Very interesting book with many things you are not likely to find elsewhere. But it was written by an Englishman and like most Englishmen everything elsewhere is less important. Europe gets a better brake than the U.S. But considering our size, it wasn't just a convenience, but integral to the settlement of the West, that is, West of New England. Before the RR the best way to California was around South America, once you moved very far you never saw your family again and mail service there was almost nonexistent. ( )

The Iron Road
An Illustrated History of the Railroad
Author: Christian Wolmar
Publisher: DK Publishing
Published In: New York City, NY
Date: 2014
Pgs: 389

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
The history of the railroad is a tale of ingenuity, social change, and bold vision. From the earliest steam engines to the high-speed bullet trains of today. The Iron Road reveals the hidden stories of the railroads--the inspired engineering; the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the construction of the tracks; the groundbreaking innovations behind the trains that traveled them; and the triumphs and tragedies of the people who made the railroad what it is. Packed with lavish photographs, diagrams, and maps to illustrate and illuminate, this is the biography of the machines that carried us into the modern era.

Genre:
Culture
History
Non-fiction
Society

Why this book:
Railroads...trains...I’m in.

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Hmm Moments:
Cuba having the most miles of track per inhabitant in the mid 1800s. Placed in context with the sugar barons driving the development, it makes sense. Even with the many miles of track, they were focused closely on the sugar industry and weren’t situated to support other industrial development, a one-trick pony despite their pervasiveness.

It’s amazing how much history evolved and devolved around the railroads; their birth, heydey, and decline.

The graft at the heart of the railroad expansion across America flavored much of modern American business. The government wanted the railroad built, so they subsidized it. The rail barons formed companies to build the railroads that they would own when they were completed, charged exorbitant rates to the government, and pocketed huge dividends and made money out of both the construction and the finished product.

I wondered if the author would shy away from the dark aspects of railroad history. But they were confronted head on. The story of the Holocaust and the slave labor building of the Siam-to-Burma railroad are both here. Horror though they are, they belong in this if it hopes to be a definitive look at the history of the railroads.

Why isn’t there a screenplay?
The Panama Railroad, the Derienni, Ran Runnels, and George Totten would make a helluva movie.

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Last Page Sound:
And...trains.

Author Assessment:
Well researched and well written history.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
glad I read it

Disposition of Book:
Irving Public Library - South
Irving, TX

Dewey Decimal System:
385.09 WOL

Would recommend to:
genre fans
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The railroad impacted our lives in ways little realized. British author Christian Wolmar has written a compelling history of the phenomenon born in the early part of the 19th century. We are taken through the building of the rails country by country all the way to the present day. At the end of the book, there is a glimpse of travel by bullet trains.

This work details the wonders of railroad construction. Railroads changed life forever. It is hard now to imagine what things were like before the railroad. People were often confined permanently to small geographic areas. Travel was simply too difficult to make long trips feasible. It was nearly certain that one's future spouse would be someone who lived nearby. I was surprised to learn that time zones everywhere, as we know them, came about because of the railroads.

There are many stories embedded within this narrative. The railroad made a few people very wealthy, and provided jobs for many. Construction of the lines saw many deaths, some by suicide and others accidental. There was luxurious travel afforded by rail, thanks in no small part to a man named George Pullman. The Pullman sleeping car gave travelers a way to get a good night's rest, while Pullman's dining car afforded the opportunity for a first-class meal aboard the train.

The story of The Iron Road: An Illustrated History of the Railroad, is hard to put down. There are fantastic illustrations and photographs throughout. It's a great look at travel by railroad as it was, as it is and as it will be in the future. ( )