Railways - India: Books - History and Rolling Stock

Indian Railways - A Visual Journey

The railways did more than link India - they brought its people together, changing histories, forging destinies, and leaving a lasting legacy.
This sumptuously illustrated book traces that history from the early plans of the 1830s - from the laying of the first line, and the expansion of the train network into the heart of the country, to the role of the railways in India's momentous freedom movement and the high-speed Diamond Quadrilateral project.

"Indian Railways" does more than celebrate the awe-inspiring bridges, stations, tunnels, and locomotives of the railway system. It traces the development of technology, explores the operational and commercial aspects of train travel, and documents the railways' transition from a colonial tool of expansion and trade to an intricate system with a distinct national identity.
Most of all, it tells the story of the people who built and planned the railways and the locomotives that ran on them - their vision, their triumphs and tragedies, and their legacy.

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North Western Railway of India

NEW

The North Western Railway of India (NWR), a prominent British India railway system, emerged through the amalgamation of local Indian lines. Tasked with the dual role of operating civilian passenger trains from Delhi to nationwide destinations and executing Britain's strategic objectives, the NWR extended its reach to the North Western Frontier and Afghanistan.
Post-1947, with the conclusion of British rule, the NWR underwent partition, dividing its operations between the newly established independent nations of India and Pakistan.

This book, enriched with rare and previously unreleased photographs, maps, and illustrations, unfolds the captivating narrative of one of the Indian Empire's most intriguing railways - the North Western Railway of India.

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Indian Steam in the 1970s

In 1978, when the country began a major modernisation programme, there were still 5,000 steam locomotives active on the Indian railway, including some dating from as far back as the early twentieth century and the nineteenth century.

Taking in the variety of breath-taking landscapes and climates India has to offer, from the heat of Madras to the chill of the mountain ranges, George Woods offers a truly fascinating, full colour look at the steam-powered railways and locomotives here in the 1970s.
With rare and unpublished photographs capturing all four main gauges active in India during this time, this book takes a simply magical look back at the beauty of steam power across one of the most diverse landscapes in the world.

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Hill Railways of the Indian Subcontinent

This book describes seven branch lines which climbed into the mountain ranges that span the length and breadth of the countries of India and Pakistan. Some - like the Darjeeling Himalayan - are well known, but others - like the Zhob Valley, Khyber Pass and Kangra Valley lines - are less so.

Several of these railways were also the last bastions of steam operation in the sub-continent. Unsurprisingly, as hill railways, most of them reached remarkable heights, many using ingenious feats of engineering to assist their climb into seemingly impenetrable terrain.
These lines served diverse locations, each with its own characteristics, from the hostile territories of the North-West Frontier, along the spectacular foothills of the Himalayas, skirting the Western Ghats of the Deccan down to the gentle rolling landscape of the Nilgiris, or Blue Hills, of South India.

The book gives the histories of the seven hill railways including summaries of their operations and routes. Maps and gradient charts for all seven railway lines are given as well as listings of the locomotives operating the hill railways.

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