Transatlantic Train

Enoch Train rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most important maritime figures in nineteenth-century Boston: owner of the city's most successful transatlantic shipping line, and chief patron of its legendary shipbuilder, Donald McKay. In telling Enoch's story, Transatlantic Train also provides fascinating insights into many of the era's defining themes and events: The fierce rivalries between the United States and Britain, New York and Boston, sail and steam. The catastrophic Great Famine in Ireland (during which President John F. Kennedy's great-grandfather arrived in Boston on one of Train's ships built for him by McKay). The California Gold Rush. The fabled clipper ships. The rising tensions between North and South over slavery. And the perils of sailing the stormy Atlantic. Weaving these subjects seamlessly into an absorbing narrative, Transatlantic Train becomes much more than the remarkable tale of a poor orphan from a country village who somehow rose to the top of Boston's maritime community. It also serves as a guide to many of the currents and crosswinds that set Boston and the United States on course to become the city and nation they are today.