Book description
From the American Civil War onwards, railways have been an
important aspect of war. So important were the railways that in the
First World War, the state took control of the railways, and then
repeated this exercise in the Second World War. Wartime on the
Railways describes the part played by Britain's railways during the
Second World War, dealing not simply with operational matters or the
impact of enemy action on the railways, but also looking at financial
arrangements, the part played by railway workshops in producing
equipment for the military, the wartime experience of the railways'
ships, with the narrative augmented by personal accounts from
railwaymen, and women as the war years saw much change. The book
includes chapters on the railways during the final years of peace, and
on each of the 'Big Four' companies, London Transport's underground
system, the impact of wartime restrictions on travel and scheduling,
the role of the railway workshops, and ports and shipping, as many
railway ships were lost during the battle for France and at Dunkirk.
