Some of the wild claims made at the time proved to be justified eventually, but not before around $1 trillion of value had been destroyed and many investors had lost their shirts.

那时的一些大胆的论断最终被证实是正确的。 大约有将近1兆的资产被耗费殆尽，许多投资者甚至倾家荡产。

youdao

But Britain's existing railways were largely built by private companies, whose backers eventually lost their shirts.

ECONOMIST: The politics if not the economics are turning in favour