Nat Geo's best train trips

List of the best railway trips in North America

A narrow-gauge railway which climbs 3,000 feet and passes breathtaking 14,000-foot peaks has topped National Geographic Traveller magazine's list of the best train trips in North America.

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 1920s steam locomotive which travels at just 18 miles per hour along tracks originally constructed to carry gold and silver ore.

National Geographic Traveller said in selecting its best train trips it followed the advice of fabled newspaper editor Horace Greeley who famously said, “Go West, young man.”

"Western rails continue to thrill riders with moutain peaks, desert vistas, spiral tunnels, unnervingly steep grades, and narrow-gauge tracks," it said.

Others that made the grade were Amtrak's route from Oregon to British Columbia - the NOrthwest Passage; West Virginia's Cass Scenic Railroad; and the California Zephr which echoes the route taken by the early pioneers setting out to settle the American West.

WideWorld's favourite from National Geographic's impressive list is the Anchorage to Seward journey on the Alaska Railroad which takes in many miles simply inaccessible by car.

To see the complete list, visit: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/north-american-train-trips/