E _very rail travel enthusiast will have their own list. Which are the world's best rail journeys? Something scenic in Switzerland? Cleaving the Canadian Rockies in luxury? India through net curtains? Crossing our wide, brown continent? _

_Here are some of the world's favourites, great and small, from long tours running for days to those lasting just a few memorable hours: _

• Indian Pacific - Australia *

Our own continent unfolds through the window - from city to bush, to desert to mountain divides and back to city. The Indian Pacific, between Perth and Sydney, offers a transect of the continent, with various accommodation including comfortable sleeper cars and pleasant dining. It has been connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans for more than 40 years and is a 4352km odyssey across Australia.

• _Himalayan Express _ * *- China Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan *

Board in the old Chinese capital of Xian and travel to Rongbuk, in the heart of the Himalayas. The train is oxygenated to handle the altitude. Then on to Nepal and the old Shangri-La of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

• _Trans Siberian Railway _ * *- China, Mongolia, Russia, Finland *

Beijing to Helsinki with stopovers in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar; the capital of Eastern Siberia, Irkutsk; Russia's capital, Moscow; and its sister city, St Petersburg.

• _Rocky Mountaineer _ * *- Canada *

The Rocky Mountaineer has more than 45 routes and packages, from two to 25 days on four different rail routes - but the 3 1/2-hour trip from Vancouver to Whistler is the classic. Others have overnight stays at Vancouver, Kamloops, Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff.

• _Orient Express _ * *- England, France, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Turkey *

The signature route on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, to give it its correct title, is from London to Paris, Innsbruck, Verona and Venice - and then on to Budapest, Bucharest and Istanbul. An Art Deco icon, the train itself is a work of art and a window back to the elegant age of travel.

• Eastern and Oriental Express * * _- _ * *Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore *

South East Asia in luxury (just think, getting away from all that traffic). The Eastern and Oriental Express luxury train runs between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The track winds through exotic landscapes and the train is a sister to the Simplon-Orient-Express, with gourmet dining and local entertainment.