| Contents |
The worldwide spread of railroads -- The beginning of railroads, 1700-1824 -- The iron horse, steam power arrives, 1825-30 -- Pioneering ideas, 1831-50 -- Overcoming natural obstacles, 1851-80 -- Finding solutions 1881-1913 -- Railroads during and after the great war, 1914-22 -- The quest for speed, 1923-45 -- New age of the railroads -- Railroad restructuring, late twentieth century -- European railroads -- Railroads of Britain and Ireland, from 1852 -- London to Glasgow, the West Coast Main Line -- Poste haste! -- The power of steam, 1800-34 -- Railroads of France, from 1832 -- The Orient Express, a glorious past -- The Aquitaine, French heavyweight flyer -- Paris-Lyon, pioneer TGV -- Improving performance, 1835-74 -- Railroads in Belgium and Luxembourg, from 1835 -- Meeting the customer's needs, 1800-75 -- Railroads in Germany, from 1835 -- Trans-Europe express trains -- Efficiency drive, 1875-1905 -- Railroads in Russia and the former Soviet States, from 1837 -- Backbone of an empire, the Trans-Siberian railroad -- Locomotive development, 1906-26 -- Railroads in Switzerland and Austria, from 1838 -- Railroads through the Alps, from 1871 -- Climbing the mountains -- Specialized rail traffic, 1876-1924 -- Railroads in the Netherlands, from 1839 -- The zenith of steam, 1927-34 -- The great locomotive works -- Railroads in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, from 1839 -- Fit for purpose, rolling stock, from 1925 -- Railroads in Italy, from 1839 -- Speed and luxury, the Settebello -- Railroads in Poland, from 1842 -- Dawn of a new age, 1935-44 -- Railroads in the former Yugoslav states and Albania, from 1846 -- The eclipse of steam -- Railroads in Scandinavia, from 1847 -- The diesel locomotive -- |
| Abstract |
A history of railroad development on every continent. The Historical Atlas of World Railroads charts the rise, fall and revival of railroads over the past 200 years, from the earliest experiments with wooden rails and horse-drawn wagons, through the rail-building boom of the steam age, to the onset of the modern high-speed lines, diesel-electric locomotives and electric tilting trains of today. --from publisher description |
