Mark Smith is a self-confessed "career railway man" who has devoted his time and energies to pain-stakingly extolling the good old fashioned virtues of rail travel.

He's journeyed from deepest, darkest England to Vladisvostok, shared carriages with Russian arms dealers, drunk Darjeeling in plush Indian hotels, and become the pin up for the trainspotter set, thanks to his comprehensive train site.

If, like Mr T, you've got a fear of gravity or you don't like having someone search your cavity, maybe you should consider mixing your globetrotting with some trainspotting.