Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World--from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief Paperback – October 28, 2014

This is an outstanding book. It has it all. Travel, geography, history, insights, and of course, a lot about trains. Good news, bad news. The good news- the book is a very fun and informative read. Bad news - it creates, at least for me, an overwhelming need to take a long distance train to somewhere. If you have ever wondered what riding the Trans Siberian Express or riding trains through India is like, you can find out here.All Aboard.

The author takes us along on his rides of half a dozen world-famous longdistance train trips, in each case providing the historical context ofthe railroad's role in that country, the cultural/economic/politicalsignificance of that railroad or of that particular route, and so on.The result is part travelogue and part history, neither partcomprehensive, but certainly entertaining, especially for fans of railtravel.Supporting Theroux's assertion that railroads are microcosms of theircountries, part of the interest is that the journeys could not be moredifferent because of their history and cultural embedding: thetrans-Siberian railway, the new Chinese high-speed line to Tibet, theIndian Railways, the journey crossing the US from Chicago to LA, etc.Zoellner pays particular attention to the economic and culturalsignificance of these runs.Without railroads, the extractive industries that drove colonializationand expansion in the USA, South America, and India would not have beenpossible, nor would the efficient movement of millions of prisoners toconcentration camps in Nazi Germany; and the author concludes theChinese have similar aspirations to "colonize" Tibet and therebypermanently end any discussions of its independence. At the same time,the very trains that were the ultimate symbol of British colonialism inIndia now represent unprecedented mobility for its masses, and thetrains that served as symbols of white oppression in the antebellumAmerican South soon became the vehicles that transported free blacks toChicago in search of a new middle-class life.The author is at his best when he doesn't try to affect Paul Theroux -it's not clear he's found his own voice, since the historical parts ofthe narrative are written in a quite different voice than the travelogueparts. He should stick to his natural voice; he's a good writer.Overall enjoyable, but if you're looking specifically for travel writing(as opposed to a historico-travel collage), Paul Theroux focuses moreon the "human interactions" side of travel (and this author admits asmuch).

When Zoellner had to cut short one of his railroad journeys due to circumstances beyond his control, I was disappointed but not nearly as much as he was. I was expecting this book to be a first hand account of the state of international railroad lines with colorful places and characters thrown in along the way. This book is certainly good at that. Many of Zoeller's fellow passengers stories have a bittersweet quality to them.But what was a pleasant surprise was the wonderfully written history of the rails. The back stories of the movers and shakers as well as the working grunts was highly entertaining. The author also addresses the social changes brought about by the railroad in ways you would never imagine (in one country the tracks have literally become a dumping ground). Your enthusiasm for bullet trains in the U. S. might be tempered after you read about the how costly it is to build high speed rail, the ugliness that train trestles would present in city environs and the story of how the Northeast Corridor Acela Amtrak line never lived up to its full potential.

As a rail fan, I was looking forward to diving into this book and learning about the rail systems in other countries. I was especially interested in what the author wrote about his trip in the United States, as I have traveled extensively on Amtrak.The information contained in the book was interesting, although I cared less about the people he met than I did about the actually rail systems and the accommodations, etc. His description of the rail in India was particularly fascinating and made me wonder how it all works.I did find several errors in his description of his trip by Amtrak. First, while traveling on the Northeast Corridor he misidentifies the maker of the locomotive pulling the train, which might be understandable. However, when he arrives in California he describes waking up in the yard in "San Bernardino" and then describes the trip down Cajon Pass, with the arrival in Barstow. Actually, he was awakened in Barstow and went down the pass to San Bernardino. This does call to question the accuracy of the entire book.I think it's a good read for all people interested in rail travel, but I would approach with caution. The mistakes about the US system are pretty rookie mistakes and it calls to question the veracity of the remainder of the book.

I can't remember when I've enjoyed a book more. Zoellner packs plenty of history into TRAIN, and he does a graceful job of delivering it. His account of the train's origins in Britain is particularly thorough and lively, and the chapter on railroads in India is superb. His descriptions of the technical challenges of various rail systems fascinated me, and I am certainly no "foamer" (railroad lingo for avid rail fans). That said, I have to admit that my favorite parts of the book were Zoellner's stories about the characters he encountered as he rode trains all over the world. He has a gift for bringing people to life through small, telling details, and he seems to have a deep and genuine interest in the folks who cross his path. Not that every encounter is happy -- on the contrary, some are distinctly unfriendly (and one with a certain hairy Russian is potentially life-threatening). But Zoellner writes about his travels like a man recalling a pleasing adventure, and I came away from the book longing to take a train journey myself.

This book is engagingly written, but it is very badly researched. It's riddled with errors that could easily have been checked. The introduction says it is part history and part travelogue. Unfortunately the errors extend to topography (making up a place called Ganforth - assume it was meant to be Garforth - describing Leeds as being in the Midlands, and claiming to have made journeys which cannot be made.There are also errors of history such as claiming that John Major decided to retain state ownership of the rail infrastructure. So.... Not privatised to Railtrack then. An interesting read but don't rely on anything being true.

...brilliantly told. An engaging story, not just of railroading but of the fascinating ways in which a machine shaped an age. Zoellner is a terrific writer and this book is a great read -- perfect, in fact, for a long airplane ride.

An interesting read, especially if you are into trains

Excellent read

Loved reading it.