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A Short History of the Railroad
A fascinating journey through the history of the railroad, packed with first-hand accounts of innovation, triumph, and tragedy.
From the earliest steam engine to the high-speed bullet trains of today, A Short History of the Railr oad reveals the hidden stories of railroad history across the world - the inspired engineering; the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the construction of the tracks; the ground-breaking innovations behind the trains that travelled along them; and the triumphs and tragedies of the people who made the railway what it is.
Chart the history of the Trans-Siberian railway, the Orient Express, and Maglev trains and the impact of world events on the development of trains and the railway. Explore the pioneering railway lines that crossed continents, the key trains of each era, and the locomotives that changed the world. A riveting narrative packed with photographs, diagrams, and maps to illustrate and illuminate, this is the biography of the machines that carried us into the modern era.
From the earliest steam engine to the high-speed bullet trains of today, A Short History of the Railr oad reveals the hidden stories of railroad history across the world - the inspired engineering; the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the construction of the tracks; the ground-breaking innovations behind the trains that travelled along them; and the triumphs and tragedies of the people who made the railway what it is.
Chart the history of the Trans-Siberian railway, the Orient Express, and Maglev trains and the impact of world events on the development of trains and the railway. Explore the pioneering railway lines that crossed continents, the key trains of each era, and the locomotives that changed the world. A riveting narrative packed with photographs, diagrams, and maps to illustrate and illuminate, this is the biography of the machines that carried us into the modern era.
400 pages, Paperback
Published May 7, 2019
15 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Christian Wolmar
48 books83 followersChristian Wolmar is a journalist, focusing on the history and politics of railways.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 9, 2024
There are some good parts but I can honestly say that interwar development of the Swedish railroad is something I do not care about at all. Perhaps too deep in parts…
October 21, 2019
very interesting
December 13, 2020
Some interesting stuff but the later half starts getting boring. It runs out of steam.
August 22, 2023
Trains offer a great way to travel, as they are generally the safest and most environmentally friendly mode of transport. I also have a fondness for trains, due to two personal connections. My great-grandfather, Mr Train was a station-master (his son Mr Train junior married a Miss Driver, thankfully they didn't take a double barrelled name!). Additionally, I was born in Manchester, which was host to the world's first major railway line, the Liverpool to Manchester line which opened in 1830. So, all in all, this book was a must-read for me.
A Short History of Trains is a fascinating history of trains and railways, from the first steam engines to the most technologically advanced, high-speed trains of today. The book is packed full of interesting facts and anecdotes, historical photos and diagrams. There are a few pages of illustrations of different styles of railway carriages, and important statistics are scattered through the book.
The book looks at the history of the first railways in various parts of the world. The construction of these railroads met with difficult terrain, tough working conditions and often resistance from local people who lived on the land the railways were to be built across. I was struck by this anecdote about the development of early lines in the USA:
The local tribe demanded $10,000 dollars (around £185, 000 in today's money) for the right of way. Appalled, the railroad works manager blustered that the land was no good for anything else apart from growing corn or potatoes. The local chief responded 'it pretty good for railroad' and got the money.
We are also told about the dark history of the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war who built the Burma to Siam (now Thailand) railway and the role railroads played in Nazi atrocities.
The book also looks at how railroads impacted communities, bringing more people into an area and stimulating the local economy. In addition, as it became easier for people to travel between areas, then they could move around for work, spread ideas and meet a greater variety of people. It considers the changing fortunes of trains as they competed with the introduction of cars, then the spread of cheap air travel and compares rail transport systems across the world (Switzerland has a very impressive travel infrastructure where railways are fully integrated with buses, boats and trams and, unexpectedly perhaps, Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in a rail network.) The impressive technological feats required in building high altitude train tracks are celebrated, and significant rail disasters are examined.
Most trains these days run on electricity and are therefore less polluting (though less characterful) than earlier steam trains. Freight trains are the most resource efficient way of transporting large quantities of freight and are important even in countries where passenger services are diminished compared to previous years. High speed rail has made it possible for trains to compete with planes (though, and this isn't covered in the book, the proposed development of high speed rail lines in the UK has been met with justifiable opposition due to proposals to destroy several areas of ancient woodland in order to make way for the railway lines. As I've said before, the creation of green infrastructure shouldn't mean destroying valuable natural habitats). Even slower trains offer a good alternative to either cars (you can relax on a train rather than having to stay alert as a driver) or to planes (you avoid the hassle of the airports and the train station is closer to the centre of town compared to the airport).
So this is a fascinating book for anyone interested in the history of trains.
A Short History of Trains is a fascinating history of trains and railways, from the first steam engines to the most technologically advanced, high-speed trains of today. The book is packed full of interesting facts and anecdotes, historical photos and diagrams. There are a few pages of illustrations of different styles of railway carriages, and important statistics are scattered through the book.
The book looks at the history of the first railways in various parts of the world. The construction of these railroads met with difficult terrain, tough working conditions and often resistance from local people who lived on the land the railways were to be built across. I was struck by this anecdote about the development of early lines in the USA:
The local tribe demanded $10,000 dollars (around £185, 000 in today's money) for the right of way. Appalled, the railroad works manager blustered that the land was no good for anything else apart from growing corn or potatoes. The local chief responded 'it pretty good for railroad' and got the money.
We are also told about the dark history of the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war who built the Burma to Siam (now Thailand) railway and the role railroads played in Nazi atrocities.
The book also looks at how railroads impacted communities, bringing more people into an area and stimulating the local economy. In addition, as it became easier for people to travel between areas, then they could move around for work, spread ideas and meet a greater variety of people. It considers the changing fortunes of trains as they competed with the introduction of cars, then the spread of cheap air travel and compares rail transport systems across the world (Switzerland has a very impressive travel infrastructure where railways are fully integrated with buses, boats and trams and, unexpectedly perhaps, Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in a rail network.) The impressive technological feats required in building high altitude train tracks are celebrated, and significant rail disasters are examined.
Most trains these days run on electricity and are therefore less polluting (though less characterful) than earlier steam trains. Freight trains are the most resource efficient way of transporting large quantities of freight and are important even in countries where passenger services are diminished compared to previous years. High speed rail has made it possible for trains to compete with planes (though, and this isn't covered in the book, the proposed development of high speed rail lines in the UK has been met with justifiable opposition due to proposals to destroy several areas of ancient woodland in order to make way for the railway lines. As I've said before, the creation of green infrastructure shouldn't mean destroying valuable natural habitats). Even slower trains offer a good alternative to either cars (you can relax on a train rather than having to stay alert as a driver) or to planes (you avoid the hassle of the airports and the train station is closer to the centre of town compared to the airport).
So this is a fascinating book for anyone interested in the history of trains.
October 9, 2022
I have read and enjoyed a couple of Wolmar’s books before, so I was expecting to like this one, too, and I wasn’t disappointed. I travel quite a lot by train, and have visited the National Railway Museum in York many times with my train-mad son, so reading this potted history helped to put a few things into context. The language is not too technical, as in many other books about trains, and the illustrations are interesting and plentiful. My copy is a paperback with black-and-white pictures, but I imagine a hardback edition with glossy, full-colour illustrations would be rather lovely to read, if such a thing exists. Having previously read The Great Railway Revolution: The Epic Story of the American Railroad, about American railways, and To The Edge Of The World, about the Trans-Siberian railway, and looking at his other titles, I do wonder whether this book is really just a compilation of all Wolmar’s books. Nevertheless, it was a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in trains and/or history.
September 19, 2024
I found this to be a delightful global history of the railroad. I also purchased the book that is full of illustrations (diagrams and photos) that visually illustrate the some of the history and technical aspects. The book is based on laying out the facts of the matter, as the title suggests. So, it isn't as engaging like a particular protagonist in a story. But there are specific people mentioned throughout the book that were significant to this global history.
What I consider so well done is that the narrator did not leave any of these details for the audio book listener. All captions for these illustrations were included in the reading. The narrators performance was excellent and the engineering of the recording was a thoughtful process.
What I consider so well done is that the narrator did not leave any of these details for the audio book listener. All captions for these illustrations were included in the reading. The narrators performance was excellent and the engineering of the recording was a thoughtful process.
January 25, 2023
Christian Wolmar's "A Short History of the Railroad" is a book that means well in describing the history of the railroad but gets caught by a couple factors. First off, the type in in the book is extremely small which can be a headache for readers in general. Secondly, the book at times gets distracted by what are almost unneeded interludes across a couple of pages that in reality could be done as separate chapters or subsets within things themselves. Despite the flaws, Wolmar doesn't do a bad job with the overall history of things and this book has enough to it to keep any fan of the railroads interested.
April 15, 2021
Very interesting. A good book for the beginner that want to keep on researching.
However there is a lot of incorrect information.
Pictures that don’t go with the title on the page. Incorrect dates etc.
It is also muddled up. It seems to jump all over the place.
I would be weary of reading any of the other publications from this author after reading this book.
However there is a lot of incorrect information.
Pictures that don’t go with the title on the page. Incorrect dates etc.
It is also muddled up. It seems to jump all over the place.
I would be weary of reading any of the other publications from this author after reading this book.
May 28, 2022
Perhaps the perfect book to read on a long-distance train journey. It really got me thinking about how the train line I was on had come to be, the vast numbers of people who had made it possible, how the history of the towns I passed through was shaped by the presence of the railroad, and it made me feel just a little bit like I was part of history.
April 26, 2023
Really interesting but overall was written like a fact bomb. So much information and so much of the same information.
August 11, 2023
Unexpectedly fascinating!
August 11, 2024
I like trains
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews