commentary on the geography and history of each line, from leading railway expert Julian Holland, is complemented by prestigious Times mapping and beautiful photography.

Journeys include; Le Petit Train Jaune in the Pyrenees featuring France´s highest railway station. Cape Town to Kimberley in South Africa a feat of late Victorian engineering through the Hex River Mountains and across the Karoo Desert. Qinghai-Tibet Railway in China contains the highest railway, tunnel and station in the world. Trans-Australian Railway in Australia contains the World´s longest stretch of dead straight track. Cumbres & Toltec Railroad in USA takes passengers on an awe-inspiring scenic 64-mile journey through the Rocky Mountains along the Colorado-New Mexico border. La Trochita in Argentina where original oil-fired steam locomotives travel along a narrow gauge railway in the shadow of the Andes Mountains.