Two centuries ago, Richard Trevithick made the first models of those puffing machines destined to become the steam locomotives so familiar to us now for the Cornwall coal companies In England. No-one could have imagined at the time that in a few decades they would have lead to a whole network of railways covering Europe first and then the rest of the world.The birth of the railway and the industrial revolution are strictly linked and we can say with certainty that one would not have been possible without the contribution of the other. Whether directly or indirectly, the railway caused profound social and cultural changes to which we are still indebted today.It is nearly impossible to recount in a single volume this fascinating and violent story of men, inventions, challenges lost and won, and technological progress. We have therefore tried to recall the fundamental milestones of this ongoing career, recounting the main events in the history of the railway and the story of the men who built it. A lot of space is dedicated to the "puffing machine". This could not have been any different, both for the technical importance which it had and for the romantic charm which surrounds it.The birth of the western United States is also tied to the development of the railway, whilst in the east the myth of the Trans-Siberian has fascinated generations of travellers, in Europe the charm of convoys such as the Orient Express have inspired many writers and film directors. In the 20th century, whilst the world of steam locomotives followed an inevitable decline, the railway entrusted its future to electricity and diesel engines. To power available grew, trains became ever faster and the hunt began for an absolute speed record for railways, a challenge which still stands. After the dark years of the world conflict, for some decades and not only in Europe, it appeared that the era of the railway was inevitably destined to end. Transport on rubber, of people and goods, is undoubtedly more flexible, but clashes with a road traffic which has become unbearable now. From this growing criticism the rebirth of the railway begins, very different from the one of a few decades ago, but with a promising future ahead.