A photographic history of the oldest railway system in the world

The railway system in Britain began in 1825 with the first locomotive hauled public railway, culminating in a network of more than 10,000 miles of track by 2000 and a high-speed rail link to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. This book traces the history of rail transportation from the cramped carriages hauled by dirty steam locomotives to streamlined air-conditioned trains. It charts the growth of private local lines, their amalgamation, and the introduction of diesel and electric rolling stock. It also dives into competition from road transportation and the closure of branch lines and freight depots in the 1960s, through nationalization, privatization, and the remedial work to restore the railways as efficient, cost effective transport for the 21st century.