Christian Wolmar

A new and updated edition of the classic history of the British railway, published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of train travel in 2025. The opening of the pioneering Stockton and Darlington railway, the world's first passenger line, in 1825 marked the beginning of the railways' vital role in changing the face of Britain. Fire and Steam celebrates the...

Highly original Simon Heffer, Telegraph Masterful... A gripping tale Giles Milton They certainly were not soldiers, yet they suddenly found themselves in uniform, in a foreign land. But, as locomotive drivers, track-workers, conductors, porters, signalmen and engine cleaners, they knew how to run trains. And their job was to bring them back to life. The Liberation Line tells the thrilling...

A first-class journey through the history of railways From the first steam trains to the high-speed bullet trains of today, The Rise of the Railway tells the hidden stories of railway history - the inspired engineering, technical ingenuity, and sheer determination that forged the world's railways. Award-winning writer and broadcaster Christian Wolmar reveals how the railways were built not just...

Christian Wolmar expertly tells the story of the Trans-Siberian railway from its conception and construction under Tsar Alexander III, to the northern extension ordered by Brezhnev and its current success as a vital artery. He also explores the crucial role the line played in both the Russian Civil War—Trotsky famously used an armoured carriage as his command post—and the Second...

Highly original Simon Heffer, Telegraph Masterful... A gripping tale Giles Milton They certainly were not soldiers, yet they suddenly found themselves in uniform, in a foreign land. But, as locomotive drivers, track-workers, conductors, porters, signalmen, and engine cleaners, they knew how to run trains. And their job was to bring them back to life. The Liberation Line tells the thrilling...

The rise and fall of the state-owned British Rail, from "the greatest expert on British trains" Christian Wolmar. You think you know British Rail. Stale sandwiches, inefficiency, and violent yellow carriages— we haven't looked kindly on the last of our state-owned organisations to be privatised. But through its 50-year lifetime, British Rail transformed our transport system, and for a time...

Fast Track provides a global history of high-speed rail from the railways' "wisest, most detailed historian" (The Observer). Sleek, comfortable, accessible, and sustainable, high-speed rail is the future. Japan's Bullet Train has become a global icon. The French TGV established a template that soon followed across Europe. However, China has become the world leader. With lines built or planned in...