Railway industrial heritage is an important part of urban heritage, which witnesses the change of urban space and the pattern of industry and enterprise. In this paper, the railway heritage of modern China (1876–1949) is analysed, the relevant concepts and data are dissected, and the information of its spatial and temporal distribution is studied and visualised. The overall characteristics of railway heritage in modern China are as follows: the main framework of railway network was formed in the late Qing Dynasty, and the basic pattern was basically formed in the Republic of China; the spatial characteristics are dense in the east and sparse in the west, and dense in the north and sparse in the south. In conclusion, the study of the spatial and temporal distribution information of railway industrial heritage in modern China is of great significance to the development of heritage stock and cultural innovation at present.