5 Books to Read If You Love Train Travel

Whether you're a seasoned train traveler or simply looking forward to an annual long-distance train journey, many of us miss the wispy joys of whizzing through unseen terrain or treasured stomping grounds alike on a train.

For now, amid the coronavirus outbreak, we're all trading our wanderlust for reminiscing about travels past and daydreaming of journeys to come. We can't think of a better way to do that then with these superb books about train travel.

The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas Paperback by Paul Theroux

It's impossible to talk about books about train travel and not talk about the vast railway journeys the prolific travel writer has embarked upon. In one of our favorites of such adventures, Theroux takes a long, meandering journey swizzled in strangeness and awe, everyday figures and celebrities, elation and sadness, from Cape Cod to Patagonia. Two more Theroux train tomes not to miss: The Great Railway Bazaar and Riding the Iron Rooster.

Buy it on Amazon for $12.17 here.

Food on the Move: Dining on the Legendary Railway Journeys of the World edited by Sharon Hudgins

Head aboard historic train routes like the Orient Express and Santa Fe Super Chief as you read essays about the famed dining cars on these glamorous trains, hear detailed descriptions of their menus, and get the recipes for famed dishes like "Santa Fe French Toast" from the Super Chief and the "Flying Scotchman" cocktail from the Flying Scotsman train. Each chapter is accompanied by beautiful vintage photographs, postcards, and advertisements, making it the perfect coffee table book to pick up whenever you have a "get me out of here" moment.

Buy it on Amazon for $23.49 here.

So What's the Hurry? Tales From the Train by Jane Fishman

"I like passing through Americana, easing into a one-story station in the middle of some small town not too far from a hardware store, a post office, a county museum, a courthouse or, in the case of Dillon, S.C., a town clock that towers over a new brick platform. I like watching family and friends waving goodbye until the last possible moment," writes Jane Fishman, a newspaper columnist from Savannah, in her fifth book. If you feel moved by this snippet, you'll love this beautiful selection of essays. So go ahead and pick up the book, slow down your engine for a while, and enjoy the ride.

Buy it on Amazon for $7.51 here.

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The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

Reliving childhood story time and the joy of "chug chug chug. Puff, puff, puff. Ding-dong, ding-dong," with the flip of the page? Ah, what fun. This classic childhood book belongs on everybody's shelf for moments (now) when we need a dose of optimism.

Buy it on Amazon for $7.23 here.

Off the Rails: A Train Trip Through Life by Beppe Severgnini

Zig-zag across the world with a passionate train buff whose energy practically leaps off the pages. Readers will get to join Severgnini on his honeymoon aboard the Trans-Siberian Express, across the United States with his son from Washington D.C. to Washington state, and on more memorable trips in this reflective collection of colorful tales.

Buy it on Amazon for $20.99 here.