard this fascinating journey through the early days of railway trains to the modern-day superfast Maglevs, which can reach speeds of 600km/h. Exquisitely illustrated with hundreds of photos, both archival and modern, the book is a visual feast for anyone even remotely interested in railways.

This is a journey through time and throughout the world, investigating trains that have been considered high-speed in their day. Focused at first in Britain, the birthplace of the railway, the book covers developments in the 19th and 20th centuries across Europe, including the birth of the French TGV, which is credited with kickstarting the modern rise of the high-speed train in the West, inspired itself by the early Japanese Shinkansen—the Bullet Train—in 1964.

From steam to diesel to gas turbines to electric, and from steel-wheeled to magnetic levitation (maglev), it is all covered in this book, including significant recent innovations such as driverless trains and maglev on conventional track, which may well be the way of the future.

With hundreds of colour photographs, many taken specially for this book, and readable text aimed at all those interested in history and the development of technology—not just railway enthusiasts—Quest for Speed will entertain, fascinate, and delight.