The railway was the creation - in some ways the archetypal creation - of the Victorian age. It affected the whole social and intellectual fabric of Britain, figured in the literature of the age, inspired artists, transformed communications and expanded the horizons of ordinary folk. This absorbing book looks at every aspect of the railway in Victorian times - from the origins and initial construction to the spreading impact on the nation; from engineers and financiers to the effect on leisure and the environment. This is a story that is not only enthralling in its own right but also fundamental to an understanding of British history and the nature of Britain today.

‘The scenery is magnificent … and every detail can be observed from Simmons’s window … The author presents a train-spotter’s paradise of information’ - Matthew Parris, The Times

‘This wonderful panorama … like one of those great canvases populated by half the inhabitants of Britain of which the Victorians were so fond … You will wallow in this book’ - Miles Kington

‘Tens of thousands of books have been written about railways … but no one has analysed the world the railways created … This is just what Jack Simmons has now done’ - The Spectator