Blood, Iron, and Gold: How the Railroads Transformed the World

The opening of the world's first railroad in Britain and America in 1830 marked the dawn of a new age. Within the course of a decade, tracks were being laid as far afield as Australia and Cuba, and by the outbreak of World War I, the United States alone boasted over a quarter of a million miles. With unrelenting determination, architectural innovation, and under gruesome labor conditions, a global railroad network was built that forever changed the way people lived. From Panama to Punjab, from Tasmania to Turin, Christian Wolmar shows how cultures were enriched, and destroyed, by one of the greatest global transport revolutions of our time, and celebrates the visionaries and laborers responsible for its creation.

Author: Christian Wolmar
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Published: 03/01/2011
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 8.23h x 5.58w x 1.12d
ISBN13: 9781586489496
ISBN10: 1586489496
BISAC Categories:
- Transportation | Railroads | History
- History | World | General
- Technology & Engineering | Civil | Transportation

About the Author
Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster, specializing in transportation matters. He has written for major British newspapers for many years and has contributed to many other publications, including the New York Times and Newsday. His most recent books are Blood, Iron, and Gold; Engines of War; and The Great Railroad Revolution. He lives in London.