The European Railways can be broken down into five time periods commonly referred to as Epochs.
| Epoch | Approximate dates |
|---|---|
| Epoch I | 1835 - 1925 |
| Epoch II | 1925 - 1945 |
| Epoch III | 1945 - 1970 |
| Epoch IV | 1970 - 1990 |
| Epoch V | 1990 - 2006 |
| Epoch VI | 2006 to present |
| Era | Approximate dates |
|---|---|
| Era 1 | Pioneering (1804 - 1875) |
| Era 2 | Pre-Grouping (1875 - 1922) |
| Era 3 | The Big Four (1923-1947) |
| Era 4 | British Railways Steam Era (Early Crest) (1948-1956) |
| Era 5 | British Railways (Late Crest) (1957-1966) |
| Era 6 | British Rail Corporate Pre-TOPS (1967-1971) |
| Era 7 | British Rail Corporate Blue Post-TOPS (1971-1982) |
| Era 8 | British Rail Sectorisation (1982-1994) |
| Era 9 | Post privatisation (1995 onwards) |
The modern European Railways also use symbols to identify the type of train.
| EC | EuroCity - International Trains |
| FD | Long Distance Express |
| IC | InterCity |
| ICE | InterCity Express |
| IR | InterRegional |
| S-Bahn - Schnell-Bahn | Fast Commuter Trains |