Transforming lives and landscapes, they have left their mark on everything from timekeeping to tourism. As a self-contained world governed by distinctive rules and traditions, the network also exerts a fascination all its own.From the classical grandeur of Newcastle station to the ceaseless traffic of Clapham Junction, from the mysteries of Brunel's atmospheric railway to the lost routines of the great marshalling yards, Simon Bradley explores the world of Britain's railways, the evolution of the trains, and the changing experiences of passengers and workers. The Victorians' private compartments, railway rugs and footwarmers have made way for air-conditioned carriages with airline-type seating, but the railways remain a giant and diverse anthology of structures from every period, and parts of the system are the oldest in the world.Using fresh research, keen observation and a wealth of cultural references, Bradley weaves from this network a remarkable story of technological achievement, of architecture and engineering, of shifting social classes and gender relations, of safety and crime, of tourism and the changing world of work. The Railways shows us that to travel through Britain by train is to journey through time as well as space.

    Discover the fascinating history of our remarkable railway heritage through expert commentary, stunning photographs and archive material from a lifetime of railway research.The iconic railways of Britain have seen unprecedented change and innovation in just a few hundred years, shaping Britain’s industry, society and transport system along the way.Discover the historic events that have shaped Britain’s railways.Highlights include:• 1604: The beginnings of the railways – Wollaton Waggonway opens in Nottinghamshire• 1830: Britain becomes connected – the world’s first inter-city railway, the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, opens• 1938: A world leader in train travel – the LNER ‘A4’ Mallard sets a still unbroken world speed record for steam locomotives• 1963: ‘Beeching Report’ published – marked the death sentence for many rural lines• 2015: Borders Railway reopens between Edinburgh and Tweedbank – marks a modern-day revival for the railways

    Or a crumbling platform from some once-bustling junction buried under the buddleia. If you are lucky you might be able to follow some rusting tracks, or explore an old tunnel leading to…well, who knows where? Listen hard. Is that the wind in the undergrowth? Or the spectre of a train from a golden era of the past panting up the embankment?These are the ghosts of The Trains Now Departed. They are the railway lines, and services that ran on them that have disappeared and gone forever. Our lost legacy includes lines prematurely axed, often with a gripping and colourful tale of their own, as well as marvels of locomotive engineering sent to the scrapyard, and grand termini felled by the wrecker's ball. Then there are the lost delights of train travel, such as haute cuisine in the dining car, the grand expresses with their evocative names, and continental boat trains to romantic far-off places.The Trains Now Departed tells the stories of some of the most fascinating lost trains of Britain, vividly evoking the glories of a bygone age. In his personal odyssey around Britain Michael Williams tells the tales of the pioneers who built the tracks, the yarns of the men and women who operated them and the colourful trains that ran on them. It is a journey into the soul of our railways, summoning up a magic which, although mired in time, is fortunately not lost for ever.THIS EDITION REVISED AND UPDATED TO INCLUDE MAPS.

    Upon completion, the corporation s transcontinental railway line was quickly complemented by a large fleet of passenger ships serving the Atlantic and the Pacific. In Canada, numerous fantastic hotels were built, and for a while Canadian Pacific was North America s, and possibly the world s biggest hotel operator. The company also sponsored immigration to Canada on a major scale, and was a pioneer in the field of tourism promoting Canada as a tourist destination, and offering luxury cruises throughout the world. The making of modern Canada is unimaginable without Canadian Pacific. No other entity influenced the nation s economic development and image to such an extent. A concise and compelling narrative recapitulating the first one hundred years of the company s history, beginning in the 1880 s, is brought to life by hundreds of advertisements, illustrations, designs, photos, and historical documents, many of which have never been published before. The printed materials allow the reader to experience the colorful universe of Canadian Pacific s publicity and corporate branding strategies targeting the adventurous world travelers of the late 19th century, the luxury passengers in the 1930 s, potential immigrants considering a move to Canada, or the company s airline customers in the 1950 s just to name a few examples. Meticulous care was taken not only in curating a fascinating visual storyline to accompany the text, but also in reproducing and digitally restoring all images as accurately as possible. This is more than a beautiful book, it is an indispensable testament to one of the greatest achievements of entrepreneurship the world has seen."