The Iron Way

For 12 year old Jem, the coming of the railways was the most spectacular thing he had ever seen. However it meant that the old way of life was threatened, and people didn't want things to change. As the tension grew between the villagers and the navvies, Jem was caught in the middle.

How railroads both united and divided us: “Integrates military and social history…a must-read for students, scholars and enthusiasts alike.”—Civil War Monitor Beginning with Frederick Douglass’s escape from slavery in 1838 on the railroad, and ending with the driving of the golden spike to link the transcontinental railroad in 1869, this book charts a critical period of American expansion and national formation, one largely dominated by the dynamic growth of railroads and telegraphs. William G. Thomas brings new evidence to bear on railroads, the Confederate South, slavery, and the Civil War era, based on groundbreaking research in digitized sources never available before. The Iron Way revises our ideas about the emergence of modern America and the role of the railroads in shaping the sectional conflict. Both the North and the South invested in railroads to serve their larger purposes, Thomas contends. Though railroads are often cited as a major factor in the Union’s victory, he shows that they were also essential to the formation of “the South” as a unified region. He discusses the many—and sometimes unexpected—effects of railroad expansion, and proposes that America’s great railroads became an important symbolic touchstone for the nation’s vision of itself. “In this provocative and deeply researched book, William G. Thomas follows the railroad into virtually every aspect of Civil War history, showing how it influenced everything from slavery’s antebellum expansion to emancipation and segregation—from guerrilla warfare to grand strategy. At every step, Thomas challenges old assumptions and finds new connections on this much-traveled historical landscape."—T.J. Stiles, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

A gripping historical adventure set in the second century AD and based on legends of King Arthur, The Iron Way is the second in Tim Leach's breathtaking Sarmatian Trilogy. AD 175, Vindolanda, Britannia. After their cavalry was broken by the legions on the frozen waters of the Danube, Sarmatian warrior Kai bought his peoples' lives with a pledge to serve Rome. Bound to the will of the Emperor, the Sarmatians are ready to fight and eager to die – death in battle is the only escape from the dishonour of their defeat. Exiled from their home lands, they are ordered to take the Iron Way to the far north and the very edge of the Empire. Here, a great wall of stone cuts across the land as straight as the stroke of a sword. On one side, Rome's dominion; on the other, mist and rumours – stories of men closer to giants, of warriors who fight without fear or restraint. For a people who knew no borders, who were promised war, garrison duty is cruel punishment. But as insurrection stirs on both sides of the wall, Kai will discover that every barrier has its weaknesses – and he will have his chance to fight, perhaps to die. Reviewers on the Sarmatian Trilogy and Tim Leach: 'Roman military adventure at its best. Ranks with the best historical fiction available today.' Simon Turney 'A great story from a fascinating period... masterfully written with beautiful language.' Historical Novel Society 'The characters feel rounded and real, and the Sarmatians' attempts to keep their world alive and evade the tyrannous reach of Rome are heartbreaking.' The Times 'Tim Leach writes beautifully.' For Winter Nights 'Recommended.' Historical Novel Society 'Magnificent' Historia 'A poetic, absorbing narrative.' Sunday Times

For twelve year old Jem, the coming of the railways was the most spectacular thing he'd ever seen. It meant that the old way of life was threatened, and many people didn't want things to change. The tension grew between the villagers and the gangs until it flared into violence.

Vols. 39-214 (1874/75-1921/22) have a section 2 containing "Other selected papers"; issued separately, 1923-35, as the institution's Selected engineering papers.