By the time of its amalgamation with the Great Southern and Western Railway in 1901, the Waterford, Limerick and Western was the fourth largest railway company in Ireland. The geographical centre of its operations was Limerick, whence lines ran north to Sligo, south west to Tralee and south east to Waterford. By 1900 its trains were working over 350 route miles of track though only about half of these were owned by the company, the rest consisting of other minor companies' lines which it worked. This activity accounted for about a third of the WL&W's revenue. 

This well illustrated volume describes the complex history of the WL&W and its constituents in detail. Separate chapters deal with topics such as locomotives and rolling stock, the course of the line and accidents. Whist dealing expertly with the complexities of the railway politics of the era, the book also provides many insights into the economic and social life in Ireland at the time.