Exotic Indian Mountain Railways

Exotic Indian Mountain Railways (1984) by R. R. Bhandari is the kind of book that turns up with the quiet confidence of a government-issued pamphlet… and then promptly steals your attention like a train rounding a hairpin bend with a view you weren’t ready for. It’s officially Indian Railways, it’s from 1984, it has no ISBN (because why would it need one when it already has switchbacks, tunnels, and altitude?), and it wears that wonderfully old-school tone of “this is simply how things are” while describing some of the most gloriously improbable engineering on earth.

And the title… Exotic. What a word. It’s doing a lot of work there, isn’t it? It’s the kind of 1980s tourism-flavoured label that now reads with a wink, like someone at a desk in an office somewhere decided the correct adjective for mountain railways was “exotic” and then moved on to lunch. But that’s the charm: beneath the slightly formal packaging is the real substance — narrow-gauge lines clinging to cliffs, track curling through impossible terrain, and that uniquely railway obsession with gradients, curves, and the noble art of getting a carriage from “down here” to “up there” without it all becoming a cautionary tale.

This is a book for anyone who loves the idea of railways: the romance, the dust, the whistle echoing off hillsides, and the gentle madness of building a route where a goat would pause and reconsider. It’s also a book for anyone who enjoys the subtle comedy of official publications trying to be poetic. You can practically hear it: a respectful description of scenery, a proud nod to heritage, a few earnest facts, and then — almost accidentally — the reader realises they’re looking at one of the great human achievements: trains negotiating mountains as if mountains were merely an administrative inconvenience.

There’s something delightfully time-capsule about a 1984 Indian Railways book. It’s pre-internet, pre-“content strategy,” pre-“immersive storytelling.” It isn’t trying to be viral. It isn’t begging you to subscribe. It’s simply saying: here are these astonishing lines, here’s why they matter, here’s the atmosphere, and yes, the locomotives really do go there. The photographs and descriptions (and the overall feel) land somewhere between travel brochure, proud institutional record, and love letter written on official letterhead — which is honestly the best possible mix for this subject.

Condition: Good, which is perfect. Not museum-glossy, not delicate, just properly readable — the sort of book that looks like it has already been taken on a few imaginary journeys. And it’s sold by Crappy Old Books, a seller name that feels like it should be a warning but is actually a reassurance: you’re not buying sterile perfection, you’re buying a piece of paper-and-ink reality with a bit of soul. The kind of thing you find, grin at, and think, “How have I only just discovered this?”

If you’re into railways, India, mountain engineering, or the very specific pleasure of old publications that are unintentionally funny while being completely sincere, Exotic Indian Mountain Railways is a gem. It’s charming, earnest, slightly ironic by modern standards, and quietly awe-inducing — like the best train journeys themselves.

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