Volume 2 takes the story of the Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway up to the end of the 19th century, up to the opening of the London extension and (finally!) the point at which it adopted the name "Great Central". Hero, or perhaps villain, of this volume is the last of the great Victorian railway tycoons, the company's chairman, Sir Edward Watkin.

Dow chronicles Watkin's relentless drive to expand the system and his many battles with neighbouring companies. Paradoxically, in spite of his belligerence and empire-building tendencies, many of the real expansions in the network during this period (especially in Lancashire and Cheshire) were achieved in co-operation with other companies. However, Dow makes it clear that it was largely Watkin's fault that the MS&L never succeeded in agreeing terms for an amalgamation with either the Midland or the Great Northern.

Like practically everyone else who has written on the subject, Dow describes the London Extension of the Great Central as the "last main line into London" - it feels ironic to be reading this in 2008, shortly after the opening of the new high speed link to the Channel Tunnel. Watkin was involved in an earlier Channel tunnel project - one wonders how he would have felt if he had known how long it would take...

Like Volume One, this is an extremely thorough and readable account, guiding the reader as painlessly as possible through the complexities of railway politics. ( )