The Sun Empire built a number of railway lines over the continents of Balebu and Intralu; it was sometimes known as "Realm of Railways" because of this.

After the Balebian reconquest, a modern industrial people found themselves ruling over a vast continent with very poor infrastructure. In order to swiftly connect the realm and help economic progress, Dragonmaster decided to invest heavily into the infrastructure. A variety of institutions, both imperial, military, and private, offered to satisfy this demand. As often in the communist Sun Empire, Dragonmaster decided to run all railroad construction programs through one imperial institution, which decided who got money for what: the Imperial Chancellery Office for Railroads.

Once a railroad was built, however, it was not necessarily publicly owned, depending on how much money was invested. Most often, companies simply got paid for the construction work, but ownership then lied with the empire; sometimes, when entrepreneurs bore a large part of the costs themselves, they instead had operating or ownership rights on that piece of rail. The construction of locomotives and wagons, and public railway lines, were in parts similarly privatized.

Imperial Chancellery Office for Railroads

Whenever an organization wanted funding for a railway line construction, it had to submit its "program" to the Imperial Chancellery's office. The Chancellery decided whether it would cover a budget or not, how much it would pay, and in what manner. In this way, it could focus imperial funds on the most important projects, such as connections in Central Balebu from Longhorn Bay to Derlusk, Changate and Londerhome, without making private initiatives impossible. With this financial power, the office commonly pressured companies into changing details of their projects, such as the exact rail type, assorted facilities, and the number of tracks on a line.

Construction Programs

• Longhorn Bay - Derlusk Revision. Already before the orcish invasion, a railway line had run from Longhorn Bay to Derlusk. During 63 OW, the partly damaged line was repaired so it would be able to bear the weight of heavy modern locomotives.

• Sun's Connection. Begun in 64 OW. A single-track rail line was built from Londerhome to Changate, then from Changate to Derlusk, which was completed in 67 OW. Afterward, the entire line became known as the Sunsrail.

• Southern Line. Begun in 64 OW. A two-track line was built starting in Quirthdale and heading north. Stestim was connected in 70 OW, and the railhead coming south from Longhorn Bay was reached in 72.

• Shimgard Line. Begun in 64 OW. A single-track line starting in the Green Fields and heading to Eltard, at the fork of the Sarin and the Everriver. Its purpose was to ease supply lines for the armies in the north, and to make resettling North Balebu easier. The line was completed in 66 OW.

• Baldur's Line. Begun in 68 OW, completed in 76 OW. A double-track line from Baldur's Stead to Eltard, though one track was completed already in 72 OW.

• Sunsrail Expansion. Begun in 70 OW. A second line was built on the section from Longhorn Bay to Derlusk, and from Changate to Londerhome. From 93 - 97 OW, parts of the Longhorn Bay - Derlusk section were tripled, or a single or double track running parallel to but some distance from the Sunsrail was built.

• Northrail. Begun in 71 OW, but put on hold until 73 OW. A two-track line from Eltard, following the Everriver all the way north to Porto Pueblo. Construction was famously encouraged by Ghsonfeld's writings^[1]. Completed in 75 OW.

• Elantrian Network.Begun in 77 OW, completed in 91 OW. A network expansion of the Northrail of one- and two-line tracks enclosing Elanthor, especially dwarven forges in Galena. Initially, most efforts were directed at building a track across the Mere-that-Was, but these efforts were abandoned in 89 OW.

• Intralian Network. Begun in 92 OW. Two-track rail lines connecting the southern citadels, mines in Lugsrr, and newer citadels built further inland. Officially completed in 99 OW.

• Miners' Rail. Begun in 103 OW. A large, two- to three-track line running east from the Northrail, starting in Longhorse. Built as an artery where smaller, one-track lines from mines and cities around the Spine could connect to.

• Maegar's Connection. Begun in 118 OW, completed in 122 OW. A mostly two-way line connecting the Intralian Network over the Mere-that-Was to the Northrail's Last Station.

• Western Line. Begun in 120 OW. A two-track line connecting the Sunsrail to Holimion and Gatesettle. Completed in 129 OW, when the southern section reached Holimion.

• Rathgaunt's Rail. A one-track line crossing over the Rathgaunt Mountains, from Londerhome to the Southern Line on the west coast.