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The early railway companies were UK companies operating in India. Later the British Government of India (GOI) owned the majority and either managed them directly or leased them back to private management. From circa 1925 the GOI began to call in the leases, operating the services directly. By 1945, most railways were both owned and managed by the GOI.
*[[:Category:Guaranteed Railways|Guaranteed Railways]] included those railway companies, formed by 1859, to which the East India Company, later the GOI, guaranteed a fixed return on capital.
*[[:Category:Private Railways|Private Railways]] (those built without a guarantee) were few in number - only two were formed in the period 1850-1866 and both these were re-constituted by 1870.
== Records and employment ==
It is important to bear in mind that railway staff records created in India before 1947 remain in India, as do the records of railways built, owned or operated by the Indian Princely States. The records that survive today in the collections held at the British Library (and elsewhere) do so because they were originally created in the UK.
Europeans employed on State Railways were usually on the strength of the '''[[Public Works Department]]'''
For information about the records of railway staff held at the British Library, follow this [http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/india/indiaofficerecordsfamilyhistory/occupations/railwayemployment/railway.html link].
Also see '''[[L/F/10 Records of Service 1702-1928]]'''
==== Railway occupations ====
Collections of railway records are generally by railway company so it is a good idea to know which railway company an ancestor worked for. In addition, very few collections of railway records are indexed so it is also a good idea to know the trade or employment followed on the railway as occupations were often grouped together when published in staff lists and registers. Even in [[Directories reading list|Thacker's]], this will be found to be the case in the individual railway company entries. More information about railway occupations can be found in Fibiwiki article [[railway worker|here]].
==== Anglo-Indians ====
*"Railways of India - Part 2". The first 10 minutes of the second part of an hour and a half talk given by Hugh Wilding at the FIBIS Spring Lecture meeting 23 May 2009 on the Railways of India is available to download or listen to on the [http://feeds.feedburner.com/FibisPodcast podcast page].
:For both podcasts, the full version is available to FIBIS members only in the [http://members-area.fibis.org/ FIBIS Social Network], previously known as the Members Area. Members will also find the presentation notes that accompanied this talk in the FIBIS Social Network.
*"The Indian Railways and a Dynasty of Pearces" by Michael Feilden Pearce, [[FIBIS Journals|''FIBIS Journal]] Number 25 (Spring 2011)'' pages 13-21. "Part 2. The Viceregal Carriages" ''FIBIS Journal Number 27 (Spring 2012)'', pages 30-36**Read more about Michael Pearce's search in [http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/1836639/report-grandchildren-of-the-raj "Grandchildren of the Raj"] by Yolande D'Mello May 19, 2013 dnaindia.com.
== Recommended Reading ==
*Hugh Wilding, ''Research sources for Indian Railways, 1845-1947'', FIBIS Fact File No 4 (London: FIBIS, 2009). ISBN 978-0-9547-116-5-8. [This title can be ordered directly from the [http://shop.fibis.org/amazon.htm FIBIS Online Shop].]
*Hyde Clarke, [http://books.google.com/books?id=PGcBAAAAQAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=simla&as_brr=1&output=html ''Colonization, Defence, and Railways in our Indian Empire''] (London: John Weale, 1857).
== External Links ==
*[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/ ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India : New edition . . . in Council''] Vol 1, 1909 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908-1931).
*Indian Railways, [http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/financecoderailwayboard/ADMIN_FINANCE/AdminFinanceCh1view_section.htm jsp?lang=0&id=0,1 "Evolution of About Indian Railways - Historical Background"] ''Indian Railway Administration and Finance''indianrailways.gov.in
*[http://www.irfca.org/index.html ''The Indian Railways Fan Club''] Train spotters site about Indian Railways.
**[https://web.archive.org/web/20120204155938/http://www.irfca.org/docs/locolists/industrial/display.php?file=Military.txt&title=Military%20Trains Indian/South-Asian Industrial Locos: Military Trains] by Simon Darvill
*[http://pakistanrail.com/ ''PakistanRail''] Train spotters site about Pakistan Railways.
*[http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r144.html "Modern transport in India"] ''Mike's Railway History''.
*[http://www.railwaysofraj.blogspot.com Railways of the Raj] A lively site featuring titbits from railway life in British India.
*[http://www.virginiayoutube.educom/historyplaylist?list=PLC8754A97881FF003 FIBIS List of Railway videos on YouTube]*[http:/EIH/?p=151 www.essaysinhistory.com/articles/2011/5 ""Fire-Carriages" of the Raj: The Indian Railway and its Rapid Development in British India"] by Amit K. Sharma 2010 ''Essays In History. Annual Journal of the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia''*Rootsweb India Message Board [http://boardswww.rootswebtrains-worldexpresses.com/localities400/410.asiahtm Imperial Indian Mail <nowiki>[</nowiki>and other trains<nowiki>]</nowiki>] trains-worldexpresses.com*[http://www.indiaindiaofthepast.generalorg/contribute-memories/2717read-contributions/life-back-then/341-railway-travel-in-the-raj "Railway Travel in the Raj"] by Kenneth Hugh Staynor.2/mbindiaofthepast.org.ashx post] about The author travelled by trains in India from the occupation 'sleeper agent'1930s to 1951.
==== Historical books online====
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=StwDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR1 ''Railways in India, by an engineer''] 1847 Google Books
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