I’m a railway enthusiast, fan, anorak or whatever you want to call it, so perhaps my view on this book is slightly tainted? But, why would you read a book that is clearly about rail history if you’re not already interested in the subject?
So, from that position, yes this is a marvellous book. Going from the earliest days of the colliery lines, Trevithick, Stephenson and forward through the 20th century. It’s thorough, perhaps overly in places, but it rewards perseverance. If you were to read only one book on rail history generally, then make it this. ( )

Few inventions did more to change life in Britain than the railways. Since the establishment of the first steam-powered lines in the early 19th century, they demolished locality, lowered the cost of goods, and made cheap travel a reality for millions of Britons. Yet as Christian Wolmar shows, this transformation was hardly a smooth one, shaped first by numerous growing pains and then the vagaries of government policy. This history, and its role in shaping Britain’s railway system today, is the subject of his book, which describes both how the railways changed Britain and how Britons, in turn changed the railways.

Wolmar’s scope is a broad one, ranging back to the early gravity- and horse-drawn routes of the 17th century. Yet it is not until steam engines are introduced that the railways emerge as a prominent mode of transportation. While initially envisioned primarily as a means of moving freight, Wolmar notes that railways soon found transporting passengers to be their most lucrative source of revenue. Soon railways sprang up throughout Britain, and by the start of the twentieth century lines reached nearly every corner of the island. Yet dominance bred complacency, and the railways were slow to respond to the challenge posed by the emergence of road haulage in the early twentieth century. Hobbled by under-investment during the two world wars and handicapped by successive (and sometimes conflicting) government mandates, Britain’s railway network was in decline by the second half of the twentieth century. Yet for all of these problems Wolmar is optimistic about the future of railways, arguing that despite continued dithering over investment in its infrastructure, technological innovation promises to deliver improvements in performance that can ensure the survival of railways for another century.

A journalist and self-styled "transport commentator", Wolmar’s passion for his subject shines through on every page. He writes in a light and readable style that conveys well his extensive knowledge of Britain’s railways without burdening his readers with minutiae. This combination makes his book a superb starting point for anyone seeking to learn more about Britain’s railways and the country’s long, oftentimes troubled, yet always fascinating relationship with them. ( )

Christian Wolmar has branched out from journalism with a transport specialisation into producing topical books about the British railway system. His excellent and well received Subterranean Railway about the history of London's underground opened up a new genre. It emerged that there was a steady market for good general histories of things rail. This book was the first in a series of follow-ups that have covered the United States, the role of rail at war and the latest on the trans-Siberian Railway.
Fire and Steam takes a birds eye view of the development of railways in Britain. This is a fascinating history not only for those with a romantic (or obsessive!) history of railways but also for anyone interested in how this vital technology has changed the world. It is a narrative history, so probably doesn't include the level of specialist empirical content desired by those trying to understand this key component of the so-called Industrial Revolution in Britain. That said the story is well told, and it reveals the importance of individuals and politics in driving this innovation forward. Its also an early opportunity to see the growing conflict between the new industrial wealth and the growth of a working class, and the old privileged aristocracy. This is evidenced both in the challenges obtaining permission to run over landed estates, and in the surprisingly slow process of making rail travel affordable for the masses.
The book is only 318 not very dense pages and 125,000 words long and there is certainly a lot more detail that could be told. Wolmar reminds us in the introduction that over 25,000 books have been published on Britain's railways. I think he strikes the right level of detail for most and provides references a-plenty for those who wish to dig deeper. ( )

An engrossing story. ( )

An easy to read quite detailed history of railways in Britain by a man who loves railways.