How Trains Changed the World

Season 1

2018 · 6 episodes

Episodes

1. 

   1. Power and Empire: The Great Arteries

   26 Nov 2018

   One of the great advances of the 19th Century, the railways were a tool of empire. How did the Victorians use them to expand their influence?

2. 

   2. The Great Workhorses: Trains That Move Loads

   3 Dec 2018

   From the Channel Tunnel to carrying iron ore in the Australian Outback, experts discuss the history and the future of freight trains.

3. 

   3. Express Trains That Link Cities

   10 Dec 2018

   Intended as an efficient, economical way of moving freight, the emergence of express trains revolutionised society with the demand for fast travel.

4. 

   4. The Commute: Trains That Make Cities

   17 Dec 2018

   The world's 10 busiest metro systems carry more than 22 billion passengers every year. How has the train shaped cities - and changed the world?

5. 

   5. Trains and War: Weapons and Logistics

   24 Dec 2018

   As weapons and transport, trains transformed the battlefield - from huge railway guns and hospital trains to those taking victims to death camps.

6. 

   6. The Love of Trains: Power, Prestige and Romance

   31 Dec 2018

   Trains have changed the way people see the world - and each other. What is it that makes them so special?