The first global history of the epic early days of the iron railway   Railways, in simple wooden or stone form, have existed since prehistory. But from the 1750s onward the introduction of iron rails led to a dramatic technological evolution—one that would truly change the world.   In this rich new history, David Gwyn tells the neglected story of the early iron railway from a global perspective. Driven by a combination of ruthless enterprise, brilliant experimenters, and international cooperation, railway construction began to expand across the world with astonishing rapidity. From Britain to Australia, Russia to America, railways would bind together cities, nations, and entire continents. Rail was a tool of industry and empire as well as, eventually, passenger transport, and developments in technology occurred at breakneck speed—even if the first locomotive in America could muster only 6 mph.   The Coming of the Railway explores these fascinating developments, documenting the early railway’s outsize social, political, and economic impact—carving out the shape of the global economy as we know it today.

The first of two volumes covering the railways of the South East, this book focuses mainly on Sussex but also includes small sections of Surrey and Kent. It concentrates on locomotive-hauled traffic and details a wide range of trains including inter-regional passenger, parcels and mail, fuel, heavy freight, test trains, engineers traffic, Rail Head Treatment Trains, Snow and Ice Treatment Trains, railtour excursions and the luxurious Orient Express. An extensive range of different liveries, many now consigned to history on the main line, are shown. There is also a small selection of DEMUs in some of the areas they once operated. Over 180 colour photographs, the vast majority of which have never been published before, serve to illustrate some of the wonderful countryside to be found in this corner of England as well as the trains that run through it. They are complemented by informative captions detailing not only the trains themselves but also some of the infrastructure and features found along the routes covered. 180 illustrations

Throughout its length from London to Glasgow via Crewe and Carlisle, with a loop through the West Midlands and spurs to Holyhead,Liverpool and Manchester, the West Coast Main Line has consistently provided interest for those many with more than a passing interest in trains and travel. This book outlines the history of the route,its physical characteristics and sets the scene for the various passenger and goods traffic flows that sustained it; it then details the arrangements for motive power and train working through the era of change that was 1957 to 1963. The level of interest - as evidenced daily by the presence at the lineside of hordes of young spotters and other observers - was particularly high at that time as processions of trains hauled by fine express passenger locomotives and those more suited to other traffic passed by. The book also goes 'behind the scenes' to provide insights into the daily and seasonal challenges of managing that section of a wider railway network, as directed by the varying terms of relevant legislation, and a government increasingly concerned to shape the railways for the changing needs of the public, industry and the economy. The book will be of particular interest to those who simply recall those days by the lineside, those with an interest in detailed arrangements to provide and maintain suitable motive power, those with an interest in how the railway served the needs of the nation and modellers who seek information. The book is illustrated with colour and monochrome images and supported by maps.

M&GNJR was a Midlands to East Anglia railway linking towns and villages like a patchwork knitted together by clever business entrepreneurs. It started in the 1850s when there was intense rivalry between railway companies and two rich and powerful companies - MR and GNR - were behind the project. Joint,' added by a Special Act of Parliament in 1893, confirms this patchwork was the amalgamation of several small independent railway companies plus the MR and GNR. The company was especially interested in stealing a march on the Great Eastern Railway (GER) which believed it was the principal railway serving East Anglia. Poppyland was the nickname created for the Cromer area of the Norfolk coast by Clement Scott, an influential poet, author and drama critic of The Daily Telegraph who first visited in 1883. He claimed that . . . clean air laced with perfume of wild flowers was opiate to his tired mind.' Scott publicised his delight and many rich families, and their servants, visited too; the railway business entrepreneurs saw a growing market for their patchwork. The M&GNJR grew eastwards to Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and attracted passengers from the Midlands and London. The M&GNJR grew - then withered as cars, buses, overseas travel offered new holiday options. Closure came on 28 February 1959 but North Norfolk Railway - the Poppy Line - has survived as a heritage line so the Joint is not forgotten!

This is the story of the career of the author's mysterious great uncle Raymond de Candolle, who had apparently disappeared into the bowels of London, at the turn of the twentieth century. It begins when he joins a group of enterprising bankers, engineers and tycoons, fascinated by international railway opportunities. They build railroads in Mexico, Spain, China, Columbia, and eventually Raymond heads up Argentina's leading railway. Just as the First World War is about to break out, he is sent to solve a dispute with Germany's Baghdad Railway in Anatolia. He is recruited by the British War Cabinet in 1916 to help stop the German advance in Romania. As chaos erupts in Russia they send him to deal with the Trans-Siberian Railway, the rise of the Bolsheviks, and finally the capture of Mosul in 1918. He is active at the Paris Peace Conference in settling Romania's reparations and the take-over of the Baghdad railway. In 1921 it is back to Anatolia to deal with its dilapidated railway, and the eventual horrors of the Smyrna genocide. He shakes hands with a victorious Kemal Ataturk. Raymond's story concludes with his family, and their good friend Ian Fleming, listening to his conclusions about the future.

This groundbreaking book, written by one of the foremost blues historians in the UK, is based on over 30 years' research, exploration and absolute passion for early blues music. It is the first ever comprehensive study of the enormous impact of the railroads on 19th and early 20th Century African American society and the many and varied references to this new phenomenon in early blues lyrics. The book is comprehensively annotated, and also includes a Discography at the end of each chapter.

The authoritative and fascinating history of the rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail 'Wolmar's book is impeccably organized and makes a fast, enjoyable read' THE TIMES Literary Supplement ________ You think you know British Rail. But you don't know the whole story. From its creation after the Second World War, through its fifty-year lifetime, British Rail was an innovative powerhouse that transformed our transport system. Uniting disparate lines into a highly competent organisation - heralding 'The Age of the Train' - and, for a time, providing one of the fastest regular rail services in the world. Born into post-war austerity, traumatised, impoverished and exploited by a hostile press, the state-owned railway was dismissed as a dinosaur unable to evolve, and swept away by a government hellbent on selling it off. Now, award-winning writer Christian Wolmar provides a new perspective on national loss in a time of privatisation. British Rail is ripe for a new history. _______ Praise for Christian Wolmar 'Wolmar is the high priest of railway studies' Literary Review 'The greatest expert on British trains' Guardian 'Our most eminent transport journalist' Spectator 'If the world's railways have a laureate, it is surely Christian Wolmar' Boston Globe 'Christian Wolmar is in love with the railways. He writes constantly and passionately about them. He is their wisest, most detailed historian and a constant prophet of their rebirth . . . if you love the hum of the wheels and of history, then Christian Wolmar is your man' Observer

David Goodyear's approach to railway photography has always been to capture the context of the railway within the landscape in which it finds itself. The railway train itself embraces each scene, providing the soul and atmosphere where it may dominate or be dominated by the landscape in which it is portrayed, alongside the special manner through which it expresses its very character. The landscape expresses the train as much as the train expresses the landscape. The magnificence and splendour of a railway viaduct such as that at St. Germans or Brunel's engineering masterpiece of the Royal Albert Bridge makes a statement of the railway within the location it is placed. The train crossing the viaduct finds itself enveloped by the architecture of the viaduct and yet characterises the very function for which the viaduct was built. Steam locomotives always bring a very special sense of mood and movement to a railway landscape, but a modern train can equally also contribute its own soul to the landscape in which the railway participates. Diesel and electric trains contribute their own appeal and character, such as through an eye-catching livery which conveys a sense of stage-appearance on a scene where the aesthetic of the passing train is expressed alongside the location or architecture embracing it. Inspirational scenery, big skies and brooding hills or a patchwork of colour in springtime fields can help instil a sense of admiration for beauty in nature through which the train passes. Equally expressive are sunlight and shadows, as also the quality of light through the different seasons, each contributing to the essence of each location. The author lives in an area with access to many such awe-inspiring vistas to explore within Devon and Cornwall. Join him as he explore a series of journeys setting out from the south west towards the north and east, each reflecting his own journey directions.

We think of the Stephensons and Brunel as the fathers of the railways, and their Liverpool and Manchester and Great Western Railways as the prototypes of the modern systems. But who were the railways' grandfathers and great-grandfathers? The rapid evolution of the railways after 1830 depended on the juggernauts of steam locomotion being able to draw upon centuries of experience in using and developing railways, and of harnessing the power of steam. Giants the Stephensons and others may have been, but they stood upon the foundations built by many other considerable - if lesser-known - talents. This is the story of those early pioneers of steam.

This ninth edition of Bradt's USA by Rail guidebook has been fully revised and expanded to take account of changes to Amtrak routes and services, plus the latest Amtrak and VIA Rail pass details, and features over 500 destinations, including Disney World, the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. With 25 long-distance train journeys across the United States and a further 12 in Canada, plus sightseeing highlights for 38 major cities, accommodation options from cheap to chic and everything you need to find your way around unfamiliar train stations, this book has all the practical information required to make the most of a rail pass. There are maps, route plans and photographs, up-to-date security and immigration information, plus vital tips for sightseeing, local transport and accommodation, as well as chapters on VIA Rail, the Rocky Mountaineer and other trains in Canada. The book also includes a history of North American railroads, current steam train operators, tourist railways and museums, as well as sound advice for the visitor from overseas. Hundreds of Internet contacts make it easy to plan and make reservations for any trip you desire. The grandeur of America's scenery - from its never-ending prairies, the Joshua trees of the Mojave Desert and the saw-toothed peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the pounding surf of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans - is one of the continent's greatest attractions and there is no better way to enjoy it than by train. Written by an expert author who has travelled around 80,000 miles by train in North America in the last 25 years, Bradt's USA by Rail is the essential companion for a successful trip.

The busy London Underground may seem an unlikely location for heritage train operation, especially involving steam. However, this was the world’s first Underground railway network, and the original sections were built to main line gauge using steam traction. London Transport and its successor London Underground Ltd have been acutely aware of the significance of this and have strived to preserve and present their heritage. Over the decades, open days and special trains operated over parts of the system. This included the running of steam-, diesel- and electric-hauled trains for the public to ride on, while at the same time maintaining the normal level of Underground train service on these lines. These special trains ran not only in the open-air outer sections of the network, but even on occasion through the cut-and-cover tunnel sections of central London. New signalling systems mean that this is unlikely to happen again, but the London Transport Museum continues to offer a programme of exhibitions, guided history tours and open days at the Acton museum depot. This book looks back at the principal events since 1963.

Last Train to Paradise is acclaimed novelist Les Standiford’s fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler’s dream fulfilled, the Key West Railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World.” Standiford brings the full force and fury of 1935’s deadly “Storm of the Century” and its sweeping destruction of “the railroad that crossed an ocean” to terrifying life. Last Train to Paradise celebrates a crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition in a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature’s wrath.

“A dramatic story . . . and Les Standiford has a good deal of fun with it all.” —Washington Post Book World
“A rousing—a deeply sobering—story.” —Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed
“A fascinating and incredibly compelling account . . . I could not put it down.” —Donald Trump
“A definitive account of the engineering feat that became known as ‘Flagler’s Folly’. . . A rousing adventure."—Atlanta Journal-Constitution

David Maidment has unravelled the complex history of the Johnson, Deeley and Fowler 4-4-0 locomotives of the Midland Railway and its LMS successor, covering their design, construction, operation and performance in this book with over 400 black and white photographs. It recounts their working on the Midland main lines from St Pancras to Derby, Manchester, Leeds and Carlisle, the latter via the celebrated Settle & Carlisle line, and the later work of the Fowler LMS engines on the West Coast main line. The book also describes the history of the Midland 4-4-0s built for the Somerset & Dorset and Midland & Great Northern Railways. The book covers the period from the first Midland 4-4-0 built in 1876 to the last LMS 2P withdrawn in 1962 and includes performance logs, weight diagrams and dimensions and statistical details of each locomotive.

Based on the historical record, rail transportation in the United States is an extremely safe mode of transportation. However, distraction of a railroad employee who is entrusted with safety related duties has the potential, which has been realised in several accidents described below, to compromise performance and endanger the employee, coworkers, or members of the public. Accordingly, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA) required the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to conduct a study and prepare a report addressing this issue. FRA is responding to this mandate in two phases. This book addresses the information available concerning the effects of distraction on railroad operating employees, including train crews and other operating personnel, engaged both in the locomotive cab and on the ground during switching operations.

A ride on a steam train is a popular family outing. More than 100 heritage railways cater for that demand, capturing the spirit of nostalgia while preserving the engines and equipment of past days of rail travel. Their interests even extend to the modern era of 1960s-70s diesels. Those heritage railways themselves have a long pedigree, back to 1951, when a group of enthusiasts saved the Talyllyn Railway in mid-Wales from closure. They ran this railway as volunteers, out of their love of the little trains and a desire to keep it going. Their example was followed by many more preservation societies who preserved and restored branch lines, country lines and industrial lines for our enjoyment now. Six decades have passed, and we are now beginning to realise what an impressive history the heritage railway movement has. This book traces that history, from the humble beginnings the hopes and ambitions of the pioneers on the different railway projects. There were times of failure and frustration, as some fell by the wayside, but others have made it through times of adversity to become the major heritage businesses of today.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway is one of the great narrow gauge railways of North Wales, with thousands of visitors travelling to the summit of Mount Snowdon along the line each year. This book covers the history of this historic and interesting line from its beginnings in the 1890s through to the present day. The author Peter Johnson has been writing about narrow gauge railways for many years and has a deep knowledge of the lines in North and Mid Wales. The Snowdon Mountain Railway is an important part of the tourist industry in North Wales and plays a vital part in providing transport in this popular and much visited area. This volume looks at the narrow gauge railway's history and development, taking in the present and future development of this fascinating line's operation.