More British than Britain!

Right now I am sampling the wonders of the railway system of Sri Lanka. Certainly it is quite different from what any London commuter would be used to, with seemingly ancient trains and passengers leaning out of every open doorway (and on the most crowded trains simply hanging on to the handrails outside the doors). However look beyond the foreign mask and you will find hints of the railways colonial past at every opportunity. a lack of recent investment has left many long vanished British traditions thriving here. You can still catch the 'Night mail' across the country and peer into many station offices and you will find wooden clad cases containing ancient block instruments. Outside of the main cities thwrw are also a plethora of semaphore signals to enjoy. The tickets too are something quite archaic!