A train compartment is a place where one is, for the time being, removed from the everyday existence. A train trip is something magical, often very dramatic. Sometimes, the journey gives hope that something will change in life, once one reaches the destination; at other times, there is no such hope. The construction of railways marked a stage in the development of a civilization, but it was too often an occasion for violent intrusions and appropriations. Imagine that I, by using rich archival footage, am setting out on a journey around the world and through the twentieth century.