Product Description

The opening of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of the railways' vital role in changing the face of Britain. "Fire and Steam" celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious Victorian pioneers who developed this revolutionary transport system and the navvies who cut through the land to enable a countrywide network to emerge.From the early days of steam to electrification, via the railways' magnificent contribution in two world wars, the chequered history of British Rail, and the buoyant future of the train, "Fire and Steam" examines the social and economical importance of the railway and how it helped to form the Britain of today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1672 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
"'Christian Wolmar brings the era of railway mania alive: both the imagination and the daring that made it possible.' David Dimbleby * A marvellously informative, entertaining and rightly partisan book... that has given me more pleasure than any I can remember in quite a while. - Rod Liddle, Sunday Times * [Fire and Steam is] expertly explored and explicated, Wolmar never forgets the human dimension... A beautifully written, detailed (but never anoraky) history of two centuries of life on the iron road. - Judith Flanders, Daily Telegraph * Fire and Steam tells a rollicking tale. - Michael Binyon, The Times * A sure-footed guide to the oft-told tale of British railway history. The author has an unerring eye for relevant detail. His scholarship is everywhere evident... There are innumerable anecdotes and lashings of informative asides... Excellent. - Frank McLynn, Independent * A wonderful account of how our railways came to be. - Jon Snow"

Jon Snow
`A wonderful account of how our railways came to be.'

Rod Liddle, Sunday Times
'Marvellously informative... a book that has given me more pleasure than any I can remember in quite a while.'

Customer Reviews

An Excellent and 'Mature' History
This excellent book describes the complete history of the railways in Britain from the Stockton & Darlington, and the Liverpool & Manchester beginnings to the High Speed Rail Link into St Pancras for the Channel Tunnel. Wolmar writes with a clear and enthusiastic style which takes the reader on at a great pace and captures the excitement of the early pioneers. This is a 'mature' history book, and whilst it deals with virtually all the significant events in the history of the railways in Britain; the development of the lines, the companies and changing structure, the service during the two World Wars, and inevitably nationalization and privatization, it never becomes an 'anorak' book given to excessive technical detail or sentimentality. It is not an illustrated 'coffee-table' book. Wolmar's judgements on controversial aspects of railway history always appear clear and probably correct. An excellent and exciting read.

Simply a very good read
As other reviewers have described, this book rattles along at a good pace, never getting bogged down in too much detail. My only criticism would be that the subject actually merits a slightly longer book that explains more about some of the technical innovations in locomotive design and signalling and safety improvements. All in all though, highly recommended.

Fire and Steam: A New History of the Railways in Britain
A really well written and interesting book full of little known, but compelling, facts. Ideal for anyone interested in the growth of the country's infrastructure. One does not have to be a railway buff to appreciate this book.