Fifty Railroads that Changed the Course of History
Railroads were the Internet of the nineteenth century, providing people with fast and convenient communication (and transportation!) between formerly disconnected places. From the Stockton and Darlington Railway to the Channel Tunnel, advances in railway engineering have tended to mirror larger changes in society as a whole. Author Laws has selected 50 railroads and presents brief (2–8 pages) histories that highlight the importance of each one. Coverage is international, with entries from every continent where railroads have been established. Entries are arranged in chronological order, ranging from 1804 to 2007. Some entries may be obvious (transcontinental railroads in the U.S. and Canada, high-speed rail in Japan); and some are more obscure (the ­Jerusalem to Jaffa Railway or the Semmering Railway in Austria). Although most railroads were chosen for inclusion based on advances in engineering and transportation, a few were selected because of their social impact (Southern Railway’s influence on popular music, the Burma to Siam Railway as the model for the film Bridge over the River Kwai, Dutch Railways as they related to strikes and labor unrest, and the sobering impact of the rail spur leading to Auschwitz). Dates selected to represent entries are not always clear, such as the Channel Tunnel being listed in 2007, rather than its opening in 1994. Despite a few such oddities, this book will be popular with rail fans and history buffs, all of whom will argue the inclusion or exclusion of their own particular favorite railroads. This is a good choice for the circulating shelves of most public libraries. --David Tyckoson