Monthly Archives: December 2014

I’ve recently been posting, on my other blog, about the cultural impact of speed… I used the term machine-ensemble, in those posts and below, to describe the context of what I was describing. It turns out that the term is … Continue reading →

The BBC are showing a classic Hitchcock film on Christmas day evening…It’s The Lady Vanishes (1938). I’ve posted before about Hitchcock, cinema and trains…here’s an edited text that combines bits of all these old posts. Happy holidays to you all. Alfred Hitchcock … Continue reading →

My new issue of eye, the international review of graphic design, arrived today. Imagine my surprise and delight to discover this amazing gatefold of a Wrigley billboard design by Otis and Dorothy Shepard from 1937…the airbrush and streamlining of the train … Continue reading →

My friend and colleague, Dave Hendley, sent this over…lovely and atmospheric. I especially like the curve of the rails and the light on them. The smoke and telegraph wires add vertical drama too.

Here’s a poster image of BRs famous new identity from the mid1960s…it still looks pretty good now. The identities associated with the privatisation of the railway have been pretty poor – except that they provide plenty of opportunity for corporate … Continue reading →

Here’s a photograph by Walker Evans. It shows a small railway station, out in the sticks. Evans was a photographer associated with the Farm Security Administration. During the 1930s, the FSA documented the lives of ordinary Americans working in the … Continue reading →

I recently posted a cover design, with box-car, from the US business magazine, Fortune. Here are some more railway themed covers… Fortune was a remarkable publication. It was expertly art-directed and always had great cover designs. Often, these designs were … Continue reading →

  I’ve been investigating track control systems for railways…there’s a logic of safety and performance that is compelling.  

I found a terrific US based web-resource about the New York Central Railroad. The site describes the trains, yards, people and communities of the railroad through photographs. Great stuff!