Curations

The world’s favourite railway artworks

Katey Goodwin

In 1825 the Stockton & Darlington Railway opened in North East England – a journey that changed the world forever. In 2025, Railway 200 is commemorating this anniversary in a year-long celebration of the modern railway.


Railways have often inspired artists, and to celebrate this enduring connection, Art UK and Railway 200 ran a global poll to find the world’s best-loved railway artwork in the UK.


And the winner is – Train Landscape by Eric Ravilious. This 1940 watercolour shows the white horse of Westbury, Wiltshire, viewed through the window of a third-class carriage. It is in the collection of Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums.


The top 20 artworks shown in this Curation are listed in their final position in the vote, from 1 to 20.

Artists featured in this Curation: Eric Ravilious (1903–1942), Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), David Shepherd (1931–2017), Augustus Leopold Egg (1816–1863), Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996), Frank Wootton (1911–1998), Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971), Anna Todd (b.1964), Ann Emily Carr (b.1929), Barber, and 4 more
20 artworks
Storyline Album Showcase

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Train Landscape
Image credit: Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums

Train Landscape

1

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

Train Landscape 1940
Eric Ravilious (1903–1942)
Watercolour on paper (collage)
H 44.1 x W 54.8 cm
Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums
1940, watercolour on paper (collage) by Eric Ravilious (1903–1942)

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Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway
Image credit: The National Gallery, London

Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway

2

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Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway 1844
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851)
Oil on canvas
H 91 x W 121.8 cm
The National Gallery, London

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Service by Night
© the artist's estate. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Service by Night

3

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Service by Night 1955
David Shepherd (1931–2017)
Oil on canvas
H 67.6 x W 97.7 cm
National Railway Museum

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The Travelling Companions
Image credit: Birmingham Museums Trust

The Travelling Companions

4

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The Travelling Companions 1862
Augustus Leopold Egg (1816–1863)
Oil on canvas
H 65.3 x W 78.7 cm
Birmingham Museums Trust

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Clapham Junction
© reproduced with kind permission of the Cuneo estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Clapham Junction

5

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

Clapham Junction 1961
Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 105.6 x W 120.7 cm
National Railway Museum

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By Rail to Wales
© the artist's estate. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

By Rail to Wales

6

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

By Rail to Wales
Frank Wootton (1911–1998)
Oil on canvas
H 82.3 x W 62.8 cm
National Railway Museum

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The 'Coronation Scot' Ascending Shap Fell, Cumbria
© National Railway Museum. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

The 'Coronation Scot' Ascending Shap Fell, Cumbria

7

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The 'Coronation Scot' Ascending Shap Fell, Cumbria 1937
Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971)
Oil on canvas
H 88.9 x W 126.1 cm
National Railway Museum

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Talyllyn Railway on the Dolgoch Viaduct
© reproduced with kind permission of the Cuneo estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

Talyllyn Railway on the Dolgoch Viaduct

8

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Talyllyn Railway on the Dolgoch Viaduct 1967
Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 64 x W 76 cm
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum

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View from a Railway Carriage; Beginning of the Carriage
© the artist. Image credit: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

View from a Railway Carriage; Beginning of the Carriage

9

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

View from a Railway Carriage; Beginning of the Carriage
Anna Todd (b.1964)
Acrylic on board
H 191 x W 76 cm
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

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Blue Train at Bowling Harbour
© reproduced with kind permission of the Cuneo estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Glasgow Life Museums

Blue Train at Bowling Harbour

10

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Blue Train at Bowling Harbour 1965
Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 94 x W 119.5 cm
Glasgow Life Museums

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Waterloo Station
© reproduced with kind permission of the Cuneo estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Science Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Waterloo Station

11

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Waterloo Station 1967
Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 366 x W 610 cm
Science Museum

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'Mallard'
© the artist. Image credit: Tees Valley Museums Group

'Mallard'

12

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'Mallard' 1980s
Ann Emily Carr (b.1929)
Oil on canvas
H 33.6 x W 44 cm
Hopetown Darlington

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A Diesel Train on the Shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, near Keswick, Cumberland
© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

A Diesel Train on the Shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, near Keswick, Cumberland

13

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

A Diesel Train on the Shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, near Keswick, Cumberland
Barber (active c.1950–1961)
Oil on canvas
H 86 x W 133.7 cm
National Railway Museum

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The Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 1825
© reproduced with kind permission of the Cuneo estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

The Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 1825

14

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The Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, 1825 1949
Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 69.6 x W 85.5 cm
National Railway Museum

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The Erecting Shop of the North British Locomotive Company's Hyde Park Works, Glasgow
© the copyright holder. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

The Erecting Shop of the North British Locomotive Company's Hyde Park Works, Glasgow

15

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The Erecting Shop of the North British Locomotive Company's Hyde Park Works, Glasgow 1924
Ralph Gordon Tetley (1910–1985)
Oil on board
H 47.8 x W 35.5 cm
National Railway Museum

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Train Crossing Monsal Dale Viaduct
© National Railway Museum. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

Train Crossing Monsal Dale Viaduct

16

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

Train Crossing Monsal Dale Viaduct
Norman Wilkinson (1878–1971)
Oil on canvas
H 76.5 x W 114.4 cm
National Railway Museum

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The Day Begins
© reproduced with kind permission of the Cuneo estate / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: National Railway Museum / Science & Society Picture Library

The Day Begins

17

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

The Day Begins 1946
Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
Oil on canvas
H 88.5 x W 127 cm
National Railway Museum

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The Railway Station
Image credit: Royal Holloway, University of London

The Railway Station

18

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

The Railway Station 1862
William Powell Frith (1819–1909)
Oil on canvas
H 116.7 x W 256.4 cm
Royal Holloway, University of London

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Euston Station: Loading the Travelling Post Office
© Royal Mail Group Ltd. Image credit: The Postal Museum

Euston Station: Loading the Travelling Post Office

19

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Euston Station: Loading the Travelling Post Office 1948
Grace Lydia Golden (1904–1993)
Acrylic on board
H 49.5 x W 62 cm
The Postal Museum

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'Crimson Rambler'
© Royal Mail Group Ltd . Image credit: The Postal Museum

'Crimson Rambler'

20

Read more about this artwork in this story on Art UK.

'Crimson Rambler' 1992
Philip D. Hawkins (b.1947)
Oil on canvas
H 32 x W 42 cm
The Postal Museum

Explore artists in this Curation

View all 14
  • Diesel Trains: Faster, Cleaner, More Comfortable
    Barber
  • 'Charlie', the Last British Railways Shunting Horse, at Work with His Driver at Newmarket
    Ralph Gordon Tetley (1910–1985)
  • Bristol Aircraft Company Assembly Line
    Terence Tenison Cuneo (1907–1996)
  • The Travelling Companions
    Augustus Leopold Egg (1816–1863)
  • 'Mallard'
    Ann Emily Carr (b.1929)
  • Elephants at the Waterhole
    David Shepherd (1931–2017)
  • 'Crimson Rambler'
    Philip D. Hawkins (b.1947)
  • The Railway Station
    William Powell Frith (1819–1909)
  • An Emergency Food Office
    Grace Lydia Golden (1904–1993)
  • First Crossing of the Atlantic by Jet Aircraft: 54 Squadron Vampires, July 1948
    Frank Wootton (1911–1998)
  • View all 14
View all