1 of the most comprehensive books ever to be produced on steam railways of the world. Steam railways have exercised an enduring appeal and as the Great tradition of steam in the Indian sub continent comes finally to an end Colin Garratt looks at the history and development of steam railways in some 40 countries around the world. The author has taken a large proportion of the photographs himself and has spent several months of every year for several decades in expeditions to the farthest reaches of the world to photograph the last days of steam.