Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland by Stephen Johnson Midland Publishing £19.99 in UK
In Bad Land, an American Romance, the fine English writer Jonathan Raban tells the story of the attempted settlement of Eastern Montana during the early years of this century. The plan was a disaster. All hopes of creating a brave new civilisation, built by the dreams of European immigrants as well as Americans eager to move away from the already sprawling cities of the East, failed. It is a fascinating story, social history as its most poignant.
At the heart of this ambitious settlement was one important factor, the immense cost in money and manpower of extending the US railway network across the prairies. Ruined houses and deserted farmsteads today standing across the region are more eloquent than words. Although on a far smaller scale, the history of Ireland's railways is as tragic.
The building of the system was consolidated in 1860, peaked about 1923 and by the late 1950s had already begun the decline which by 1983 had become virtual death. For many Irish men during the Famine years, railway construction work meant the difference between starving and surviving. Risk of injury was not an issue. Stephen Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer is about as eloquent, if dispassionate, a chapter of social history as one could hope to find. The story is nostalgic; this book is not. The railway geography of Ireland is extraordinarily complex. Throughout this fascinating volume, the hundreds of stations are noted, their dates of opening and, sadly, in many cases, of closing. Currently there are 130 in service, but at peak there were about a thousand. Station closures mean the end of a passenger service, but not necessarily the line, as goods may still be handled. On the book cover are two apparently ordinary photographs, both very telling: one is of the famous Limerick Junction, opened in 1848 and still active, serving about 35 trains daily. The other is of Castlemaine Station which served the Far ranfore to Valentia Harbour branch line. Opened in 1893, the line was closed in 1960. As a readable, informed and detailed reference book, this one is invaluable. The atlas itself consists of 36 pages covering Ireland, in a scale of approximately five miles to the inch. Three detailed, smaller-scale maps concentrate on the railway networks of Dublin, Belfast and Cork. Also included in the atlas is an alphabetical index to features such as viaducts, level crossings and bridges. So meticulous is Johnson that he effectively recreates the entire history of these lines, and his book is a palimpsest of social as well as transport history. The maps are excellent, clear and easy to read, and there are lists of names of places and the lives lived within and beyond them.
The impact the fledging railway system had on 19th-century Ireland was remarkable, and extended to the development of tourism as well as the transport of goods. The new affluence of the early years of the 20th century and the introduction of the motor car did affect the railway. The decline of the system was suspended by the war years and the rationing of petrol. It is interesting to note the part played by the peat industry in the use of railways. Bord Na Mona and the ESB are among the 173 railway companies listed.
Few books can claim to be definitive; Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland could, and is. It is a record, a social history and treasure chest of facts and information.
Eileen Batersby is an Irish Times staff journalist