Christian Wolmar

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 epic story of the railwaymen who ensured Allied victory in World War Two published to coincide with the eightieth anniversary of D Day by Britain s best loved railway writer

The epic story of the railwaymen who ensured Allied victory in World War Two published to coincide with the eightieth anniversary of D Day by Britain s best loved railway writer

Highly original Simon Heffer, TelegraphMasterful... A gripping tale Giles MiltonThey certainly were not soldiers, yet they suddenly found themselves in uniform, in a foreign land. But, as locomotive drivers, track-workers, conductors, porters, signalmen and engine cleaners, they knew how to run trains. And their job was to bring them back to life.The Liberation Line tells the thrilling story of the British and American railway engineers who, in the months after D-Day, worked around the clock and in great danger to rebuild the ravaged railways of Europe and keep the Allied forces fuelled as they pushed on into Germany. As territory was taken, these soldier-railroaders were close behind, rebuilding the lines, putting up telegraph wires, replacing bridges and laying track, all the while dodging bullets, shells and booby traps.Tales of extraordinary feats and heroism abound, including how 10,000 men rebuilt a 135-mile-long railway in just three days; the reconstruction of the bridge over the Seine in two weeks while under bombardment; and the use of cigarette lighters as improvised signalling systems. Despite being critical to Allied victory, the role of the railwaymen has been largely forgotten or ignored. In a vivid and gripping narrative, Christian Wolmar brings to life this colourful cast of generals and engineers, without whose extraordinary bravery the liberation of France and invasion of Germany might well have foundered - and the course of history changed.

The opening of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 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 buoyant future of the train, Fire and Steam examines the social and economical importance of the railway and how it helped to form the Britain of today.

The birth of the railways and their rapid spread across the world triggered economic growth and social change on an unprecedented scale. From Panama to the Punjab, Tasmania to Turin, Blood, Iron and Gold describes the vision and determination of the pioneers who developed railways that would link cities that had hitherto been isolated, and would one day span continents. Christian Wolmar reveals how the rise of the train stimulated daring feats of engineering, architectural innovation and the rapid movement of people and goods around the world. He shows how cultures were enriched - and destroyed - by the unrelenting construction and how the railways played a vital role in civil conflict, as well as in two world wars. Blood, Iron and Gold tells the dramatic story of how the railways changed the world.

In the 1830s, The United States underwent a second revolution. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio line, the first American railroad, set in motion a process which, by the end of the century, would enmesh the vast country in a latticework of railroad lines, small-town stations and magisterial termini, built and controlled the biggest corporations in America.By the middle of the twentieth century, however, as the automobile and the aeroplane came to dominate American journey-making, the historic importance of the railroads began to be erased from Americas hearts and minds. In The Great Railway Revolution, Christian Wolmar tells us the extraordinary one-hundred-and-eighty-year story of the rise, fall and ultimate shattering of the greatest of all American endeavours, of technological triumph and human tragedy, of visionary pioneers and venal and rapacious railway barons. He also argues that while America has largely disowned this heritage, now is the time to celebrate, reclaim and reinstate it. The growth of the US railroads was much more than just a revolution in mode, speed and convenience. They united the far-flung components of a vast and disparate country and supercharged the economic development that fuelled its rise to world-power status. America was created by its railroads and the massive expansion of trade, industry and freedom of communication that they engendered came to be an integral part of the American dream itself.

Since the Victorian era, Londons Underground has had played a vital role in the daily life of generations of Londoners. In The Subterranean Railway, Christian Wolmar celebrates the vision and determination of the nineteenth-century pioneers who made the worlds first, and still the largest, underground passenger railway: one of the most impressive engineering achievements in history. From the early days of steam to electrification, via the Undergrounds contribution to twentieth-century industrial design and its role during two world wars, the story comes right up to the present with its sleek, driverless trains and the wrangles over the future of the system. The Subterranean Railway reveals Londons hidden wonder in all its glory and shows how the railway beneath the streets helped create the city we know today.

Engines of War tells the dramatic story of how the railways revolutionized the nature of warfare, ushering in an age of industrialized conflict in which wars were fought on a previously unimaginable scale. From the moment of its first appearance, the iron road not only rendered armies more mobile, but also massively increased the power and the deadliness of the weaponry available to them. Christian Wolmars epic account of how an invention that brought prosperity in peace-time metamorphosed in time of war into a weapon of death, is counterpointed by a wealth of human stories of personal endeavour and private tragedy. Embracing every major conflict in which railways have played a part - the Crimean War, the American Civil War, the First and Second Boer Wars, the two World Wars, the Korean War and the Cold War, Engines of War is awe-inspiring tale of industrial might and the transformative power of machinery.

The epic story of the British construction of the railways in India, as told by Britains bestselling transport historian.Christian Wolmar is Britains foremost railway historian. The TimesOur leading writer on the railwaysGuardianChristian Wolmar is in love with railways... He is their wisest, most detailed historianObserverIndia joined the railway age late: the first line was not completed until 1853 but, by 1929, 41,000 miles of track served the country. However, the creation of this vast network was not intended to modernize India for the sake of its people but rather was a means for the colonial power to govern the huge country under its control, serving its British economic and military interests. Despite the dubious intentions behind the construction of the network, the Indian people quickly took to the railways, as the trains allowed them to travel easily for the first time. The Indian Railways network remains one of the largest in the world, serving over 25 million passengers each day.In this expertly told history, Christian Wolmar reveals the full story of Indias railways, from its very beginnings to the present day, and examines the chequered role they have played in Indian history and the creation of todays modern state.

FascinatingBooks of the Year, Financial TimesLondons twelve great rail termini are the epic survivors of the Victorian age... Wolmar brings them to life with the knowledge of an expert and the panache of a connoisseur.Simon JenkinsA wonderful tour, full of vivid incident and surprising detail. Simon BradleyLondon hosts twelve major railway stations, more than any other city in the world. They range from the grand and palatial, such as Kings Cross and Paddington, to the modest and lesser known, such as Fenchurch Street and Cannon Street. These monuments to the age of the train are the hub of Londons transport system and their development, decline and recent renewal have determined the history of the capital in many ways.Built between 1836 and 1899 by competing private train companies seeking to outdo one another, the construction of these terminuses caused tremendous upheaval and had a widespread impact on their local surroundings. What were once called slums were demolished, green spaces and cemeteries were concreted over, and vast marshalling yards, engine sheds and carriage depots sprung up in their place.In a compelling and dramatic narrative, Christian Wolmar traces the development of these magnificent cathedrals of steam, provides unique insights into their history, with many entertaining anecdotes, and celebrates the recent transformation of several of these stations into wonderful blends of the old and the new.

Christian Wolmar expertly tells the story of the Trans-Siberian railway from its conception and construction under Tsar Alexander III, to the northern extension ordered by Brezhnev and its current success as a vital artery. He also explores the crucial role the line played in both the Russian Civil War -Trotsky famously used an armoured carriage as his command post - and the Second World War, during which the railway saved the country from certain defeat. Like the authors previous railway histories, it focuses on the personalities, as well as the political and economic events, that lay behind one of the most extraordinary engineering triumphs of the nineteenth century.

The authoritative and fascinating history of the rise and fall of the state-owned British RailWolmars book is impeccably organised and makes a fast, enjoyable readTHE TIMES Literary Supplement________British Rail wasnt how were asked to remember it . . .From ancient rolling stock to patchy service, stale sandwiches to the wrong kind of snow, British Rail - our last great state-owned organisation to be privatised - has received a terrible press.But after its controversial 1948 creation, British Rail was actually an innovative powerhouse that over five decades transformed the UK, creating one of the fastest regular rail services in the world.Award-winning journalist Christian Wolmar takes us from promise to punchline, exploring British Rails birth into post-war austerity, the many battles and struggles to evolve what many considered to be a dinosaur, and how, at the height of its success, the service was misunderstood and unfairly maligned, ruthlessly broken up and privatised._______Praise for Christian WolmarWolmar is the high priest of railway studiesLiterary ReviewThe greatest expert on British trains GuardianOur most eminent transport journalistSpectatorIf the worlds railways have a laureate, it is surely Christian WolmarBoston GlobeChristian Wolmar is in love with the railways. He writes constantly and passionately about them. He is their wisest, most detailed historian and a constant prophet of their rebirth . . . if you love the hum of the wheels and of history, then Christian Wolmar is your manObserver

Pre-order this global history of high speed rail, from the railways"wisest, most detailed historian" (The Observer)The greatest expert on British trainsGUARDIANThe high priest of railway studiesLITERARY REVIEWOur most eminent transport journalistSPECTATORIf you love the hum of the wheels and of history, then Christian Wolmar is your manOBSERVERSleek, comfortable, accessible, and sustainable, high-speed rail is the future. Since Japans Bullet Train first sped down the track in the sixties, it has become a global icon, as famous for its punctuality as for its speed.The French TGV, or Train a Grande Vitesse, established a template that was soon followed across Europe, in Italy, Germany and SpainBut with a remarkable 30,000 miles of track built in fewer than twenty years China has become the world leader.Now with lines built or planned in over twenty countries, high speed rail has changed the world and, faced with the environmental cost of cars and air travel, might help save it.Two countries, both pioneers of rail travel, have been conspicuously left behind, though. The UK, which before the Second World War built record-breaking high-speed trains, has just sixty-eight miles of high-speed line and the unfolding embarrassment of HS2, while the United States has no genuine high-speed line at all. How can this be?In Fast Track, Christian Wolmar, our leading railway writer, tells the story of the irresistible rise of high-speed rail around the world for the first time. From the magnificence of Britains steam-engined Mallard to a 250 mile per hour future, this is a story of big personalities, bold decisions, cutting edge technology, and soaring ambition.All aboard!

Una ventana fascinante a la historia rusa a través de su emblemático ferrocarril Un tren atraviesa Rusia de Moscú a Vladivostok, durante días y noches, cruzando siete husos horarios y más de 9.000 ki

Es la línea ferroviaria más larga del mundo y el viaje soñado para muchos. Recorre Rusia como una arteria vital, de Moscú a Vladivostok, a lo largo de 9.000 kilómetros y siete husos horarios, atravesando algunos de los paisajes mas aridos del globo.Pese a las adversidades climaticas, las enfermedades, la escasez de materiales y mano de obra, y la corrupcion generalizada, se tardo apenas un decenio en completar el trazado. Recien inauguradao, se vio en el centro de la guerra ruso-japonesa, que resultaria desastrosa para Rusia. Fue solo el primero de los conflictos librados en torno al Transiberiano: la guerra civil rusa fue la siguiente y los combates junto a las vias en ultima instancia decidirian la suerte de la Revolucion. Mas adelante, durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el tren permitio trasladar al este gran parte de la industria, lo que la protegio de la invasion hitleriana.Gracias al ferrocarril, Siberia dejo de ser conocida unicamente como lugar de destierro y presidio para trocarse en una tierra prometida en la que los inmigrantes se asentaron por millones. El Transiberiano es, sin duda, lo mejor que le ha pasado nunca a Siberia. Convirtio una region perdida y distante en parte inextricable de la identidad rusa. Y desde entonces sigue siendo la via ferroviaria mas importante del mundo, en torno a la cual, desde su nacimiento, todo un pais ha experimentado la mas asombrosa de las transformaciones.

Es la línea ferroviaria más larga del mundo y el viaje soñado para muchos. Recorre Rusia como una arteria vital, de Moscú a Vladivostok, a lo largo de 9.000 kilómetros y siete husos horarios, atravesando algunos de los paisajes mas aridos del globo.Pese a las adversidades climaticas, las enfermedades, la escasez de materiales y mano de obra, y la corrupcion generalizada, se tardo apenas un decenio en completar el trazado. Recien inauguradao, se vio en el centro de la guerra ruso-japonesa, que resultaria desastrosa para Rusia. Fue solo el primero de los conflictos librados en torno al Transiberiano: la guerra civil rusa fue la siguiente y los combates junto a las vias en ultima instancia decidirian la suerte de la Revolucion. Mas adelante, durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el tren permitio trasladar al este gran parte de la industria, lo que la protegio de la invasion hitleriana.Gracias al ferrocarril, Siberia dejo de ser conocida unicamente como lugar de destierro y presidio para trocarse en una tierra prometida en la que los inmigrantes se asentaron por millones. El Transiberiano es, sin duda, lo mejor que le ha pasado nunca a Siberia. Convirtio una region perdida y distante en parte inextricable de la identidad rusa. Y desde entonces sigue siendo la via ferroviaria mas importante del mundo, en torno a la cual, desde su nacimiento, todo un pais ha experimentado la mas asombrosa de las transformaciones.