The Subterranean Railway
by Christian Wolmar
LONDON has the oldest underground railways in the world, developed in a piecemeal fashion by numerous companies. The growth of the network and the effect it had on the development of London are described in this book.
The author looks at the history of the Underground from the earliest 19th century proposals for covered railways through to the recent public-private partnership, and considers how the growth of London has been intimately bound up with the growth of its underground railways, initially as ’a random collection of uncoordinated lines’.
There is an account of the animosity between early promoters, and the effects of the political and business decisions which have been made over the past 150 years. The author describes the problems and waste which were caused by the focus on competition between underground railways, rather than on the planned development of a metropolis-wide network.
ú17·99 from Atlantic Books, Ormond House, 26-27 Boswell Street, London WC1N 3JZ, UK
Fax: +44 20 7430 0916
Railway Trends 2004
THIS annual from the Railway Association of Canada provides a financial and statistical overview of a rolling 10-year period, this 12th edition covering 1994 to 2003 inclusive.
RAC’s members represent virtually all of the Canadian rail industry, from the Class Is to short lines and tourist operations. By the end of 2003, RAC had 60 members, reflecting the transfer of low-traffic lines to short line entrepreneurs.
The 68-page booklet’s graphs, tables and lists show information including track operated, carloads, passenger figures and fuel consumption, in English and French.
Railway Association of Canada
Free download from www.railcan.ca
