Once upon a time, the South Indian Railway was the pioneer railway system spanning a large tract of peninsular India, rich in history and technological innovation, The saga of the railways in south India begins with the construction of the first line at Negapatnam, which began on 5th April, 1859. The construction was done by the Great Southern of India Railway Company. The town of Tiruchchirappally, then called Trichinopoly became the headquarters of the SIR soon after, where a railway workshop was also set up. In 1874, this railway, merged with the Carnatic Railway Co. to form the South Indian Railway.
It is therefore appropriate that in 2004, a regional railway museum, called the Rail Heritage Centre was set up at Tiruchchirappally to preserve the historical rail legacy.
This book exhaustively recounts the glory of the S I R researching into records and archives of the railway and embellishing it with anecdotes, newspaper cuttings, and rare photos. The author who was the Divisional Railway Manager when the book was published has also obtained information support from railway enthusiasts from India and the U. K.
This is a delightful volume for rail lovers.