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?

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

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

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

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