We think of the Stephensons and Brunel as the fathers of the railways, and their Liverpool and Manchester and Great Western Railways as the prototypes of the modern systems. But who were the railways' grandfathers and great grandfathers? For the rapid evolution of the railways after 1830 depended to a considerable degree upon the Stephensons, Brunel and their contemporaries being able to draw upon centuries of experience of using and developing railways, and of harnessing the power of steam? Giants the Stephensons and others may have been, but they stood upon the shoulders of many other considerable--if lesser known--talents. This book is their story.
