The building of the Railways in the 19th century entirely changed the face of Europe but nowhere more so than in England. OFF THE RAILS perfectly characterises the chaos associated with its beginning. While being astonishingly witty, this meticulously researched work simultaneously provides a brilliant encapsulation of the plethora of endeavours that triggered the railway mania. The wildly comic and constantly changing fortunes of the hero, Major Robarts, possibly an Indian Army deserter from the ranks ~ one is never quite sure....~ and the villainy of the entrepreneur Nutcombe mixes the insanity of the period with penetrating observations on greed, profiteering and sexual ambition. A glimpse of the frequency of duplicity to achieve the staggering financial rewards open to them illuminates a fascinating study of the many rich and varied characters involved in the proposed construction of Major Robart's 'Great Peterswell and Welsh Rail Road' or his rival's ' 'Allminster and Aberystwyth Company'. A frenetic grouping, offering amazing similarities to those we are all too familiar with today are profiled by the Major's unfortunately honest fresh faced son George, the immensely correct Lord Charles, the dour Macintyre Callendar and Nutcombe's servile acolyte Kenny. There are many more wonderful characters. The Major's romantic dalliance with the superbly vulgar Dorinda is always on the altar of chance, in the event of it offering personal advance or carnal pleasure to either. At the climax of the story, the epic dash to the Board of Trade by both parties provides a cliff hanging sequence before the astonishing finale.