Christian Barman (1898–1980)

Although published in the "King Penguin" series which I think of as intended for children, this is a quite adult little essay on the early British railways, in terms of both language and thoughtfulness about the impact of the changes brought by railways in Britain and in the world. Its opening point, that most of the work of the early railway builders till existed when it was written (in 1950) unfortunately did not survive the infamous "Beeching ax" closures, but the broader point about the tremendous changes the railways brought and the comparative neglect of their physical presence (remedied by the inclusion of reproductions of early [pictures of railways) are still valid.… (meer)