World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys

Escape with us aboard the magnificent steam train Tornado as it is coupled up with 13 luxury vintage carriages on a 6 hour journey through Yorkshire, to Northumbria and the Borders.

Exploring the Far North Line, starting from Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland.

In Anchorage, Alaska, cameras focus on flagship service the Denali Star, a luxury passenger train and part of the great Alaska Railroad fleet. The vehicle then heads north along the Knik Arm, and crosses this huge sea inlet to enter the vast wilderness of Alaska, America's largest and remotest state.

A ride is taken aboard the Northern Belle in and out of England and Wales.

Cameras focus on Austria's stunning Transalpine railway, which crosses the snowy peaks of the Tirol. Our journey begins in the historic city of Graz and heads west through famous alpine beauty spots, including Zell am Zee, where the sounds of yodelling still echo across pristine mountain valleys. The final stretch passes through the 10.6- kilometre Arlberg Tunnel.

Cameras follow a train route from Bergen to Oslo, through the extraordinary mountains of southern Norway in winter. This super-fast train travels daily to the country's capital, and first stop is Dale - a place where Norway's most famous knitters design and craft the country's famous jumpers. The final stop is Sandvika, where Monet painted around 30 scenes.

Cameras focus on the island of Taiwan, and three extraordinary railways. The journey begins in the eastern port city of Hualien, from where we travel north along the rugged Pacific coast. The trek ends with a view of Taiwan's highest mountain peaks above a sea of clouds.

Cameras focus on New Zealand's South Island, and the great Dunedin Railway's trains - the Inlander and the Seasider. The journey begins with a trip down the Taeiri Gorge towards Otago Harbour, and the area's capital, Dunedin. Bill Nighy narrates.

A look at Bavaria's rich history of steam travel, seeing world-beating miniature railways and visiting a whole host of interesting places on a journey to the heart of the Bavarian Alps, where a beer-brewing monk and a town made famous by the Winter Olympics await. Later, a trip to Germany's highest mountain Zugspitze - which offers amazing panoramic views right across Germany and Austria.

A journey through the mountains of the Italian Riviera in a restored vintage 1920s train, beginning at Cinque Terre national park, and concluding in the historic port city of Genoa. Along the way, the train stops at the elegant resort of Santa Margherita and the remote 10th-century abbey of San Fruttuoso.

Luxury heritage train The Northern Belle, aka steam locomotive 6201 Princess Elizabeth, travels through England's rural north west. Beginning in Preston, the passengers of its stylish 1930s Pullman carriages are soon whisked up through Cumbria and the spectacular landscapes of the Lake District. The train continues on to historic Carlisle, the site of a world-class medieval cathedral and home to supposedly England's most haunted station. It then joins the Settle to Carlisle line, considered one of the most scenic railway routes in the world.

A journey through Sicily that takes in seven Unesco World Heritage sites, with the first stop being a visit to a castle whose baron was inspired by Hampton Court. There's a meeting in Modica with Sicily's most famous chocolatier, a trip on the unique railway that travels around Etna, and a visit to Ragusa, a baroque-inspired city famous for its beauty and for its spiral railway that travels within a mountain.

Trips on five of the world's most luxurious train rides, with window seats for the most beautiful scenery on the planet. From the gastronomic luxury of the El Transcantabrico in Spain to the beautiful wooden sleeper cars of Rovos Rail in South Africa, cameras scenic rides fit for kings and queens.

A train journey across Sri Lanka along one of the world's best-preserved Victorian railways. The trip begins in the coastal city of Colombo and moves on to the country's cultural and spiritual heart in Kandy. The journey continues through a a very English town that produces some of the world's finest teas, coming to a stop at a hill station surrounded by tropical forests close to one of the world's most spectacular viaducts - the Nine Arch Bridge.

A 600-mile journey through one of the most world's most northern countries - Finland - from Helsinki in the south to Kemijärvi in Finnish Lapland. The line whisks passengers through the thickest of forests, past vast frozen lakes 63 times the size of Lake Windermere and to station stops where time has stood still. As the train enters the Arctic Circle, it calls at Rovaniemi, a place destroyed by German soldiers at the end of the Second World War. Now the town has been re-built, famously in the shape of a reindeer, serving as the official home of Santa Claus.

New Zealand's Northern Explorer, the longest-running passenger service in the country. The train travels 423 miles along the historic North Island Main Trunk Line on a 12-hour voyage and the journey takes travellers through some of the most astonishing landscapes of the southern hemisphere from volcanoes to coast and from lava fields to unspoilt islands. Historians explain the history of the railway and tell the tale of the terrible tragedy at Tangiwai, when over 150 people were killed by a volcanic mudflow that hit the train.

From Tirano in Italy, this route spirals 1000 metres up the Alps, past glaciers and through mountains, until ending at the base of the majestic Matterhorn.

The Dovre line runs from Oslo to the remote northern wonderland of Trondheim, passing through the vast Gudbrandsdal valley and across the awe-inspiring Dovrefjell mountain plateau.

The Cambrian Line starts in Pwllheli and travels 200km to Shrewsbury, taking in the fairytale village of Portmeirion, the seaside resort of Aberdovey and the ancient capital of Wales, Machynlleth.

The New Zealand South Island line scales the snow-capped Southern Alps, travels through Maori hunting grounds and finally reaches Christchurch, a city sitting on a volcano.

A train ride along the most attractive coastlines in Europe. From Spain's northern seas to the beautiful Welsh coast and the frozen wonders of Norway, this documentary charts how each coast was shaped and linked by rail and meets some of the characters who live and work along these most scenic lines.

Trips on five of the world's most luxurious train rides, with window seats for the most beautiful scenery on the planet. From the gastronomic luxury of the El Transcantabrico in Spain to the beautiful wooden sleeper cars of Rovos Rail in South Africa, cameras capture scenic rides fit for kings and queens.

The story of how railways cross the most beautiful mountain landscapes on the planet, from Canada's Rockies to the snowy peaks of Switzerland and the deep gorges of Mexico.

Feature-length film taking viewers on a journey aboard a Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 locomotive from the foothills of Ben Nevis down the West Highland route to meet the sea at the port of Mallaig. The programme is with train driver Ian Riley and train guard and manager Florence MacClean for the length of the route as the steam train winds its way past lochs, mountains and the world-famous Glenfinnan viaduct, all the while taking in the beautiful ancient vistas of indigenous ferns, heather and bracken.