This book is a fascinating collection of essays investigating the social history of the railways in Great Britain. It covers diverse topics from the earliest pioneering railway builders, the navvies that built the railways, the development of the railway towns such as Crewe and Swindon and the railways during the second World War. It examines the impact of railway development on Victorian Britain and contains many interesting historical details of the changes the railways brought. There are studies of some of the railway pioneers responsible for developing the rail network in Britain. Among the chapter titles are 'The Old English Navvy', Portrait of a Victorian Railway' and 'Yhe Highland Railway at War'. All in all, a very absorbing read.