Railways: The Making of a Nation: Capitalism and Commerce (BBC Four Thursday 18 May 2023)

Railways: The Making of a Nation: Capitalism and Commerce airs Thursday 18 May 2023 on BBC Four.

Massive shifts in the national economy were sparked by the advent of railways. Business practices shifted as a result, inspiring a new wave of mechanical engineers, skilled labourers, managers, and accountants. Local railway entrepreneurs saw trains primarily as means of transporting raw materials, stock, and goods at first. However, they quickly realised that moving people around could be lucrative.

‘Railway towns’ sprang up, and Derby was one of them. Derby was the hub of the new network, and it was there that engineers who built and serviced locomotives and carriages called home. However, the 1840s saw a ‘bust’ along with the ‘boom’ of the railway industry. New investors from the middle class who bet on the railroads quickly learned that for every up there is a down.

Along with this, there were tales of shady dealings and railway thugs. Nonetheless, railway companies bounced back from the crash and evolved into sophisticated national business organisations, capable of constructing landmarks like Yorkshire’s Ribblehead Viaduct and London’s St. Pancras Station.

Railways: The Making of a Nation: Capitalism and Commerce airs Thursday 18 May 2023 at 7.30pm on BBC Four

Featured Image Credit: BBC Four