CHAPTER ONE: PREHISTORY--THE DAWN OF TIME * Grotte de Rouffignac, Vézère valley, France--An electric cavern train that carries you past friezes and engravings of rhinos and mammoths * Caspian Odyssey, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan--Explore countries on the east and west of the Caspian Sea including 6,000 prehistoric rock engravings at Gobustan in Azerbaijan * Grand Canyon Railway, United States--Take a steam or diesel-pulled guided tour from Williams, Arizona to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, in beautifully restored vintage railcars * The Glacier Express, Alps, Switzerland--Witness spectacular "Ice Age" glacial scenery from Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn to Saint Moritz * Crossrail, London United Kingdom (opens 2018)--This 62 mile (110 km) feat of engineering across London has unearthed a layer cake of history beneath its streets including prehistoric animal bones CHAPTER TWO: THE ANCIENT WORLD--DAWN-600 CE * Trans Mongolian Express, Russia, Mongolia, China (easternbound)--Follow the ancient tea route from China to Russia, taking in the Great Wall of China * Desert Express, Namibia, Africa--More wildlife safari than train ride, see giraffes, zebras, elephants, dolphins and the Welwitschia mirabilis, Namibia''s most famous plant, some of which are said to be over 1,500 years old * Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece--This 4.5-hour, domestic InterCity service includes stunning views of Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the Greek gods * Rome to Ostica Antica, Italy--A classic route from the magnificent Colosseum to the beautifully-preserved ruins of Ostia, the old port city of Ancient Rome * Cairo to Alexandria, Egypt--An Egyptian odyssey from historic Rameses Railway Station in Cairo, gateway to Giza''s Pyramids, to Alexandria''s "Pearl of the Mediterranean" via the palm-dotted plains of the Nile Delta CHAPTER THREE: MIDDLE AGES--600-1500 CE * Eastern and Oriental Express, Thailand --This most exotic of train services includes a route through the "Ancient Kingdom of Lanna", from Bangkok to the northern Thailand cities of Lampang and Chiang Mai * Copenhagen to Roskilde, Denmark--Take a "Viking Voyage" from the capital''s National Museum to the island of Zealand to witness Viking ships excavated from the nearby Roskilde Fjord * Balkan Explorer, Istanbul to Venice--Explore Ottoman and Byzantine sites and the turquoise coastlines of the Balkan and surrounding nations * Vodkatrain, The Marco Polo, Istanbul to Beijing--Follow in the footsteps of the Italian explorer Marco Polo along the Silk Road, linking Europe with Asia * Paris to Chartres, Frances--An enlightening day trip to the double-spired, stainedglass, Gothic splendor of Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres CHAPTER FOUR: TOWARD THE MODERN WORLD--1500-1800 CE * Palace on Wheels, India--Match the palatial, Rajput-inspired interiors of this famed ride with a round tour from New Delhi through royal Rajasthan * The Ghan/Indian Pacific, Australia--Explore the vast continent that is Australia, with this epic train ride down country from Darwin to Adelaide, then on to Sydney, where the first British colony made its base * Florence to Venice, Italy--From the "City of Water" to the birthplace of Renaissance Italy, with non-stop architectural and artistic splendour along the way * The Hague to Haarlem, Netherlands--Ride to the heart of the Dutch Golden Age from Vermeer''s Girl with the Pearl Earring in The Hague, to "Tulip Mania" in blooming Haarlem * Konkan Railway, Mumbai to Goa, India--Travel to the namesake town of Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama, and beyond to beautiful Goan beaches, on a stunning route through lush valleys and mythical mountains CHAPTER FIVE: 19TH-CENTURY RAILWAY JOURNEYS * Trans Siberian Express, Moscow to Vladivostok, Russia--Experience the vast Russian landscape via one of the longest train journeys in the world; and be glad you didn''t have to help build it * Venice Simplon-Orient Express, Paris, France to Istanbul, Turkey--Make like Hercule Poirot and travel in the tracks of the original Orient Express'' 1883 inaugural journey in a luxury Art Deco coach * Settle to Carlisle Railway, Yorkshire Dales to Scottish Borders, United Kingdom-- Highlights of this bucolic journey include limestone scenery, Victorian architecture and the impressive 24 arches of the Ribblehead Viaduct, built 1870-1874 * Rocky Mountaineer, Vancouver to Banff/Calgary, Canada--Follow the former "Kicking Horse Route", now "First Passage to the West", over the famous Canadian Pacific Railway (opened 1885) with epic views of the monumental Rockies * Arctic Circle Train, Kiruna, Sweden to Narvik, Norway--Experience the midnight sun, polar night and the Northern Lights, in one of the northernmost railways in the world, a nod to the nineteenth-century "Race to the North Pole" CHAPTER SIX: 20TH-CENTURY RAILWAY JOURNEYS--PRESENT DAY * The Blue Train, Pretoria to Cape Town, South Africa--This most lauded, luxury train of "kings and presidents" first set off in 1923, complete with butler service, gold-tinted picture windows and black tie * Marrakesh Express, Tangier to Marrakesh via Fez, Morocco--Hit the 1960s hippie trail meandering past olive groves and goats in trees, to reach colorful and exotic souks, medinas, riads and kasbahs * The Pride of Africa, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Cape Town, South Africa--Lovingly restored Pullman Carriages hark back to the halcyon days of 1920s luxury train travel at its most romantic: visit the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls and Table Mountain * Shanghai Maglev (Shanghai Transrapid), Shanghai, China--The first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation train in the world; don''t expect to see much scenery at a top current speed of 268 mph * The Eurostar, London to the South of France--New stops on this twenty-year-old, highspeed, multi-destination route under the English Channel include gastronomic Lyon (also HQ of the French Resistance in World War II) and the sunshine-soaked, rough diamond port of Marseille.