Eleven minutes late
Subtitle: a train journey to the soul of Britain
By: Matthew Engel.
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2009
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 323
ISBN-13: 9780230708983; 9780230744066
Subjects: Railroads -- Great Britain -- History; Railroad travel -- Great Britain
Other titles: 11 minutes late
Description: "Britain gave railways to the world, yet its own network is the dearest (definitely) and the worst (probably) in Western Europe. Trains are deeply embedded in the national psyche and folklore - yet it is considered uncool to care about them." "For Matthew Engel the railway system is the ultimate expression of Britishness. It represents all the nation's ingenuity, incompetence, nostalgia, corruption, humour, capacity for suffering and even sexual repression. To uncover its mysteries, Engel has travelled the system from Penzance to Thurso, exploring its history and talking to people from politicians to platform staff." "Along the way Engel ('half-John Betjeman, half-Victor Meldrew') finds the most charmingly bizarre train in Britain, the most beautiful branch line, the rudest railwayman, and - after a quest lasting decades - an Individual Pot of Strawberry Jam. Eleven Minutes Late is both a polemic and a paean, and it is also very funny."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 314-315) and index.