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View of the La Polvorilla viaduct in Salta Province, Argentina. The Train a las Nubes (or Train to the Clouds) runs through the viaduct and connects the Argentine Northwest with the Chilean border in the Andes mountain range 13,850 ft above mean sea level. (Flickr/Alicia Nijdam)


Traveling by rail can be the most relaxing, most scenic journeys you could take. But with steep climbs on almost-vertical hills, zig-zagging tracks on cliff faces, or narrow bridges over cyclone-prone, high-wind locations, some train rides can get your heart pounding a little bit faster and harder. Here, we explore the most memorable railways routes in the world, which offer passengers both hair-raising thrills and breathtaking views.

Argentina's Tren a las Nubes (or "Train to the Clouds") is one of the highest railways in the world, taking passengers 13,850 feet up to the spectacular landscapes of the Andes Mountain Range. It leaves from the province of Salta, the lowest point on the line, to the La Povorilla Viaduct, the highest (and one of the most vertigo-inducing) points on the trip, according to its official website. Along the way, the train passes through 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, two spirals and two zigzags. The trip lasts approximately 16 hours.




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The White Pass and Yukon Route is a narrow gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. Completed in 1900, the railroad makes a number of cliff-hanging turns. (Flickr/HBarrison)

Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, the narrow-gauge railroad (also called "the railway built of gold") connects the port of Skagway, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon. The route, if you are fond of cliff-hanging turns and steep climbs, is one of the most scenic in the world. The railroad climbs almost 3,000 feet in just 20 miles with steep grades of up to 3.9 percent, according to its website. Passengers on the vintage-style cars enjoy breathtaking views of mountains, glaciers, gorges, and waterfalls.

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Rameswaram Express, India

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The Pamban Bridge is a one-and-a-half-mile cantilever bridge on the Palk Strait that connects Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India. The location of the bridge is a cyclone-prone, high wind velocity zone.

Train over the sea? It's the main route to the town of Rameswaram, a holy Hindu site in Pamban Island, India. The railway bridge, Pamban Bridge, is 6,776-feet-long and is the pride of the Indian Railways. Seemingly suspended in mid-air with remarkable views of the sea and islands, the bridge regularly weathers gusty winds, being located in a cyclone-prone, high wind velocity zone, according to the Hindu Business Line. In December 1964, a cyclone that wiped out the once-bustling town of Dhanushkodi also caused tidal waves that washed away a train on the bridge, according to the newspaper, The Hindu. Two railway employees survived by clinging to the frame of the suspension bridge for 12 hours.

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