The World the Railways Made

by Nicholas Faith, Christian Wolmar (Introduction)

A new edition of a railway how the "Iron Road" turned the world upside down, with a new chapter on the future of rail  Across American prairies, through Siberian tundra, over Argentinian pampas, and deep into the heart of Africa, the modern world began with the arrival of the railway. The shock was both sudden and railways transformed the world, carrying empire, capitalism, and industrialization to every corner of the planet. For some, the "Iron Road" symbolized the brute horrors of modernity; for others the way toward a brighter future. From 1825, when the first passenger service linked Stockton and Darlington to the outbreak of World War I, Nicholas Faith presents a compelling journey through the first century of rail, introducing visionaries, engineers, surveyors, speculators, financiers, and navigational engineers—the heroes and the rogues of the mechanical revolution that turned the world upside down.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Railways

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1991

About the author

Nicholas Faith is a former senior editor for the Sunday Times and The Economist, a journalist and author.

He has written widely on wines, spirits and transport.

In 1996 he founded the International Spirits Challenge.

In September 2010 Nicholas Faith was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Bureau National Interprofessional de Cognac.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

Given the potential scope of a book with this title, capital mobilisation, investment, managerialism, transformation of traditional industries, changes in information flows, changes to economies due to rapid transportation etc, perhaps it was inevitable that this brief book would be underwhelming.

OK as a readable, non-technical picture of the spread of railways during the nineteenth century that unfortunately chugs along at a steady pace and never impresses with great viaducts of insight arching across the gorges of ignorance.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike most railway books, this is a fluidly written account that focuses on the societal aspects of the development of railways instead of the more technological ones. Focusing on the period before 1914, its chapters examine how railways impacted capitalism, economics, politics local and international, leisure, demography and city development, war and imperialism.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read. What strong men and hard lives