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Do you have a train lover in your family? Or are you a fan of the railways? Having married a railway man and come to love traveling the world by train I understand just how important it is to buy them the right gift!
This gift guide focuses on the top 19 books on trains that I know all train lovers will love (try saying that 5 times rapidly!) including the history of train books, best railroad books, steam train books and other great books about trains.
There is also a selection of books about traveling by train including some which focus on great train journeys in Europe such as the Flam Railway or across Switzerland or for the more adventurous some of those amazing bucket list rail journeys across the world. Definitely a lot of inspiration for those of us who dream of doing most of those trips!
This particular selection focuses on books about trains for adults. If you are looking for children’s books about trains I have two separate posts one where you can find great train books for kids (and train-themed gifts) including best train books for toddlers and great train storybooks.
Books all train lovers with love!
A selection of fantastic train themed books for train lovers - some gift ideas for yourself or a train lover in your life.
Amazing Train Journeys (Amazing Journeys)
Love trains? Love train travel? This book will inspire any train loving traveler to start planning that next iconic trip.
Detailing 60 of the world's most memorable train journeys including maps, photographs, timetables and most importantly the various ticket options this book will determine travel plans for years!
Time Out Great Train Journeys of the World (Time Out Guides)
Covering 40 of the greatest train journeys in the world this will provide hours of inspiration for your next rail adventure. A perfect gift for the train travel lover!
Around the World in 80 Trains: A 45,000-Mile Adventure
This is my dream trip and sure to inspire any train travel lover - how about circumnavigating the globe by train!
Around India in 80 Trains
In 1991, Monisha Rajesh's family uprooted from Sheffield to Madras in the hope of making India their home. Two years later, fed up with soap-eating rats, severed human heads and the creepy colonel across the road, they returned to England with a bitter taste in their mouths.
Two decades on, she turns to a map of the Indian Railways and takes a page out of Jules Verne's classic tale, embarking on an adventure around India in 80 trains, covering 40,000 km - the circumference of the Earth. She hopes that 80 train journeys up, down and across India will lift the veil on a country that has become a stranger to her.
Rails Around the World: Two Centuries of Trains and Locomotives
In this visually glorious chronological history, prolific railroad historian and photographer Brian Solomon curates a selection of the world’s most significant trains and locomotives over the last two centuries.
Hop aboard to see trains and locomotives at work in scenic locations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
Trains: The World's Most Scenic Routes
- A book about the world's most scenic train routes featuring in-depth descriptions and hi-def photography.
- From Asia to Australia to North America, Trains features some of the most iconic routes the world has known.
- Learn about historic and modern train routes that travel through large tracks of untamed land.
The Journey: The Fine Art of Traveling by Train
A lovely coffee table book which will take you on a journey on some of the most beautiful train journeys around the world.
All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide
A comprehensive guide to planning train travel in North America including scenery guides, tips and more.
This is an essential for anyone planning to travel North America by railroad!
The 50 Greatest Train Journeys of the World
The definitive bucket list for the train traveler is contained in this book which looks at the 50 greatest train journeys across the world.
Some are well known such as the Orient Express but there are also some lesser known rail routes included!
Adventures of a Railway Nomad: How Our Journeys Guide Us Home
A great read for those of us who would love to hop on a train and travel as long as we want!
The author does just that visiting 13 countries in Europe by train and documenting her adventures along the way!
Lost Railway Journeys from Around the World
For the armchair traveler or those nostalgic for the romance and drama of travel in a world before cars and airplanes took over this book is a celebration of train lines that can no longer exist.
A History of the World in 500 Railway Journeys
Travel by train to some of the world's most remote and remarkable destinations and let this book be your guide to their history.
Ticket to ride - around the world in 49 unusual train journeys
Already completed some of the 20 most beautiful train journeys in the world? This book will give you some inspiration for future travel by taking us on some of the most unusual train journeys around the world!
Trains: A Complete History
Trains: A Complete History provides an excellent overview of the train models that were groundbreaking in their respective eras.
Complete with a detachable collection of press-out model train pieces, Trains: A Complete History is the two-in-one book that will have train enthusiasts young and old tooting their horns and hollering, “All aboard!”
100 Years of Classic Steam
Steam train enthusiast? This book illustrates a century of the locomotive with 200 photographs taken on 4 continents. A beautiful book any steam enthusiast will treasure forever.
Railroads Across North America: An Illustrated History
In this lavish celebration of the glory and grandeur that are the great North American railroads, author Claude Wiatrowski examines the development of the industry with nearly 90 features covering more than three dozen railroads past and present, as well as dozens more subjects, including railroads in film and music, specialty railroads, life and travel on the rails, and much more.
An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Locomotives:: A Guide to the Golden Age of Train Engines from 1830 to 2000
From the early years of steam power to today’s awe inspiring high-speed passenger trains, this book spans nearly two centuries of locomotive history.
With 700 photographs, the book is a wonderful guide that will appeal to all.
A Bridge Even Further: From the UK to Singapore by train
This is our next big trip by train and believe me if you read this book it may well be yours too!
Woodward’s intricate details of his journey will fire your imagination, whether you’re an armchair explorer or thinking of embarking on your very own rail adventure.
Great Continental Railway Journeys
For fans of Michael Portillo's train journeys on TV now comes the book!
Travel with Michael From London, to Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Copenhagen, Oslo, Lisbon, Madrid, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Prague, Munich, Zurich, Rome, Budapest, St Petersburg; all the way down to Constantinople, Haifa and Jerusalem and discover the great feats of engineering that built the various railway lines connecting Europe and further afield and the men and women who made these journeys famous through their deeds and words.
Tourist Trains Guidebook
Tourist Trains Guidebook, Seventh Edition describes 500 of the most popular train attractions, museums, and railroad vacation destinations in the U.S. and Canada.
A unique travel guide that appeals to train enthusiasts, individuals interested in historic trains and sites, and families looking for kid-friendly vacations.
Do you prefer to read books on your Kindle or listen to audiobooks?
Kindle Unlimited
Why not join Kindle Unlimited which includes some great benefits:
- Unlimited reading from over 1 million ebooks
- Unlimited listening to thousands of audiobooks
- Read on any device
- Membership plans are also giftable
Audible
Why not consider an audible membership? it also makes a fantastic gift and comes with loads of fab features including:
- An unmatched selection of audiobooks performed by world-class talent
- 3 titles for each month of their gift membership: 1 audiobook + 2 Audible Originals.
- 30% off any additional audiobooks.
- Anywhere, anytime listening with the free Audible app.
- Free and easy audiobook exchanges.
- An Audible book library they’ll own forever.
Books on trains and train travel
I am sure you will have found some fantastic books on trains for yourself or as a gift for someone who loves trains and train travel.
I have lots of tips about train travel too which may be of interest including how to catch the Eurostar from London to Paris, tips for traveling by overnight sleeper train as well as a comprehensive guide to traveling the UK by train.
For more train-related or book-related gift ideas take a look at these posts: