Transport Curiosities

Some inventions changed the world. The steam train, the motor car, and the aeroplane have each revolutionised transport. The monorail, airship, and autogyro didn't catch on in the same way. In Transport Curiosities 1850-1950 John Wade explores some of the curious ideas inventors have promoted for transportation over the century when mankind moved from primitive railways to the jet plane. 

Some of the ideas, such as early submarines and flying machines, developed into practical technologies which we see in use today. However, many leave us wondering, what on earth were their creators thinking? Trains and cars driven by propellers, mono-wheeled vehicles, bicycles with wings? What about a train to the centre of the earth? Of course many of these never got beyond a drawing, but some incredible inventions - including a railway along the sea bed - actually got built. 

The book is packed full of these curious and sometimes crazy inventions, profusely illustrated with contemporary photos or engravings. The text is brief for most, although some get more details, there is just enough to be interesting without getting technical or historical. Some of the chapters show how curious concepts were the forerunners of transportation we have today, but many of the concepts shown were destined to remain dead ends. However, this isn't really a book for those who want to know the development of transport, this is an entertaining review of the imagination of inventors. Whether you have an interest in transport, engineering invention, or just the quirky and unusual, this is indeed a curious gem of a book.