"The first railway line in Malaya was built in 1869 by the ambitious Maharaja Abu Bakar of Johor. Two decades later, the British built an extensive network to facilitate the transport of tin, and later rubber, to the ports. This network remains in use today as a passenger line, stitching together three corners of the peninsula. For more than a century, the railways have remained a mainstay in the lives of all Malaysians, a romantic symbol of travel to exotic destinations, and of power, industry and modernisation. Postcards from the South retraces the historic Southern Line, giving voice to the railway, the people and the places they call home. A parallel narrative explores new perspectives on a century and a half of railway history and its role in nation-building, using previously unpublished photographs, documents and maps"--Back cover.