Railwaywomen is the first book ever written about the place of women workers in the history of Britain's railways. There have been several books on male labour on the railways, including those by Joby, McKenna, Bagwell, J.A.B. Hamilton and others, but for the most part they have ignored the women workers.

Women have worked on Britain's railways since the industry began. From the 1830s they were employed to clean offices and within 20 years they were engaged in operational and workshop jobs. Among the earliest named women were a station mistress at Merry Lees (1832) and a level crossing keeper at Bexhill (1851).

These women, and others in similar roles, open a book that takes us through the roller coaster of women's struggle for equality in one of Britain's most important and famous workforces, a book that is brought right up to date by including interviews and events as recent as July 2005.

Railwaywomen is a landmark book, which has become, immediately upon publication, the standard reference work on the subject. The book takes its place in the canon of women's history, labour history and the story of trades unionism in Britain.