Dangerous Days on the Victorian Railways ― Terrors and Torments, Diseases and Deaths

The author of children's series Horrible Histories presents the second installment of history's terrors and torments, diseases and deaths, in his popular history series for adults—Bill Bryson meets Blackadder

Facing feuds and frauds, robberies, and riots, and the disasters of dangerous drivers, deadly designers, and sleepy signalmen, Victorians risked more than just delays when stepping on a steam train. Victorian inventors certainly didn't lack steam, but squabbling over who deserved the title of "The Father of the Locomotive" and busy enjoying their fame and fortune, safety on the rails was not their priority. Brakes were seen as a needless luxury (until a steamer started to slide downhill towards disaster), and boilers had an inconvenient tendency to overheat and explode, and in turn, blow up anyone in reach. Four years after a mysterious murderer left only his victim's crushed hat and walking stick on board a first class carriage, England trembled at the trains once more. Poorly timed repairs caused a locomotive to derail and crash into the shallow River Beult, killing 10 passengers and injuring 40 more. The infamous Staplehurst disaster is said to have traumatized passenger Charles Dickens, threatening to expose his affair with the young Nell Ternan, and altering his health and writing for the rest of his life. Often recognized as having revolutionized travel and industrial Britain, Victorian railways were perilous, and few other histories honor the lives of the people killed or injured aboard the risky railroad.