Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World---from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief

by Tom Zoellner Narrated by Grover Gardner

Overview

Tom Zoellner loves trains with a ferocious passion. In his new book he chronicles the innovation and sociological impact of the railway technology that changed the world, and could very well change it again.



From the frigid Trans-Siberian Railroad to the antiquated Indian Railways to the futuristic maglev trains, Zoellner offers a stirring story of man's relationship with trains. Zoellner examines both the mechanics of the rails and their engines and how they helped societies evolve. Not only do trains transport people and goods in an efficient manner, but they also reduce pollution and dependency upon oil. Zoellner also considers America's culture of ambivalence to mass transit, using the perpetually stalled line between Los Angeles and San Francisco as a case study in bureaucracy and public indifference.



Train presents both an entertaining history of railway travel around the world while offering a serious and impassioned case for the future of train travel.

Editorial Reviews

Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Making of the Richard Rhodes

Tom Zoellner's writing is never less than engaging; in Train he has made himself a veritable Walt Whitman of rail travel.

From the Publisher

"Tom Zoellner's writing is never less than engaging; in Train he has made himself a veritable Walt Whitman of rail travel." ---Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"Tom Zoellner's writing is never less than engaging; in Train he has made himself a veritable Walt Whitman of rail travel." —Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb

FEBRUARY 2014 - AudioFile

Part history and part travelogue, this book about the world’s greatest railroads unspools like a leisurely train trip. And with narrator Grover Gardner as the conductor, it’s a most pleasant journey. His pace and tone exactly match the material—from authoritative and deliberate in the historical sections to relaxed and conversational in the more personal portions. His facility with accents (especially Irish) gives character to many of the direct quotations. The author uses trips on famous rail lines as the structure for a deeper exploration of the history and social impact of railroads, and Gardner delivers an engaging reading. The literary odyssey takes the listener from England to Siberia to India and even to the cutting edge of transportation. It’s a fun trip made more enjoyable by a capable narrator. R.C.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170550326
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	01/30/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

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