This work depicts a project of the Great Western Railway, one of a number of private British railway companies created to develop that new mode of transport. Most accept the location of this scene as Maidenhead Railway Bridge over the River Thames between Maidenhead and its neighbors in Buckinghamshire; this particular view is looking east towards London. In the bottom-right of the work, a hare runs along the track in front of the approaching train. This scene has been interpreted multiple ways, either as a show of the concept of speed, the limits of technology, or the threat technology presents to nature.