June, 2025

The Indian State Railway of the 19^th and 20^th centuries was one of the wonders of the modern world.

How it all worked was a mystery, with chaotic stations, the luggage and people on the roof, cha sellers, the extraordinary platform crowds, and the kind old women smiling at and helping the naïve but mesmerised young western travellers, and much much more.

 The Indian Railways published brochures with guides to the local sights, information on hotels and travelling times and maps of the railway network

We have a number of these decorative brochures for sale in fine condition, with destinations of Jaipur, Gwalior, Burma, the Khyber Pass, and Udaipur.

Published in the 1930s, their covers are poster-style, brilliantly coloured and they now provide not only a little nostalgia, but something of historic interest, and a collectors' piece.