Railway Blunders
The road to Hell is, allegedly, paved with good intentions; the 200 years of railway development in the British Isles are also littered with good intentions where assorted designs, structures and schemes ultimately proved to be disastrous. In the early years of railway history many of these blunders arose from the ignorance of those dealing with new technology. Later, many of the promoters and engineers were tainted by another Victorian trait, over-confidence, and, as so often is the case, pride led to a fall. Literally, in the case of the first Tay railway bridge, where the prominent engineer Thomas Bouch was knighted for his efforts, only to see the famous bridge destroyed shortly afterwards, a victim of — depending on one's point of view —poor materials, weak design or adverse climatic conditions (or possibly a combination of all three!). More recently, construction of the tunnels for the Heathrow Express was delayed by a collapse, when the revolutionary tunnelling methods adopted proved inadequate for the work. In between, there have been countless stories of engineers failing to design locomotives capable of operating over their companies' lines or of structures completed for no commercial gain. In his latest book for Ian Allan Publishing, noted railway author Adrian Vaughan turns his forthright attention to the subject of these blunders. From the earliest days of the railway age, where politics rather than engineering determined much of the country's railway development, through to the 21st century where, arguably, the same is true, he examines various themes. Locomotives, organisation, structures, policies and much else all fall under his acerbic analysis for, as a former professional railwayman, he is ideally placed to put into print the frustrations of those who had to try to make the railways function despite these blunders. Comprehensively illustrated with some 180 photographs, Railway Blunders is a thought-provoking analysis of some 200 years of Britain's railway history. It will appeal to social and economic historians as much as to railway enthusiasts.
Hardback with dust jacket, 21x26cm, 160 pages, black & white photographs
Condition: Good/Very Good
ISBN: 9780711028364
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Updated: 2 January 2025