Windows of opportunity: how have railways and passengers seen and used the view from the train?

Inspired by a previous study into the 1950s British Railways Diesel Multiple Units, this dissertation examines the experience of the view from the train window. Taking as its beginning the work of Wolfgang Schivelbusch and George Revill the study embraces more unconventional views, including the ‘forward panorama’ of the diesel multiple unit, the elevated railway and the observation car; it looks at how railways have exploited views in their publicity and the circumstances in which they have been restricted by circumstance and design, together with passengers’ reactions to such restrictions. The early regulation of passengers’ travelling conditions, seldom commented on, provides a framework for the provision of window views for all classes of traveller. Apocryphal stories of invention are noted together with the information provided to the passenger by the railway through the glass medium.

The effects on passengers which resulted from the ‘tilting’ train’s appearance and the importance of ventilation bring health issues into examination; throughout health appears as a consideration and similarities are drawn between institutional architecture and the design of railway coaches. The most severe health consequences, including decapitation, and the use of the window view in crime, real and imagined, are also discussed.