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With rare and unpublished photographs capturing all four main gauges active in India during this time, this book takes a simply magical look back at the beauty of steam power across one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.