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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. Â 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. Â 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.
This volume was first delivered at a conference organised by the
Association for Industrial Archaeology in Nottingham in June 2004,
and formerly constituted a special issue of Industrial Archaeology
Review. The papers have the explicit intention of formulating a
research framework for industrial archaeology in the 21st century
and demonstrating how far industrial archaeology is now a fully
recognised element of mainstream archaeology.
Gwynedd - the north-west quadrant of Wales - is particularly rich
in the archaeology of the industrial and modern periods. It was
once the major producer of roofing slates worldwide, and for a
while it dominated the international trade in copper ore. This is
the first comprehensive study of the industrial archaeology of this
fascinating region, and takes a wide-ranging view of its scope and
nature. The mines, quarries and narrow-gauge railways for which the
area is famous are covered in detail, as are well-known works of
engineering such as the Menai and Britannia bridges. Also explored
are lesser-known industries such as textile production, electricity
generation and metal-processing, and other economic activities such
as agriculture, which are not generally considered to be part of
the industrial landscape. Using a wide range of fascinating
evidence, the author tells the remarkable story of the society
which evolved in Gwynedd, with its vigorous minority language and
its radical politics. The legacies of industrial housing, churches
and chapels, along with retailing and consumer goods, are all
examined within the broader context of a globalising economy. This
attractive volume will appeal to residents and local historians
alike. In addition, anyone concerned with emerging issues in
archaeology, such as the relationship between documentary, artefact
and landscape evidence, the ways of reading the cultural landscape,
the regional dimension to worldwide change, and the ways in which
we approach the past through its material remains, will find this
pioneering study of interest.
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