THREAD: Today is 16th April, as Trivia Hunter U would have either posted or read a few tweets about our first passenger train, hauled by (Sahib, Sindh & Sultan), with gunshots, etc. So, let me tell you something more, about the company and people involved in this historical feat.
Railroads for India were proposed initially in the mid-1830s. But it was taking its own time. By the 1850s, the then Governor-general of India, Lord Dalhousie<technological modernizer> pushed for a better communication channel in India <for better rule>.
So, it pitched in London for "Railways, uniform Postage, and the Electric Telegraph". He also noted the “commercial<Cotton and Opium transport> and military advantages” of railroads. But he also said that "No one can safely say whether railways in this country will earn or not".
Soon 2 companies were formed in London. The East Indian Railway Company (1845) and Great Indian Peninsula Railway (1849), under "Old Guarantee System" providing free land and guaranteed rates of return (5%) to the private English companies willing to work on building railways. 
But the Pioneer one was by our very own Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, who saw the railways during his trip to England in 1842 and floated Great Western Bengal Railway Company the next year with the aim of transporting coal from his Raniganj colliery. However, it didn’t succeed.
GIP investors were mainly Liverpool cotton manufacturers, who wanted cheap raw material for themselves. John Chapman<a Little mad English engineer> was the consultancy partner for the carriage manufacturer (who in those time wanted to build a flying machine)
Bombay terminus was chosen at Bori Bunder<literally means a place where sacks are stored>. This was later renamed as Victoria Terminus and a ‘statue of Progress’ was atop their HQ< May 1888> as their guiding light. It is now, Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
Back to our Desi Folks. Jagannath “Nana” Shankarshet alongwith Jeejeebhoy, had set up the Indian Railway Association, this later incorporated into the GIP. They were the only 2 Indian directors of GIP <out of 10>. Today three prominent landmarks in Bombay are named after him.
Then, we had Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (KGK) a minority Hindu community of Gujarat. Most are employed as labourers. By during 1850 migrated outside Kutch and were involved in the construction of major rail-bridges and became the king of "Railway Thekedari"
<Trivia> Potti Sreeramulu had worked for the GIP (~4year) . After the death of his wife, lost interest in the material world and resigned. Gave away his property to family and joined Sabarmati Ashram as a follower of Gandhi. He will later change the our geography.
Shakuntala Railway <stopped in 1994> was the last association of GIP in our world. It was constructed and operated by the Killick-Nixon firm <Made in Liverpool symbol>, and was major source of connection between Yamatval and Achalpur.
