The Victorians risked more than just delays when boarding a steam train.. . Victorian inventors certainly didn`t lack steam, but while they squabbled over who deserved the title of ` The Father of the Locomotive` & enjoyed their fame & fortune, safety on the rails was not their priority. Brakes were seen as a needless luxury & boilers had an inconvenient tendency to overheat & explode, & in turn, blow up anyone in reach. Often recognised as having revolutionised travel & industrial Britain, Victorian railways were perilous. Disease, accidents & disasters accounted for thousands of deaths & many more injuries. While history has focused on the triumph of engineers, the victims of the Victorian railways had names, lives & families & they deserve to be remembered.. .