* Charles Dickens: His works like "Dombey and Son" (1846-48) and "Hard Times" (1854) contain striking descriptions of the early railways, often contrasting the excitement and speed of the new technology with the social and economic anxieties it brought.
* William Makepeace Thackeray: His novels, including "Vanity Fair" (1847-48) and "The Newcomes" (1853-55), feature detailed portraits of railway travel and its impact on the lives of his characters. He captures both the glamour and the discomfort of early train journeys, along with the changing social landscape that the railways brought about.
Other notable authors who wrote about railway travel in the 1840s include:
* Anthony Trollope: His novels "The Warden" (1855) and "Barchester Towers" (1857) use the railway as a backdrop for their stories.
* Elizabeth Gaskell: Her works, such as "Cranford" (1853), also feature glimpses of the early railway system and its impact on rural life.
So, while there isn't a single novelist who *exclusively* wrote about early rail travel, Dickens and Thackeray are particularly notable for their vivid and insightful depictions of this transformative technology in their works.