Reviewed by: Railwaymen, Politics and Money: The Great Age of Railways in Britain, and: The Oxford Companion to British Railway History H Roger Grant (bio) Railwaymen, Politics and Money: The Great Age of Railways in Britain, by Adrian Vaughan; pp. xi + 407. London: John Murray, 1997, £25.00. The Oxford Companion to British Railway History, edited by Jack Simmons and Gordon Biddle; pp. xv + 591. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1997, £45.00, £19.99 paper, $85.00. It comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the history of Great Britain that modern life began with the Railway Age. After the early 1830s, the iron horse pierced the isolation of the countryside and fostered rapid industrial and commercial expansion. Railroads not only offered speed, reliability, and safety in travel, but they usually lowered transport costs of commodities, making coal, for example, much less expensive. Admittedly, England had created an extensive network of canals, but those journeys were slow and at times impossible because of floods, droughts, and freezing temperatures. With railway steam cars, even the poorest of citizens could usually afford a trip, if only a short one. Thus, as author Adrian Vaughan reveals in Railwaymen, Politics and Money, a revolution of sorts swept the nation. When in 1825 the first train traveled the line of the pioneer Stockton & Darlington Railway, a so-called “demonstration era” began for this new form of transport. Although early railroads in England were required to provide open access to anyone with motive power and cars, this approach was soon deemed impractical. After all, companies had to dispatch trains in an organized, predictable fashion. The practice of operating a free-market, turnpike-like railway gradually disappeared, suggesting that previous forms of transportation did not always serve as appropriate models. Railway development in Victorian England is often perceived as a history of growth and improvements. Vaughan agrees, revealing that impressive advances occurred. By the turn of the twentieth century, the nation sported an extensive network of lines; indeed, the rail map resembled a plate of wet noodles. Equipment also improved. Locomotives became larger, more powerful, and, of course, faster. Longer freight trains and speedier passenger trains became the norm. While impressive railway stations and terminals dotted the landscape, those in London became monuments to the British Railway Age. Still, the theme of progress is not the complete story. Vaughan correctly notes that railways encountered episodes of financial difficulties. Overexpansion, even a mania of growth, in the late 1840s led to a period of hard times, and in the process damaged or destroyed some companies. Railroad leaders who “thought big,” also contributed to the frequently high level of funded debt, making their roads susceptible to economic downswings. Unlike their counterparts in the United States, firms in Britain spent enormous [End Page 527] sums to obtain governmental charters for their routes, often in excess of seventy million pounds. American railroad builders, on the other hand, were able to tap governmental agencies for construction assistance, including federally authorized land grants. Although investment in some British railways was not for the faint-hearted, the competitiveness that became a hallmark of the industry during the Victorian era commonly benefitted the public. Cheap fares often prevailed for years. Motive power evolved, as did the quality of passenger and freight rolling stock. Speeds increased and travelers and shippers smiled. The Railway Age, which reached maturity by the late-nineteenth century, also aided citizens in other ways. Railways encouraged mass-production of beer, foodstuffs, building supplies, and manufactured goods; the iron horse could dependably deliver raw materials and distribute finished products to destinations virtually anywhere. These activities freed consumers from the tyranny of local producers and merchants, and translated into better selections and lower prices. Vaughan wisely shows that while competition may have benefitted the British public, it possessed a distinct downside. The bitter rivalries among carriers limited opportunities for owners to receive reasonable returns on their investments. Then, too, there were roads that never tapped enough traffic to fully justify their construction. Just as “system building” at the close of the nineteenth century swept the American railroad enterprise, a similar phenomenon occurred in Britain. In his chapter, “The Midland Railway...