This book investigates the lives and impact of the railway navvies, the itinerant laborers who built Britain's vast railway network during the 19th century. Coleman draws upon extensive archival research, including company records, personal diaries, and contemporary newspaper accounts, to reconstruct the harsh realities of navvy existence. The work argues that these often-overlooked workers were instrumental in shaping modern Britain, despite facing immense hardship and societal neglect.

Terry Coleman's "The Railway Navvies" is recognized as a seminal work in the social history of Victorian Britain. Critics and historians have lauded its meticulous research and vivid portrayal of the navvies' challenging lives. The book is frequently cited for its comprehensive scope, offering a detailed look at a crucial but often marginalized segment of the 19th-century workforce. It provides essential context for understanding the industrial revolution's human cost and the construction of modern infrastructure.