Railwaymen, Politics and Money: The Great Age of Railways in Britain

As well as covering the first train systems, such as the donkey-hauled Surrey Iron Railway which led the Stockton & Darlington of 1825, this work also shows why the railways began, free markets of transport open to all who would pay a toll. Parliament wanted to maximise competition, though.;By 1870 the railway companies had become great public institutions but did not make much money. Spasmodic bouts of competition increased speed and magnificence, though not profits. The railways finally amalgamated to form a national network by 1900 but by then there were new industries to attract away the capital they needed.