The Illustrated History of the Railways: The Golden Years No.2 1890-1920. 'By 1890the railways in most parts of the world occupied a secure position as the popular means of travel - there was as yet no threat from the automobile or the aeroplane. For the years leading up to the First World War, refinements in speed, reliability, punctuality, safety and passenger comfort were the dominating concern of the world's railways on both sides of the Atlantic. This was the nostalgic age of romance and drama, the age of evocative names - the Orient Express, the Trans-Siberian Express, the Blue Train, the Southern Belle, the Pennsylvania Special, and many others.