Railway Fiction

[HonoriaBulstrode]

A blogger I follow was noting the bicentenary of the start of the Railway Age and remarked on how often railway journeys feature in books and films.

So, favourite fictional railway journeys?

Agatha Christie wote at least three books in which a railway journey is integral to the plot.
Lots of train travel in the Chalet School series. I think I like the wartime journeys best, they're the most realistic.
And if you include railway stations, Brief Encounter of course.
And in Casablanca, when Ilsa doesn't turn up to get the train out of Paris and Rick has to leave without her.

What else?

R C Sheriff's The Fortnight in September has a great description of the process of travelling by train from London to the south coast for a holiday. I especially loved the porter going to their house to collect the luggage for them - bring that service back!

One of my all time favourite books and I agree, the train journey is so evocative- especially when they pass their "little house" all closed up and empty.

Ooh and Emil and the Detectives. Love the illustrations as well

Agree

'Trina' by Patricia Miles Martin.
A US children's book written in the 1960s but set in the early days of rail there. It's the story of a Mexican child living in a boxcar in a railway siding. Her father works on the railways and because they have moved around a lot with his work, she hasn't learned to speak English yet. Much of the story is about her learning English so that she can communicate with English speaking friends, but there are lovely contrasts between life moving between different places, and a settled life in one town, and between different cultures and customs. I loved this book as a child and reacquired a copy as an adult.

Just thought of another one - The Hill of the Red Fox (Allan Campbell McLean, 1955 ). A children's book with an early chapter about a Buchanesque train journey from London to Scotland; what happens on the train is important to the rest of the story, which is set on Skye. A great yarn, and the rather charming 1975 TV adaptation - set in the 1970s - is available free on Youtube.

Bit late to the thread, but this is currently 99p on Kindle, so thanks for the recommendation.

Dick Francis' The Edge- TransCanadian railway journey with racehorses and rich owners on board- his usual crime thriller with unassuming hero. It's one of my favourite Francis books

Dick Francis' The Edge

I don't remember that one. Must go and look it up. I did read all the books he wrote. Haven't read all of Felix's.

Film; The Ghost Train. With Arthur Askey it is hilarious.

Gavin Lyall "Spy's Honour" Set in 1912/13 the start of the Secret Service. The Orient Express journey to Budapest from Paris.

Bradshaws Guide has been published in facsimile, I bought an unmarked one for £5. at a Heritage Railway bookstall. Mine is for 1922 which is before the Grouping of small Railway companies. It includes Ireland as well. It takes me a lot longer than it does Watson to work out the journey😯

Film; The Ghost Train. With Arthur Askey it is hilarious.

Wasn't that written by Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey)?

Love trains, in reality as well as fiction.

Train final scene in North and South TV adaptation is beautiful, but is not in the book, although there is much travelling and talk of chaperones so trains must be at least mentioned!

The later book about Anne Shirley / Blythe, the one about her family during WW1, includes memorable station scenes of soldiers arriving and leaving.

The later book about Anne Shirley / Blythe, the one about her family during WW1, includes memorable station scenes of soldiers arriving and leaving.

Rilla of Ingleside - Dog Monday - 😭

John Masefield's The Box of Delights starts with a really creepy railway journey and two men who are not as they seem...

Quite a few of Philip Pullman's books feature train journeys.

Oh and the only book of Dorothy L Sayers' I couldn't warm to was Five Red Herrings, which has an unbelievably complicated alibi involving Scottish train timetables.

Lots of train journeys in The Diary of a Provincial Lady books E M Delafield. Especially the journey to the south of France

There’s a great journey across Europe in “Lion Boy” by Zizou Corder

Was coming to write this one! It's also one of my favourites of his.

I'll add The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton, which is faithful to the known details of the real event but written into story format brilliantly.

I remember hazily that maybe one or more of the Boris Akunin/Fandorin novels may be set on a train.

Some great recs on here, thanks for the thread OP! (And I love ECR Lorac books - often on Kindle Unlimited.)

It's not all by train: he walks a lot and catches the occasional bus (but clearly dislikes the latter). I don't at all find him the curmudgeon some people have said he is, although I do disagree with his dislike of Aberdeen.

All the Thomas the Tank Engine books