Lambert's Railway Miscellany

From tales of lonely stations and signal-boxes in Scotland to the unlucky engineer eaten by a lion in a carriage in Kenya, an entertaining miscellany full of fascinating railway stories, facts, and titbits, covering the age of steam to the present day The world of the railways weaves a spell over many people, and in this engaging collection railway expert Anthony Lambert presents some of the best stories. From the early days come tales of financial skullduggery and worries that sparks from locomotives might ignite sheep's fleeces, but as the railway transformed the modern world, attitudes changed, and railways were opened to great rejoicing and even religious blessing. The romantic aspects of the railway are celebrated—and not just the unexpected engagement that came from a snowbound train in the Highlands or the sexual shenanigans of the Orient Express. Here are stories of railway travel, from the palatial carriages of tsars and maharajahs to the open trucks of the "lower orders," mishaps and faux pas, and tales of how ticket inspectors used to have to hold on to the outside of carriages while clipping tickets. There are stories here that would enliven even a cheerless commute on the 18.01, and remind readers that railways really were—and occasionally still are—full of derring-do, romance, and character.