In 1848, Napoléon comes to power in France, the US is at war with Mexico, and Austria looks at the recently-invented steam train and says "I reckon we could get one of these things over the Alps". Today I am exploring the stunning result, the Semmeringbahn - built before anyone had even invented a train capable of running on it. It is the world's first standard-gauge mountain railway, an incredible piece of engineering history, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Check out my previous video on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn:
   • Schwebebahn: Why Wuppertal's Trains A...  

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With 12 months to go before Brexit, I am spending the year travelling around the EU and visiting interesting places. Kind of an EU Farewell Tour. If you enjoyed this video, please hit like and subscribe to the channel, and I will make more.