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.

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.