The world’s 10 strangest trains (including one in Australia)

When it comes to train travel, inventive spirits have never let challenging terrain get in the way. Mountains have been scaled, valleys crossed and cities traversed – even if that means the creation of a railway that appears to be hanging upside down.

Just look at Argentina, which now has a train that can transport you through the Andes utilising the power of the sun alone. Ecuador, meanwhile, has one that seems to defy logic as it zigzags up an almost impossibly steep slope; in Cambodia, strange contraptions made of bamboo are used to ferry passengers along ancient tracks first laid by the French.

There are scenic trains, spectacular trains, luxurious trains – and then there are some that are, well, almost beyond description. Here’s our selection of the 10 most intriguing on Earth, each more weird and wonderful than the last.

Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter

Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.

Here comes the sun – or rather, the train powered by the sun, a futuristic venture bringing new life and energy to an ancient route through the sacred Quebrada de Humahuaca region in the Andes. The solar-powered two-carriage train is the first of its kind in South America and a genuine trail-blazer. It runs along a 42-kilometre route connecting remote indigenous communities in the Jujuy province of Argentina and is powered by lithium batteries that are charged by solar panels. Sustainable, slow-paced and scenic, the train launched in 2024 and has recently added wine and dark skies-themed journeys. A ticket covering all six stations on the line costs $US45 ($65); trensolar.com.ar; dexotic.com

Less state-of-the-art, but incredibly inventive nonetheless, is the Ferrobus in South America, a hybrid train-bus option found in mountainous regions of Bolivia, Chile and Colombia. This form of transport involves the use of old bus bodies furnished with steel wheels that run on train tracks. Popular in remote spots, these journeys can be hairy – but certainly tick the what-an-experience box. A tourist-friendly choice is Chile’s Gondola Carril which climbs a 34-kilometre stretch of track north of Santiago. Los Andes to Rio Blanco return costs 50,000 Chilean pesos ($74); trendelrecuerdo.cl/gondola

In Japan (where else?) the Ferrobus concept is taken further with the DMV, an extraordinary Dual-Mode Vehicle able to operate on ordinary asphalt roads – and regular railway tracks. Operated by Asa Coast Railway on the island of Shikoku, the service connects rural coastal towns along a route of 48 kilometres, six of which are train tracks. At the crucial moment of transition, the front rubber tyres are lifted off the ground as steel rail wheels are lowered. The whole process takes 15 seconds. Tickets from ¥200-2400 ($2-$22); asatetu.com/en

Technological prowess aside, Japan is also famed for being ever so slightly… eccentric. Testament to which is this vibrantly decorated train that’s a consummate celebration of the Pokemon character, Pikachu. Yellow on the outside, the train – from floor to walls to curtains – is packed with visual references to this much-loved anime icon. Passengers can sit and smile at it all, though younger ones may prefer to head for the Pikachu-themed playroom. The train operates in Tohoku. The two-hour trip from Ichinoseki to Kesennuma costs ¥1700 ($15); jreast.co.jp/en

Another region traditionally lauded for its technological know-how, Germany is home to the extraordinary Wuppertaler Schwebebahn, a train literally suspended from an elevated monorail running for 13 kilometres through the city. It looks like something from a sci-fi film, though it was actually opened in 1901 and serves both as a vital public transport artery and a prime tourist attraction. A 24-hour ticket costs €7.60 ($12), from station machines; schwebebahn.de/en

Train innovation superpower China has its own version of Wuppertal’s suspended train, though this one also has a transparent floor so travellers can admire the views of city and countryside directly beneath them in and around Wuhan in Hubei province. To add to the frisson, the train is driverless. A similar, newer train operates in Chengdu in Sichuan. A single ride on the monorail costs ¥30 ($6.45); crecg.com

Train carriages do not generally resemble beer barrels – those attached to the Schwyz-Stoos funicular, however, do. This is because as the train ascends almost 750 metres at gradients of up to 110 per cent – the steepest in the world – and the barrel-like carriages rotate, thereby keeping passengers upright. It is a remarkable feat of engineering marvelled by all who use it and much prized by the residents of the isolated mountain community of Stoos which it serves. A round-trip costs CHF23.20 ($40), purchasable at Schwyz station; stoos.ch/en

After a temporary closure following a landslide, the Devil’s Nose train in Ecuador is once again astonishing passengers with an ascent up what looks like a vertical wall of rock between Alausi and Sibambe in the Andes. The climb – more than 500 metres over some 11 kilometres – is achieved through a remarkable zigzag system which enables the train to move upwards in a jagged motion facing first forwards and then backwards and repeating several times. Stunning views, but nerves of steel required. A round-trip costs $US30 ($43), from Alausí station; trenecuador.org/en

The extraordinary-looking contraptions running along a number of tracks in Cambodia prove once again that necessity is the mother of invention. With many lines badly damaged in the country’s civil war, creative spirits found a way of using stretches that were still good with improvised vehicles comprising a wooden frame, scrap metal and bamboo slats powered by motorbike, lawnmower, or tractor engines. The platforms accommodate four people and travel at up to 50km/h. A five-kilometre round-trip from Ou Dambong Village south of Battambang costs $US5 ($7); available on location

Trains normally connect places people want to visit. Not this one. The Gulflander, affectionately known as “the train that goes from nowhere to nowhere”, is a 151-kilometre stretch of track completely cut off from the rest of the Australian rail network. Built during the 1800s to serve a gold rush that never happened, it runs between the tiny towns of Normanton and Croydon on a five-hour journey offering a unique railway experience through crocodile-inhabited wetlands and vast expanses of Queensland Outback. The single-carriage train, dubbed the “Tin Hare”, looks like a cross between a vintage bus and a tram. One for the connoisseur. Return fare costs $154; gulflander.com.au

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

You've used all of your gift articles. 3 more will become available on the 1st of every month.