The Railway Girls Books in Order

The Railway Girls books are set in Manchester during the Second World War, where the railways are as important to daily life as ever and women are stepping into jobs that had long been seen as men's work. The series opens in March 1940 and follows the home-front war through station platforms, parcels offices, canteens and engine sheds, as the city keeps moving under blackout rules, bombing raids and constant uncertainty.

In The Railway Girls, the first women at the heart of the story are Mabel, Joan and Dot. They come from very different backgrounds and age groups, and they each arrive with private worries of their own. Mabel wants a clean break from the past. Joan is desperate to prove herself and escape the judgments waiting at home. Dot, older than the others and with sons away fighting, wants useful work and a sense that she is doing her bit. What begins as a job soon turns into a deep, hard-won friendship.

That setting matters. These books are not just wartime romances with a few trains passing through the background. Maisie Thomas is interested in the actual work, who carries the parcels, who handles the paperwork, who keeps timetables straight, who fills in when life at home is falling apart. The railway gives the women wages, routine, purpose and a place where class lines can blur, even if they never vanish completely.

Friendship is the engine here.

As the series goes on, the focus widens to other railway women and their families, including characters such as Alison, Colette, Cordelia, Emily, Margaret and Persephone. Some books lean more toward romance, others toward family trouble, grief, secrets or questions of loyalty, but the recurring cast keeps the whole series feeling joined up. People move in and out of the spotlight, and older storylines carry forward while new ones begin. Even the Christmas entries sit naturally within the larger arc rather than feeling like side trips.

The tone is warm, emotional and easy to sink into, but the books do not ignore the pressures of the period. There are air raids, shortages, difficult relatives, strained marriages, class differences and the long shadow of war over every decision. At the same time, there is humor, practical kindness and the steady comfort of women learning to rely on one another. If you like wartime sagas with a strong sense of place, an ensemble cast and plenty of heart, this series delivers exactly that.