Working on the Victorian Railway


Book Description

A fascinating insight into what it was like to work on the world's first railways.




The Victorian Railway


Book Description

This title looks at every aspect of the railway in Victorian times - from the origins and initial construction to the spreading impact on the nation; from engineers and financiers to the effect on leisure and the environment.




Railways and the Victorian Imagination


Book Description

Discusses the cultural and social effect that the railway had on nineteenth century society in Great Britain




The Working and Management of an English Railway


Book Description

This instructive book grew from a lecture given to the School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks. At that time the focus was naturally on the railway as it related to military activity, especially defense. The book extends to 17 chapters each dealing with an aspect of railways such as track, rolling stock and so on.




Victorian Railways


Book Description







A Visitor's Guide to Victorian England


Book Description

An “utterly brilliant” and deeply researched guide to the sights, smells, endless wonders, and profound changes of nineteenth century British history (Books Monthly, UK). Step into the past and experience the world of Victorian England, from clothing to cuisine, toilet arrangements to transport—and everything in between. A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England is “a brilliant guided tour of Charles Dickens’s and other eminent Victorian Englishmen’s England, with insights into where and where not to go, what type of people you’re likely to meet, and what sights and sounds to watch out for . . . Utterly brilliant!” (Books Monthly, UK). Like going back in time, Higgs’s book shows armchair travelers how to find the best seat on an omnibus, fasten a corset, deal with unwanted insects and vermin, get in and out of a vehicle while wearing a crinoline, and avoid catching an infectious disease. Drawing on a wide range of sources, this book blends accurate historical details with compelling stories to bring alive the fascinating details of Victorian daily life. It is a must-read for seasoned social history fans, costume drama lovers, history students, and anyone with an interest in the nineteenth century.







The Victorian Railway Worker


Book Description

Thousands of Victorians were employed by railway companies, from the locomotive driver on the footplate to the booking clerk in the station. The companies provided work for navvies, signalmen, telegraph operators, station masters, hotel workers, and many other people, including those who worked the fleets of railway-owned ships and horse-drawn vehicles. Trevor May gives a fascinating overview of everyday life for the characters that worked in such varied railway occupations, and the often stringent discipline and hierarchies that meant, for instance, that firemen had to drink in separate bars from engine drivers. Interesting cameos are provided of the men who worked in the great railway factories in places like Crewe, Swindon and Derby, the wheel-tappers who checked the integrity of locomotive and carriage wheels to ensure their safety, the women who worked in the company laundries, and those who worked in scores of other occupations.