I am terribly sorry that a few of you are disappointed with this work. At the same time I must point out that it is rather obvious that railways consist of much more than trains. They also consist of viaducts, bridges, structures, buidings, road works etc. That part of railway history is just as important as the trains themselves, although it is very often overlooked. Besides that, the front cover of the book states very clearly:-

"The life and times of civil engineer Charles Walkden (1824-1908) and his family. From humble beginnings in England, through Austria, Denmark, New Zealand, and ending in South Africa. This story takes place at the height of railway expansion across the world."

In no way do I promise in this text that I am delving deeply into Danish railway history. As a matter of fact I spend more space on that subject than I do for example on Walkdens part in the building of railways in Austria, from his headquarters in Amstetten, a town which recently became infamous because of Josef Fritzel. That in itself is a subject worthy of a chapter of equal length to that of Denmark. Timewise, this story does in fact take place at the height of railway expansion across the world. Additionally, I have not yet run across any danish railway texts, anywhere, which point to Walkdens' family connections with Skive. You may know of such texts in which case I would appreciate you sharing your knowledge on that subject.

This is indeed the story of Charles Walkden and his family, and of his civil engineering activities. That is the purpose of the book, and I feel that I have covered this subject as well as can be expected almost two hundred years after the birth of the man concerned.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Dr. Alfred Gerald Davison Ph.D.