Trains, 200 stamps, Used

Trains and stamps have always been a natural pairing — the railway played a central role in the development of postal systems around the world, and countries have been celebrating locomotives on their stamps ever since the two technologies grew up together in the 19th century. This collection of 200 different train stamps gathers railroad imagery from dozens of countries into a single, ready-to-explore assembly. Steam locomotives, diesel engines, electric trains, and high-speed rail all make appearances, spanning more than a century of railroad history and representing nations from every corner of the globe.

The variety here reflects just how universal the railroad has been as a subject for stamp designers. Soviet stamps celebrated industrial power with massive freight locomotives. Caribbean and African nations issued colorful pictorials featuring vintage American and European engines. Asian countries documented their own railway development, from early colonial-era steam lines to modern electric rail. European nations — where the railroad was born — produced some of the most beautifully engraved train stamps ever made. Each stamp in this collection is a small window into a country's relationship with one of the most transformative technologies in human history.  Note that stamps may vary from those shown.