The Blue Train Races were a series of record-breaking attempts between automobiles and trains in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It saw a number of motorists and their own or sponsored automobiles race against the Le Train Bleu, a train that ran between Calais and the French Riviera. The rationale to beat the train was to compare the contemporary automotive performance with locomotive dominance; to showcase recent progress achieved by cars regarding reliability, durability, speed and comfort; to promote the cars, their marques and the adventurous persona of the drivers; and to establish automobiles as a viable and aspirational mode of transport for the individual traveller.
Read more about Blue Train Races: The Blue Train, Rover Light Six, Bentley Speed Six, Top Gear Race 'Car Vs. Train', Gallery
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—Irving Berlin (18881989)
“... there isnt a train I wouldnt take,
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—Edna St. Vincent Millay (18921950)
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—Lyndon Baines Johnson (19081973)