When a history of the building of railways across Canada includes information about eccentric people and unusual occurrences, that history can be fascinating. Fortunately, Robert Livesey includes both in Railways, his sixth book in a series called Discovering Canada. In addition to such interesting tidbits as anecdotes about ghost trains and ghost brakemen, railroad nicknames, school trains, and how some train stations got their Shakespearean names, the book discusses how, where, and when specific lines were built as well as the politicians, businesspeople, surveyors, opponents, and labourers involved in building the railways. Among these people, several pages are devoted to each of Sir Sandford Fleming and Sir John A. Macdonald.

A great deal of the factual information in Railways involves dates, measurements, and places. Since children would most likely not be familiar with many of the towns mentioned in the book, maps with place names would have given them a better idea of where in Canada railway lines were being built and their length. Maps could also have been used to break up the text and help create a more eye-appealing design. With the exception of the six activities in the book, the print runs across the page and is interrupted by a space and subtitle when a new topic is presented. While such subtitles as Almost Buried Alive and Bridge of Death and subsequent text are intriguing, they are not readily accessible to the young reader perusing the book. Presenting such information in the form of sidebars, enhanced by the fine line drawings of A.G. Smith, would have broken up the main text and encouraged the young reader to delve into the meatier parts of Railways.

On the other hand, the older reader will no doubt find the book a useful resource when doing research. The organization of the index into sections titled Facts and Definitions, Personalities, and Railways allows quick access to information in these areas. Railway enthusiasts will also find this useful and will probably want to add this book to their collection.