Description

Book Synopsis

A fascinating collection of bizarre but true stories from nearly 200 years of railway history.

Right from the very start, when George Stephenson’s famous Rocket knocked over and killed a government minister at the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester line in 1830, the world’s railways have given rise to plenty of intriguing stories. In this fascinating book, revised and updated with a new selection of tales, railway buff Tom Quinn explores the more bizarre side of train travel, featuring weird weather conditions, audacious robberies, hair-raising accidents, vanishing passengers, an infestation of maggots and a mysterious missing mummy.

From the dawn of rail travel, when speeds of 15mph were considered dangerous to health and people mistook engines for fire-breathing demons, through the Victorian heyday of royal trains and seaside specials to today’s more prosaic leaves on the line, this whistlestop tour through railways’ long and storied history is the perfect gift for armchair travellers, history fans and trainspotters.

Word count: 60,000

Railways' Strangest Tales

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    A Paperback / softback by Tom Quinn

    £9.25

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Tue 25 Aug 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
      Published 7 September 2017
      ISBN-13 9781911042808
      978-1911042808
      ISBN-10 1911042807
      Also in:
      Hobbies, Games & Quizzes Trivia and quiz questions Travel & Transport Trains and railways: general interest

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      A fascinating collection of bizarre but true stories from nearly 200 years of railway history.

      Right from the very start, when George Stephenson’s famous Rocket knocked over and killed a government minister at the opening of the Liverpool to Manchester line in 1830, the world’s railways have given rise to plenty of intriguing stories. In this fascinating book, revised and updated with a new selection of tales, railway buff Tom Quinn explores the more bizarre side of train travel, featuring weird weather conditions, audacious robberies, hair-raising accidents, vanishing passengers, an infestation of maggots and a mysterious missing mummy.

      From the dawn of rail travel, when speeds of 15mph were considered dangerous to health and people mistook engines for fire-breathing demons, through the Victorian heyday of royal trains and seaside specials to today’s more prosaic leaves on the line, this whistlestop tour through railways’ long and storied history is the perfect gift for armchair travellers, history fans and trainspotters.

      Word count: 60,000

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