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  • Fire & Steam

  • A New History of the Railways in Britain
  • By: Christian Wolmar
  • Narrated by: Christian Wolmar
  • Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (138 ratings)
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Fire & Steam cover art

Fire & Steam

By: Christian Wolmar
Narrated by: Christian Wolmar
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Summary

The opening of the pioneering Liverpool & Manchester Railway in 1830 marked the beginning of the railway network's vital role in changing the face of Britain.

Fire & Steam celebrates the vision of the ambitious Victorian pioneers who developed this revolutionary transport system and the navvies who cut through the land to enable a country-wide railway to emerge.

From the early days of steam to electrification, via the railways' magnificent contribution in two world wars, the chequered history of British Rail and the buoyant future of the train, Fire & Steam examines the importance of the railway and how it helped to form the Britain of today.

©2007 Christian Wolmar (P)2008 Soundings
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"A beautifully written, detailed (but never anoraky) history of two centuries of life on the iron road." ( Telegraph)
"An excellent book." ( Independent)
"It is written in a brisk, down-to-earth style (a favourite adjective is "daft"), and is enjoyably replete with bizarre details" ( Guardian)

What listeners say about Fire & Steam

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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating & Compelling

I?ve always been a `railway enthusiast` ever since my school days, but not as much for the technical gauge?s and measurements, specs and performance, but more so for the love of the `thing` itself, the railways? This book is fantastically arranged and pieced together, offering a perfect account of the history of the railways merged with the explanations behind why we have the system we have today, who was responsible and why. The author self-reads this title, and his voice is compelling and alluring, you feel the man really did love the topic and that his whole heart and sole has gone into this one. and it really has. I would easily listen to this again and highly recommend to anyone, be they just wanting an overview from their beginnings to now, or a true railway enthusiast.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Even if you are no railway buff...

... This is a supurb read. The balance of detail with breadth, of purely railway information with wider social and economic developments is impressive. I am NOT a railway buff, but took a chance on this book and was hooked. Wonderful for anyone wanting to mug up 'railways' for a history exam, or for anyone simply looking to enrich their understanding of the past two centuries. Wolmar loves his subject, but can step back and take a balanced, non-sentimental view of it. The reactity of steam travel in the so-called Golden Age is well described, and you get an understanding of the reasons why Britain acquired such a jumbled rail network. If you are looking for something a little different, may I recommend you try this book. I wanted more, and there's an international follow-up that I will certainly hunt out.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Fire & Steam

This was a period of British history I knew little about and so felt it was time to bring myself up to speed and hence this book. I was impressed by the book itself but felt it was read somewhat too fast by it's author. Having said that it was well researched and really brought the subject to life and made me look at all those tracks and stations in a new way.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A must for all historians of Victorian Britain

This is mamouth listen and full marks for Christian for reading it himself. But the listener is rewarded with an engrossing train ride through the early, pioneering, days of Britains railways, the backbone of the industrial revolution.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Never knew trains could be so interesting

An excellent book. Tells the development of the railways in both a chronological and logical way. It explains the importance of railways in the history of Britain with fascinating glimpses into the past and future. Brilliantly read by the author whose joy and enthusiasm is infectious. Is a book for everyone not just train enthusiasts.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Magic of the Railway

As the granddaughter of a signalman this book has a special magic for me, placing the railway at the focus of Britain from its origins to the present day. The remarkable place of trains in the lives of the working population of Britain, from commuting, to fresh food transport, to the beginning of the holiday leisure industry, and the fellowship of trade associations and trades unions, is really brought to life (including the sexism of the industry). 'Narrated by the author' really adds to this experience, as Christian Wolmar is clearly fired by the subjects he has written about. A really good buy.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Poor choice in narrator

The subjects covered in this book are very interesting, and opens up the history of Britain's railways beyond George Stephenson and Brunnel. However, the narrator seems to of been a poor choice, as he cannot pronounce his R's. Page turning and heavy breathing can be heard, as well as mispronounced place names.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting

Excellent book, especially for those like me starting to delve into the history of British railways. Loved the author's narration. Just wish he could do more. An in depth look at the 50s and 60s, please!!!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dramatic and charming

Attempting to tackle this sizable subject in an easy to read volume is no mean feat! Wolmar, a transport journalist and sometime politician lays out what this book is and what it isn’t early on. There’s no complicated language of torque or route availability, timetable workings of the differences between subclasses of early diesel locomotives and it is all the better for that. What there is though, is a fantastically in-depth history of the development of the railway network throughout Britain from the early steam locomotive experiments, through the opening of the celebrated first branchlines in the 1830s through two World Wars and up to the modern day.

Using contemporary quotes to balance what were good and bad ideas as the system grew, Wolmar paints a wonderful picture of a country in change, socially and physically. Read by the author, there are moments he sounds breathless as he reads page after page - a narrator he is not - but it adds to the drama and charm of an already dramatic and charming book. His delicious enthusiasm is contagious.

I am what you might call a lapsed railway fan, yes, an ex-trainspotter, and in a moment of nostalgia this book gave me what I wanted. It filled out a history that I had a vague awareness of and inspired me to get back out there and appreciate the network. Not pick up a pen and jot down the locomotive numbers again, but appreciate the pleasing archways of Cubitt Kings Cross and marvel at the intricacies of Barlow's St Pancras. Those sweeping wide track beds of Brunel’s old Great Western and the gracefully ruins of a disused viaduct at rest. I will give this a five, it deserves it, and will also beg for more audiobook versions of Wolmar’s work. I know there are a couple more available, but I feel there is room for the others.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • SW
  • 11-07-22

A great book

Well written and read. I really enjoyed listening to this whilst driving to work. As a newly qualified driver it was great to hear the history of the industry and learn how things have changed so much.

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