Fire and Steam: How the Railways Transformed Britain

(Hardback, Main)

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A new and updated edition of the classic history of the British railway, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of train travel in 2025.The opening of the pioneering Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first passenger line, in 1825 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 country-wide 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 disaster of privatization, Fire and Steam examines the social and economical importance of the railway and how it helped form the Britain of today.

Reviews

A marvellously informative, entertaining and rightly partisan book... that has given me more pleasure than any I can remember in quite a while. * Sunday Times *
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 *
Christian Wolmar brings the era of railway mania alive: both the imagination and the daring that made it possible. -- David Dimbleby
A wonderful account of how our railways came to be. -- Jon Snow
From the prolific pen of the nation's most passionate and well-known advocate of rail transport and travel... rich in anecdotes without being anecdotal, firmly rooted and referenced in a broad knowledge of our railways yet still an entertaining read. -- Peter Lyth * BBC History Magazine *

Author Bio

Christian Wolmar has written for every national newspaper and appears frequently on TV and radio as a commentator on transport issues. His previous books include the widely acclaimed The Subterranean Railway; Fire and Steam; Blood, Iron and Gold; Engines of War; The Great Railway Revolution; To the Edge of the World; Railways and the Raj; Cathedrals of Steam; and British Rail.