Disc 1 - THE WESTERN EUROPE ARCHIVES - Firstly we travel to Southern France and take a look at the steam locomotives that are still in operation today. From the Brittany Penninsular along the channel Coast to Paris, to Picardy. We see some fine examples of French steam, including the famous Golden Arrow. In Dieppe, we see a rail terminal that serves the main port. We take a close look at an extensive network of city trams in Brussels, and later move on to a combination of steam, electric and diesel used for heavy industry in Luxembourg. We visit E class locomotives in Denmark, and some pre-war designed locomotives in Italy. Three different types of gauge are on offer in Greece, and we travel to Turkey, before finally ending our journey in Portugal.

Disc 2 - THE AFRICAN ARCHIVES - Rails all the way from Cape to Cairo was once the dream of Victorian pioneer Cecil Rhodes. in 1965 and 1970, the dying years of the Age of Steam, Harry Dodge visited and recorded his incredible African legacy. Throughout Central and Southern Africa the uncompromising terrain spawned some spectacular feats of engineering. Many of these, including the famous Victoria Falls Bridge, are captured when huge fleets of Garratts still ruled supreme. Malawi Railway, Rhodesian Railways and Franco-Ethiopian Railways are all featured, as well as the steam trains of South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and the Sudan.

Disc 3 - THE LATIN AMERICAN ARCHIVES - From Garrats of the high Bolivian desert, to narrow gauge through the Guatemalan jungle, this programme, filmed between 1962 and 1971, features an amazing variety of Latin American steam, including everything from 2-10-2s to 0-4-0s. Linked by a dramatic journey over the Andes Mountains. Harry Dodge has captured the locomotives of a whole continent: Brazil's Leopoldina Railway, the rope hauled Sierra Inclines, British locomotives in Argentina, the Antofagasta and Bolivia Railway, the incredible railways of Southern and Central Peru ( one of the seven wonders of the railway world), as well as railway scenes from El Salvador and Mexico.