Engines of War

Engines of War tells the dramatic story of how the railways revolutionized the nature of warfare, ushering in an age of industrialized conflict in which wars were fought on a previously unimaginable scale. From the moment of its first appearance, the 'iron road' not only rendered armies more mobile, but also massively increased the power and the deadliness of the weaponry available to them.



Christian Wolmar's epic account of how an invention that brought prosperity in peace-time metamorphosed in time of war into a weapon of death, is counterpointed by a wealth of human stories of personal endeavour and private tragedy. Embracing every major conflict in which railways have played a part - the Crimean War, the American Civil War, the First and Second Boer Wars, the two World Wars, the Korean War and the Cold War, Engines of War is awe-inspiring tale of industrial might and the transformative power of machinery.



Christian Wolmar is Britain's foremost writer and broadcaster on transport matters. He writes regularly for a variety of publications including the Independent, Evening Standard and Rail magazine, and appears frequently on TV and radio as a commentator. His other books include The Great Railway Revolution, The Subterranean Railway and Fire and Steam.



Wolmar yields to no one in his knowledge of trains... A trainspotter par excellence.