A cynical moniker afforded by the Irish Times of 1917 to the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR) of "that old sinner" gave the author the title for this book. The author has written a history of the L&LSR that is ultimately more readable than the standard work on the subject by Edward Paterson, primarily due to the author concentrating on people and the social aspects of the railway and not just the dry operating facts and the inevitable lists of locomotives and rolling stock.
The book isn't short on engineering detail and includes many facts not recored by Patterson. Extensive referencing to source material is also given, providing an opportunity for more detailed research if desired. The number of illustrations is small, however, these do include stations and bridges.
For the standard company history, complete with trains, source a copy of Patterson's work (out of print), for the interesting history, this is the book. Every company history should be written in two parts, Patterson style and Sweeney style.