Between the lines
The world's largest rail network celebrates its 150th anniversary next week. Janet Walthman opens our 13-page special making tracks into the sub-continent.

All fired up
Enthusiasts can fulfil their ambitions by driving one of the last mainline steam engines in Europe. Jonathan Glancey steps up to the footplate.

Scenic routes
Amanda Morison picks out 10 of the most rewarding trips to take by train.

Reborn in the USA
Fear of flying post-9/11 has led many Americans to rediscover the joys of rail travel. Leslie Gillilan rides Amtrak's Superliner service from Orlando to Los Angeles.

Cold war express
Andrew Spooner samples some Soviet-era hospitality on the overnight express from Helsinki to Moscow.

To the banks of the Bosphorus
Robert Allen forgoes the glamour of the Orient Express for a Global Inter Rail ticket between Paris and Istanbul.

Just sit back and enjoy the ride
It is 40 minutes of bliss. Sitting in an open carriage being pulled behind a narrow-gauge steam engine up a beautiful valley towards England's tallest mountain...