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Eleven Minutes Late: A Train Journey to the Soul of Britain
To Matthew Engel the British railway system is the ultimate expression of the country's psyche. It represents all the nation's ingenuity, incompetence, nostalgia, corruption, humour, capacity for suffering, and even sexual repression.
In his attempt to understand this most British of mysteries, Matthew, half John Betjeman and half Victor Meldrew, travels the railway from Penzance to Thurso, exploring its remarkable history and its (often incredibly depressing) present. He meets the rudest railwayman in Britain, finds the most charmingly bizarre train and - after a quest lasting decades - an Individual Pot of Strawberry Jam. At once fiercely polemical and fondly nostalgic, "Eleven Minutes Late" is a very funny account of one man's love-hate relationship with the railways.
In his attempt to understand this most British of mysteries, Matthew, half John Betjeman and half Victor Meldrew, travels the railway from Penzance to Thurso, exploring its remarkable history and its (often incredibly depressing) present. He meets the rudest railwayman in Britain, finds the most charmingly bizarre train and - after a quest lasting decades - an Individual Pot of Strawberry Jam. At once fiercely polemical and fondly nostalgic, "Eleven Minutes Late" is a very funny account of one man's love-hate relationship with the railways.
335 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 12, 2015
I felt distinctly misled by the blurb on the back of Eleven Minutes Late. I picked the book up from a pile occupying a whole table in a large bookseller, so it must be doing well (especially as I later discovered the book first came out in 2009, and this is only a lightly updated version) and thought it sounded ideal. The bumf made it sound like 'Bill Bryson does the railways' - as a lover of both, I thought it would be excellent. It was very good, but it didn't do what it said on the tin.
The author Matthew Engel, a journalist with the right kind of connections to be able to interview John Major for the book (probably because Engel had been editor of Wisden's, the cricket almanac) starts in the expected vein, taking us on a trip from Penzance to Thurso with a week's railrover ticket in hand. Just the idea of the ticket really brought back the memories - when I was 15, two friends and I bought these and spent almost all of a week on the railway network. However after a couple of shortish chapters, the book settles down to being an analytical history of the messy development of Britain's railways and it is only a good 200 pages later that he finishes of his journey.
Having said that, if you are interested in railways, the history part is very good. It takes a distinctly cynical dive into the politics of railways and is more about that aspect than the nuts and bolts of the permanent way - which is likely to make it interesting to a wider audience than those who just like trains. Engel gives the reader real (and painful) insights into who the railways are in the shape they are in today by tracing a rarely planned and often brainless set of decisions and ideas, from the original railway mania through to the harebrained privatisation that separated track and trains and constantly pushed train operators to apply higher fares.
In fact, when I read the final section where he returns to travelogue mode, I realised I was glad most of the book was the history, because Engel isn't actually great at the Brysonesque bit. He has a couple of tiny vignettes that are entertaining, one featuring what must be the rudest buffet car (sorry, The Shop) attendant ever, but that apart we just get rather dull descriptions of his journey. Provided, then, you come at this book not expecting what it says on the cover, it is great. I would highly recommend it for its history, although it does leave the regular train traveller so frustrated as it becomes pretty obvious that the British political system is never going to get trains right.
I don't know why, but books about rail disasters have always made great reading. (I'm thinking particularly of Rolt's classic Red for Danger.) This is a book about a different kind of rail disaster - the politics, planning and management of railways and is equally compelling. I realised as I typed that sentence why the blurb was made a bit misleading. Would you sell many books about 'the politics, planning and management of railways'? But in its entertaining, curmudgeonly way, this book does the topic justice while keeping the reader happy.
The author Matthew Engel, a journalist with the right kind of connections to be able to interview John Major for the book (probably because Engel had been editor of Wisden's, the cricket almanac) starts in the expected vein, taking us on a trip from Penzance to Thurso with a week's railrover ticket in hand. Just the idea of the ticket really brought back the memories - when I was 15, two friends and I bought these and spent almost all of a week on the railway network. However after a couple of shortish chapters, the book settles down to being an analytical history of the messy development of Britain's railways and it is only a good 200 pages later that he finishes of his journey.
Having said that, if you are interested in railways, the history part is very good. It takes a distinctly cynical dive into the politics of railways and is more about that aspect than the nuts and bolts of the permanent way - which is likely to make it interesting to a wider audience than those who just like trains. Engel gives the reader real (and painful) insights into who the railways are in the shape they are in today by tracing a rarely planned and often brainless set of decisions and ideas, from the original railway mania through to the harebrained privatisation that separated track and trains and constantly pushed train operators to apply higher fares.
In fact, when I read the final section where he returns to travelogue mode, I realised I was glad most of the book was the history, because Engel isn't actually great at the Brysonesque bit. He has a couple of tiny vignettes that are entertaining, one featuring what must be the rudest buffet car (sorry, The Shop) attendant ever, but that apart we just get rather dull descriptions of his journey. Provided, then, you come at this book not expecting what it says on the cover, it is great. I would highly recommend it for its history, although it does leave the regular train traveller so frustrated as it becomes pretty obvious that the British political system is never going to get trains right.
I don't know why, but books about rail disasters have always made great reading. (I'm thinking particularly of Rolt's classic Red for Danger.) This is a book about a different kind of rail disaster - the politics, planning and management of railways and is equally compelling. I realised as I typed that sentence why the blurb was made a bit misleading. Would you sell many books about 'the politics, planning and management of railways'? But in its entertaining, curmudgeonly way, this book does the topic justice while keeping the reader happy.
November 18, 2016
I have to admit that the back cover blurp does not allude to just how much Matthew Engel would elaborate on his justified hatred of privatisation. But, I did not mind one bit. I found this book after becoming interested in the notion that renationalising the railways is not only possible, but could provide a cornerstone for a Labour victory at the next elections. Reading of how careless, neigh, calculated the tearing down of British Rail makes my blood boil. I recently read another book called, 'The Blunders of our Government' and quite synchronistically the subjects and direction of both of these books are aligned.
'Eleven Minutes Late' is political, it also a tremendously witty piece of travel literature and historical text. I laughed so much, out loud, reading this book. Something of a shared Britishness with Engel just appealed to the higher sense of fun and self-mocking of who we are as a nation.
Lastly, when finishing the book and reading the tragedy of what had happened to the Engel family endeared the book to my heart; and the cold fire that stoked the engines of his, and my opwn, righteous analysis of our post-1997 railway debacle.
'Eleven Minutes Late' is political, it also a tremendously witty piece of travel literature and historical text. I laughed so much, out loud, reading this book. Something of a shared Britishness with Engel just appealed to the higher sense of fun and self-mocking of who we are as a nation.
Lastly, when finishing the book and reading the tragedy of what had happened to the Engel family endeared the book to my heart; and the cold fire that stoked the engines of his, and my opwn, righteous analysis of our post-1997 railway debacle.
May 26, 2014
While I'm not sure where the "very funny" comments come from, I enjoyed this book. It was very interesting - and as we had just returned from our first visit to England since 1975 - it was fun to read about the stations we had passed through on our own journey.
I, too, thought it would be more of a travelogue than it turned out to be, but I still enjoyed it. There are a lot of facts, but the tone is light and fairly conversational. It wasn't a difficult read and it could have been considering how much history (which I like), and politics (which I don't like very much) are included.
I, too, thought it would be more of a travelogue than it turned out to be, but I still enjoyed it. There are a lot of facts, but the tone is light and fairly conversational. It wasn't a difficult read and it could have been considering how much history (which I like), and politics (which I don't like very much) are included.
January 25, 2021
A witty, funny, light-hearted and factual overview of Britain's often lamented but still loved (by some at least) Railway system. It covers the triumphs and the tragedies over the years, and the good, bad and indifferent journey's partaken.
It hits just about the right notes of Humour & History for me, however I didn't much like all the annotations littered all over pretty much every page.
It hits just about the right notes of Humour & History for me, however I didn't much like all the annotations littered all over pretty much every page.
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April 14, 2016The most English of books, equal parts loathing, nostalgia, affection and disgust.
May 16, 2019
I must sheepishly admit that I have always had a romantic view of rail travel. This is I'm sure is derived from a rose tinted view of the past that has been formed and enhanced by such things as a love of the woks of Betjeman, late Victorian and Edwardian mystery and ghost stories that nearly always feature the railways in some capacity and vague (perhaps false) memories of seeing the last of the steam trains in operation in the early 1960's. The themes of myth and reality and the idolised interpretation of the past are featured here in this wonderfully insightful and humorous book by Matthew Engel who states "I love trains. I hate trains" which sums up what a regular sympathetic user of the British rail network is most likely to express.
The book partly comprises of a narration of the writer's experiences when in the spring of 2007 (after purchasing a go anyway two week rover card) he embarks on rail journeys across the length and breadth of the country. The initial journey from Penzance to Dundee was actually a direct route then which incredibly was undertaken by a train that should have used on a commuter or short distance route. You can imagine the misery as the interminably long journey progressed. The writing during the journey sections are most amusing and has a Bill Bryson quality about it.
In between the journey sections there is chronological history of the railways in Britain which includes interviews with those who work on it along with politicians and administrators. We learn here of how being the first the British had no template or best practices to follow and therefore could not learn from the mistakes of others. No regulations and a belief that a quick profit could be made led to the duplication of routes and many lines being built that made no economic or geographical sense. As Engel quite rightly points out the basic problem throughout the railways history as been the role of government of whatever political persuasion and its basic failure to answer and address the fundamental question "what are the railways for?" Like the writer one can not be other than frustrated and angered at how such a wonderful asset has been mismanaged and marginalised over the years which has led to the present exorbitant fares, Byzantium administrative and operational structure and a complete absence of trying to cater to the passengers needs.
The book is intended for the general reader but there is enough here to delight also the rail enthusiast. Although the book may be over ten years old the issues have not changed and it remains a must read for those of us who believe that rail travel is the future not just the past.
The book partly comprises of a narration of the writer's experiences when in the spring of 2007 (after purchasing a go anyway two week rover card) he embarks on rail journeys across the length and breadth of the country. The initial journey from Penzance to Dundee was actually a direct route then which incredibly was undertaken by a train that should have used on a commuter or short distance route. You can imagine the misery as the interminably long journey progressed. The writing during the journey sections are most amusing and has a Bill Bryson quality about it.
In between the journey sections there is chronological history of the railways in Britain which includes interviews with those who work on it along with politicians and administrators. We learn here of how being the first the British had no template or best practices to follow and therefore could not learn from the mistakes of others. No regulations and a belief that a quick profit could be made led to the duplication of routes and many lines being built that made no economic or geographical sense. As Engel quite rightly points out the basic problem throughout the railways history as been the role of government of whatever political persuasion and its basic failure to answer and address the fundamental question "what are the railways for?" Like the writer one can not be other than frustrated and angered at how such a wonderful asset has been mismanaged and marginalised over the years which has led to the present exorbitant fares, Byzantium administrative and operational structure and a complete absence of trying to cater to the passengers needs.
The book is intended for the general reader but there is enough here to delight also the rail enthusiast. Although the book may be over ten years old the issues have not changed and it remains a must read for those of us who believe that rail travel is the future not just the past.
March 7, 2024
I enjoyed this retrospective and learnt a lot about how and why the railways in Britain were dysfunctional from their very inception. It seems amazing the whole network was built without any thought to how and what the railways were for, and without any government oversight or intervention. Or perhaps not 😉.
Reading this in 2024, 15 years after publication and written soon after privatisation this is a retrospective piece, but still interesting nonetheless, I even learnt you could get a ‘rover’ ticket (still available at £908!) to ride the whole network across 7 days.
A good read although some interest in railway history advised as it drops into some detail around the history of the railways which requires at least a passing curiosity in the subject.
This was a charity shop present from my daughter who knows my passing interest in the railways.
So overall an interesting read with some funny anecdotes along the way, not Bill Bryson but still worth investing the time.
Reading this in 2024, 15 years after publication and written soon after privatisation this is a retrospective piece, but still interesting nonetheless, I even learnt you could get a ‘rover’ ticket (still available at £908!) to ride the whole network across 7 days.
A good read although some interest in railway history advised as it drops into some detail around the history of the railways which requires at least a passing curiosity in the subject.
This was a charity shop present from my daughter who knows my passing interest in the railways.
So overall an interesting read with some funny anecdotes along the way, not Bill Bryson but still worth investing the time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2024
Mr Engel loves the railways, but deplores the state they find themselves in in 2009 (and now) following Mr Major's entirely cack-handed privatisation of what is basically a social asset. He is scathing in his condemnation of successive politicians as well as trades unions that have brought this great institution to its knees. He reminds us that Britain led the world in railway development and by various acts of sabotage, vandalism and incompetence by successive governments and advisers, now trails a long way behind the Japanese, French, Spanish, Germans et al. Reading between the lines, if you forgive the pun, Mr Engel might prefer the railways to be renationalised, which does not seem a likely prospect, even under a Labour Government. If you like a treatise on the history and development of railways in the United Kingdom, then this book is most helpful in that regard. Mr Engel has a playful sense of humour, and some of the passages in the book will make you chuckle. The journeys themselves are perhaps of less interest, for one would need the touch of a Mr Theroux to paint the type of picture that would entirely satisfy the reader, rather than these occasionally mundane and superficial comment on respective journeys. Nevertheless, an engaging and always interesting read.
October 7, 2020
A very personal history of British railways, quite funny in parts, depressing in others. He has a bit of a bee in his bonnet about the fact that there's never been an overall plan for where the railways should go or what they're for, with the implication that other countries do it all much better (although I suspect that he's looking abroad with rose-tinted glasses).
A mostly entertaining read, with lots of interesting stories and information, but I found the structure (a round-Britain Odyssey) a little wearing.
A mostly entertaining read, with lots of interesting stories and information, but I found the structure (a round-Britain Odyssey) a little wearing.
May 29, 2023
I really enjoyed reading this book as someone very interested in railways. I liked the way the author brings the railway journeys he is going on with the history of how they came to be as they are today. The book is also remarkably balanced politically (would the FT employ such a person now I wonder) between events that the Conservative and Labour parties were behind. Both get a right slapping at the appropriate moments and deserved it is too.
A must read for those with an interest in Britain's railways.
A must read for those with an interest in Britain's railways.
February 9, 2024
Oh my word. I wanted to like this book. I loved the premise. But it could have easily been half the length, and the giant section on the politics of train ownership in the U.K. was enough to make my eyes cross. Perhaps my expectations were all wrong (they probably were), but by the end I was skim reading, just to get it done. If you're looking for a charming tale about train travel across the pond, a la Bill Bryson...this isn't it.
June 12, 2018
Another re-read. Very readable, relaxed and humorous but well-informed reflections on our rail service, aspects of its history, not least the politics that have dogged its development. Underlines the gulf between the service it could be and what it actually is while reminding one of some of the architectural, geographical and other joys of travelling by train.
September 17, 2024
Genuinely didn't notice this turn from a travelogue into a history of the railways (and back again) but it was another enjoyable train book to take on a long train journey. My main criticism is when the travelogue did resume it felt so abbreviated as to actually be quite hard to follow where it went, never mind enjoy it as a piece of travel writing.
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August 26, 2025This was less of a travel book and more a reflection of the history of the railways, leading to how we have ended up in the modern (albeit now 15 years out of date) times. I enjoyed the author’s humour whilst maintaining a sincerity and respect for those who work there. Certainly a fun and interesting read, even if it wasn’t quite what I thought it would be!
September 24, 2018
This isn't a journey of Britain; more a long history of the train system and the issues of privatisation. It was interesting, but not entirely as advertised. And enjoyable read, though, even if you may feel a little short-changed.
May 1, 2019
A very interesting & well researched look at the development & governmental undercutting of the railways in Britain.
I'd very much welcome an update covering the years between publication & today, 2019. Especially given the environmental trends of the world today.
I'd very much welcome an update covering the years between publication & today, 2019. Especially given the environmental trends of the world today.
December 13, 2020
Not as good as I thought it would be. It is is more of a history of the railways, rather than the love letter to the current network I was expecting. Also, it was disappointing to see some of the stronger swear words used for no apparent reason.
May 30, 2021
An interesting and entertaining mix of the history of the railways and train rides. Well worth a read as it lays bare the non-existence of a golden age of the railways and the continuing lack of a co-ordinated and coherent plan for the network.
February 20, 2022
I wasn't sure whether I would complete this book but I managed to finish it. I expected more of travel but there was less travelling and more politics. I would have enjoyed more if I was a train enthusiast or a British national.
May 18, 2017
…a railway history that is both salutary and funny. A great read. I recommend it. Here’s a review…
https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
July 28, 2022
The book was good,just not what I thought it would be.i have read similar books and found them a fun read,this one started off quite amusing,then to me it drifted off.as they horses for courses.
October 6, 2024
I wish I knew the British landscape better as I would have enjoyed this book more.
March 5, 2025
A really enjoyable book full of accounts of rail journeys, lots of good stories and a lot of interesting railway history.
March 26, 2020
A fascinating look at British railway history with insights in possible, historical, reasons for the parlous state of our railways today.
November 1, 2016
As a life-long user (and lover) of the railways, I began reading this with great keenness and anticipation. I have derived huge pleasure over the years from travelling up and down the country by rail but have also suffered my fair share of annoyance and frustration (and I'm not just talking about leaves on the line or the wrong sort of snow). Matthew Engel would appear to be in much the same boat (sorry!) as me and, unless I have totally misunderstood his intentions, wrote this book both to celebrate the up side of rail travel and to try to explain why things go wrong when (inevitably) they do.
Eleven Minutes Late opens brilliantly with an account of a train journey from Penzance to Dundee, which at the time of writing was the longest non-stop journey that one could take on the British railway network (I believe they've since tacked a bit on at the Scottish end). This sounds like train heaven to me but it quickly became more like hell for Engel and I can understand why (mainly down to his fellow passengers). Right at the end of the book, Engel returns to his exhilarating travelogue but the vast majority of the text in between is occupied by a highly readable and entertaining history of the evolution of the British railway network. This is absorbing, extremely interesting (one learns something revealing on almost every page) and, because the author writes exceptionally well, never dull. However, as other Goodreads reviewers have pointed out, this is not what I was expecting having read the (distinctly deceitful) blurb. I was expecting something akin to 'Bill Bryson on rails' and, although I'm not a great fan of Bryson's travel writing, I think this book would have been much better had Engel written something that agreed with his publisher's blurb. There would seem to be no reason why he couldn't have travelled around the country exploring the rail network and dispensing the history in bite-sized gobbets as he went along as opposed to the one large dollop we get in this book.
There are entertaining asides on subjects such as Reggie Perrin (hence the title) and Brief Encounter and a sting in the tail when a Virgin Trains employee working in what that company laughingly refer to as the 'shop' (a copy of Closer and some flapjacks does not constitute a shop Mr Branson!) appears to call a dithering Engel a very rude word. On the whole, Eleven Minutes Late is an excellent read for both casual rail travellers and hardened commuters alike but I have to subtract one star because it certainly does not do what it says on the tin.
Eleven Minutes Late opens brilliantly with an account of a train journey from Penzance to Dundee, which at the time of writing was the longest non-stop journey that one could take on the British railway network (I believe they've since tacked a bit on at the Scottish end). This sounds like train heaven to me but it quickly became more like hell for Engel and I can understand why (mainly down to his fellow passengers). Right at the end of the book, Engel returns to his exhilarating travelogue but the vast majority of the text in between is occupied by a highly readable and entertaining history of the evolution of the British railway network. This is absorbing, extremely interesting (one learns something revealing on almost every page) and, because the author writes exceptionally well, never dull. However, as other Goodreads reviewers have pointed out, this is not what I was expecting having read the (distinctly deceitful) blurb. I was expecting something akin to 'Bill Bryson on rails' and, although I'm not a great fan of Bryson's travel writing, I think this book would have been much better had Engel written something that agreed with his publisher's blurb. There would seem to be no reason why he couldn't have travelled around the country exploring the rail network and dispensing the history in bite-sized gobbets as he went along as opposed to the one large dollop we get in this book.
There are entertaining asides on subjects such as Reggie Perrin (hence the title) and Brief Encounter and a sting in the tail when a Virgin Trains employee working in what that company laughingly refer to as the 'shop' (a copy of Closer and some flapjacks does not constitute a shop Mr Branson!) appears to call a dithering Engel a very rude word. On the whole, Eleven Minutes Late is an excellent read for both casual rail travellers and hardened commuters alike but I have to subtract one star because it certainly does not do what it says on the tin.
February 21, 2017
A fascinating reflection on the history of UK rail and what it says about life, politics and culture here in the UK
February 13, 2013
"Brilliant" said the Independent. "Very funny" said the Daily Telegraph. I beg to differ.
This is one man's account of the muddle and eccentricities of the railways in Britain. As such, perhaps it is no surprise to find that the book itself is muddled and eccentric. What starts out as a journey from one end of Britain to the other soon becomes a catalogue of odd facts, figures and opinions. And then, as if realising that he has shunted himself onto a siding for a couple of hundred pages, the author bestirs himself and finishes his journey. The dry, gentle humour helps, but it doesn't disguise the fact that the politics and economics of our railway history are innately boring.
The title refers to the somewhat whimsical definition of a late train. If the train arrives within ten minutes of its scheduled arrival time, it is classed as on time. Late trains are an embarrassment to the operator, and so generous allowance is built into the scheduling to ensure that unless foiled by autumnal leaves on the track, or the wrong kind of snow, the majority of trains do arrive on time, albeit at a much slower speed than they managed in days gone by.
If you were an avid train-spotter in the 1950's, your nostalgia and love of railway detail will probably make this book a must-read. For anyone else, unless you too have been shunted onto one of life's sidings, I recommend giving it a miss.
This is one man's account of the muddle and eccentricities of the railways in Britain. As such, perhaps it is no surprise to find that the book itself is muddled and eccentric. What starts out as a journey from one end of Britain to the other soon becomes a catalogue of odd facts, figures and opinions. And then, as if realising that he has shunted himself onto a siding for a couple of hundred pages, the author bestirs himself and finishes his journey. The dry, gentle humour helps, but it doesn't disguise the fact that the politics and economics of our railway history are innately boring.
The title refers to the somewhat whimsical definition of a late train. If the train arrives within ten minutes of its scheduled arrival time, it is classed as on time. Late trains are an embarrassment to the operator, and so generous allowance is built into the scheduling to ensure that unless foiled by autumnal leaves on the track, or the wrong kind of snow, the majority of trains do arrive on time, albeit at a much slower speed than they managed in days gone by.
If you were an avid train-spotter in the 1950's, your nostalgia and love of railway detail will probably make this book a must-read. For anyone else, unless you too have been shunted onto one of life's sidings, I recommend giving it a miss.
August 4, 2013
Not quite what I expected but I enjoyed it just the same. This was more historical than geographical. The book opens with a jaunt from Penzance to Thurso and doesn't quite hit the sweet spot in terms of atmosphere and description (but then, we are talking the modern British railway experience) Most of the book however is an account of railway system (not so much railway engine) history ancient and modern and only at the end do we get back to using Engel's fortnight go-anywhere pass. I was quite surprised to discover which line and which destination he thought most vile - I am almost tempted to go and see for myself. This revised paperback edition brings us further up to date but not quite as far as the declaration of the HS2 route.
I did laugh out loud several times which has got to be good and I liked Engel's tone, exasperated though it sometimes is. Beeching comes across as neither the Anti-Christ nor as misunderstood and maligned. His views on John Major, who agreed to be interviewed for the book despite knowing that they did not share a perspective, were generous. I was especially interested in his many comments about the office of Minister for Transport since my own MP is the present incumbent.
I did laugh out loud several times which has got to be good and I liked Engel's tone, exasperated though it sometimes is. Beeching comes across as neither the Anti-Christ nor as misunderstood and maligned. His views on John Major, who agreed to be interviewed for the book despite knowing that they did not share a perspective, were generous. I was especially interested in his many comments about the office of Minister for Transport since my own MP is the present incumbent.
October 24, 2013
Eleven Minutes Late by Matthew Engel is billed as a train journey to the soul of Britain, but that's not a very accurate sub-title. Although it starts out describing an actual journey up and down the UK, after about a quarter of the way through it shifts from mildly entertaining travelogue to a mish-mash of railway history and ramblings about the reasons (in Engel's view) for the national joke status that British railways have enjoyed for so long.
This isn't a bad book, but on the whole I found it difficult to engage with the subject, despite my general liking for the subject. It was a bit rambling in parts and for the most part, the observational humour was laboured.
© Koplowitz 2013
This isn't a bad book, but on the whole I found it difficult to engage with the subject, despite my general liking for the subject. It was a bit rambling in parts and for the most part, the observational humour was laboured.
© Koplowitz 2013
October 20, 2012
This book is a cross between the the development of the railways from the 1830's with the social and political factors that drove the expansion of the railways right up to the present day. I also learnt a fair bit of history and in particular the attitude to progress of the British politicians over the years.
As a regular rail user, I really enjoyed this book and from the comments of several conductors on the train I was reading it on, they enjoyed it too.
As a regular rail user, I really enjoyed this book and from the comments of several conductors on the train I was reading it on, they enjoyed it too.
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