The Great Railway Revolution

Author : Christian Wolmar
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1610391802
Total Pages : 450 pages
Book Rating : 4.01/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Railroad Revolution written by Christian Wolmar and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America was made by the railroads. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio line -- the first American railroad -- in the 1830s sparked a national revolution in the way that people lived thanks to the speed and convenience of train travel. Promoted by visionaries and built through heroic effort, the American railroad network was bigger in every sense than Europe's, and facilitated everything from long-distance travel to commuting and transporting goods to waging war. It united far-flung parts of the country, boosted economic development, and was the catalyst for America's rise to world-power status. Every American town, great or small, aspired to be connected to a railroad and by the turn of the century, almost every American lived within easy access of a station. By the early 1900s, the United States was covered in a latticework of more than 200,000 miles of railroad track and a series of magisterial termini, all built and controlled by the biggest corporations in the land. The railroads dominated the American landscape for more than a hundred years but by the middle of the twentieth century, the automobile, the truck, and the airplane had eclipsed the railroads and the nation started to forget them. In The Great Railroad Revolution, renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary story of the rise and the fall of the greatest of all American endeavors, and argues that the time has come for America to reclaim and celebrate its often-overlooked rail heritage.

Author : Christian Wolmar
Publisher : Atlantic Books Ltd
ISBN 13 : 0857897799
Total Pages : 570 pages
Book Rating : 4.94/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Railway Revolution written by Christian Wolmar and published by Atlantic Books Ltd. This book was released on 2012-05-10 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 America's 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.

Author : Christian Wolmar
Publisher : Atlantic
ISBN 13 : 9780857890368
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.60/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Railway Revolution written by Christian Wolmar and published by Atlantic. This book was released on 2013-04-01 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The epic tale of the building of the US railroad network, and how it brought a stripling nation to economic and political maturity, is recounted in thrilling style. The story of the US railroads is the story of modern America.

Author : Christian Wolmar
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1610394534
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.36/5 ( download)

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Download or read book To the Edge of the World written by Christian Wolmar and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2014-08-05 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To the Edge of the World, is an adventure in travel—full of extraordinary personalities, more than a century of explosive political, economic, and cultural events, and almost inconceivable feats of engineering. Christian Wolmar passionately recounts the improbable origins of the Trans-Siberian railroad, the vital artery for Russian expansion that spans almost 6,000 miles and seven time zones from Moscow to Vladivostok. The world's longest train route took a decade to build—in the face of punishing climates, rampant disease, scarcity of funds and materials, and widespread corruption. The line sprawls over a treacherous landmass that was previously populated only by disparate tribes and convicts serving out their terms in labor camps—where men were regularly starved, tortured, or mutilated for minor offenses. Once built, it led to the establishment of new cities and transformed the region's history. Exceeding all expectations, it became, according to Wolmar, “the best thing that ever happened to Siberia.” It was not all good news, however. The railroad was the cause of the 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War, and played a vital—and at times bloody—role in the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Civil War. More positively, the Russians were able to resist the Nazi invasion during the Second World War as new routes enabled whole industries to be sent east. Siberia, previously a lost and distant region, became an inextricable part of Russia's cultural identity. And what began as one meandering, single-track line is now, arguably, the world's most important railroad.

Author : LES. TURNBULL
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780993115158
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.52/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Railway Revolution written by LES. TURNBULL and published by . This book was released on 2019-10 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Claude Wiatrowski
Publisher : Voyageur Press
ISBN 13 : 161060136X
Total Pages : 262 pages
Book Rating : 4.68/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Railroads Across North America written by Claude Wiatrowski and published by Voyageur Press. This book was released on 2007-09-15 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first steam-powered locomotives of the early nineteenth century to the high-speed commuter trains of today, the American railroad has been a great engine powering the nations growth and industry. This book celebrates the glory and grandeur of that legacy with a lavish tour of the history of the American railroad and the culture surrounding it. Generously illustrated with vintage photographs, modern images, maps, timetables, tickets, brochures, and all manner of memorabilia, this volume offers a fascinating look at the rail industrys beginnings and development, as well as its place in American history. From the might of the major rail companies and their empires to the romance of rail travel, this is the full and fabulously colorful story of the industry that moved a nation--and stirs our imaginations to this day.

Author : Christian Wolmar
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1465433716
Total Pages : 445 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Iron Road written by Christian Wolmar and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-05-01 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by Christian Wolmar, author of the critically acclaimed The Great Railroad Revolution, The Iron Road is a richly illustrated account of the rise of the rails across the world. From the historic moment in September 1830 when the first train ran between Liverpool and Manchester, to the high speed trains bulleting across Asia and Europe, The Iron Road: An Illustrated History of the Railroad looks at how railroads have changed the world. Photographs, maps, paintings, and illustrations bring events and locations to life, adding a unique visual quality to the stories of great invention, feats of mind-boggling engineering, groundbreaking changes in trade and commerce, and tales of adventurers, visionaries, and rogues. The Iron Road is the third title in DK's successful illustrated histories format, which combines text-rich narratives with beautiful visual design.

Author : Christian Wolmar
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1586488511
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.12/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Blood, Iron, and Gold written by Christian Wolmar and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2010-03-02 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of a transport revolution that would forever transform the way we live. Blood, Iron, and Gold takes us on a journey encompassing jungle, mountain, and desert, revealing the huge impact of the railroads as they spread rapidly across entire countries, and linked cities that hitherto had little reach beyond their immediate environs. The rise of the train triggered daring engineering feats, great architectural innovation, and the rapid movement of people and goods across the globe. Cultures were both enriched and destroyed by the unrelenting construction of the railroads, and the new technology quickly took on a vital role in civil conflicts and two world wars. In this beautifully illustrated book, renowned transportation journalist Christian Wolmar celebrates the vision and determination of the ambitious pioneers who developed the railways that would dominate the globe.

Author : Michael A. Vanns
Publisher : Casemate Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1473892147
Total Pages : 204 pages
Book Rating : 4.49/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Central Railway written by Michael A. Vanns and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2017-05-31 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This compelling book centers on the Great Central Railways early history, focusing particularly on its drive to reach London. It follows the subsequent fortunes of the London Extension right up until its closure, and into the preservation era, examining the remarkable achievements of hundreds of enthusiasts and their continuing struggle to fulfill the aspirations of those 1969 visionaries.In 1899 the Great Central Railway opened a new main line between Nottinghamshire and London. It was built to the highest of standards; civil and mechanical engineers able to benefit from the experience of over fifty years of British railway construction. It was a glorious achievement. Yet, despite incorporating some of the best facilities to enable it to operate in a more efficient way than its older rivals, it had a short working life compared to its contemporaries. By the end of the 1960s, most of it had closed. However, ironically, that abandonment by the state-owned British Railways presented an independent and enterprising group of railway enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to operate their own main line with their own engines. In 1969 the Main Line Preservation Group was formed with a vision to re-create a fully functioning, double track, steam-worked main line between Nottingham and Leicester. This book explores the journey, development and changes of the Great Central Railway and is a fantastic guide to how the railway industry has changed over time.

Author : Paul Theroux
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN 13 : 054752515X
Total Pages : 406 pages
Book Rating : 4.50/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Great Railway Bazaar written by Paul Theroux and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2006-06-01 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed author recounts his epic journey across Europe and Asia in this international bestselling classic of travel literature: “Compulsive reading” (Graham Greene). In 1973, Paul Theroux embarked on a four-month journey by train from the United Kingdom through Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In The Great Railway Bazaar, he records in vivid detail and penetrating insight the many fascinating incidents, adventures, and encounters of his grand, intercontinental tour. Asia's fabled trains—the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express—are the stars of a journey that takes Theroux on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. Brimming with Theroux's signature humor and wry observations, this engrossing chronicle is essential reading for both the ardent adventurer and the armchair traveler.