Description
Railway scholar and writer Ransom selects from fact and fiction to show why train travel has been so attractive for 200 years. He also provides insight into the process of running a railroad. The text includes quotes from famous authors such as Charles Dickens, John Masters, and L.T.C. Rolt, as well as lesser known travelers. The diverse topics include Richard Trevithick's Penydarren locomotive of 1804, the first steam intercity railway between Liverpool and Manchester, the working life of a Victorian signalman, the narrow gauge Festiniog railway of 1863, the local lines of central France in the 1950s, and tales of innovative engineering, wartime and narrow-gauge railways, disasters and heroism. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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This anthology celebrates 200 years of railway history and railway writing. The author has made a fascinating, wide-ranging selection from factual and fictional accounts to illustrate the attractions of train travel and the human side of running a railway. He includes memorable extracts describing rail travel in Britain, continental Europe, Canada, the USA and India which give a vivid impression of the development and diversity of railways since the pioneering days of the early 1800s. The quotations have been chosen for their inherent historical interest and insight, the quality of the writing and for the extraordinary events they record. His collection will be fascinating reading for railway enthusiasts and for everyone who knows the charm of travelling by train. Famous authors feature in the collection - Charles Dickens, John Masters, L.T.C. Rolt - but there are many evocative, well-written accounts from less-well-known rail travellers. Also featured are tales of innovative engineering, wartime railways, narrow-gauge railways, railway disasters and heroism, speed records, diesel development and the determination of the railway preservation movement.
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