Britain gave railways to the world, yet its own network is the dearest
(definitely) and the worst (probably) in Western Europe. Trains are
deeply embedded in the national psyche and folkloreyet it is considered
uncool to care about them. For Matthew Engel the railway system is the
ultimate expression of Britishness. It represents all the nation's
ingenuity, incompetence, nostalgia, corruption, humor, capacity for
suffering, and even sexual repression. To uncover its mysteries, Engel
has traveled the system from Penzance to Thurso, exploring its history
and talking to people from politicians to platform staff. Along the way
Engel finds the most charmingly bizarre train in Britain, the most
beautiful branch line, the rudest railway man, andafter a quest lasting
decadesan individual pot of strawberry jam. "Eleven Minutes Late" is
both a polemic and a paean, and it is also very funny."