This lavish book invites readers aboard the glamorous renovated cars of the GrandLuxe railway train. In 1989, the American-European Express, a stylish train created in emulation of Europe's Orient Express, commenced operation between Washington and Chicago. Forced to close down two years later, it was reborn in 1994 as the American Orient Express. The AOE, as this luxury streamliner was often known, matured under the tutelage of various owners until 2006, when under new ownership it acquired a new name, the GrandLuxe Express.Trackside, the train gleamed as a classic American streamliner. Aboard, travelers enjoy old-fashioned, wood-paneled elegance that harkens back to the 1920s and Europe's posh Wagons-Lits sleepers and restaurant cars.

Narrow-gauge railroading conjures images of marginal track, wooden coaches, and antique steam locomotives. Yet consider the extraordinarily glamorous and comfortable South African Blue Train and Australia's Queenslander as well as the electrified network of meter-gauge mountain railways in Switzerland that run with a precision similar to that of the country's famed timepieces. Often used to penetrate the most challenging and breathtaking terrain that larger trains are unable to reach, narrow-gauge railways offer even the most seasoned of travelers an experience to remember. Karl Zimmermann, railroad author and accomplished photographer, chronicles his journeys aboard these rarest of trains. Individual chapters weave history and travelogue, complemented by more than 100 color illustrations. The result is a spirited tribute to the world's most charismatic railways.

Traces the development of steamboats.