Outeniqua Choo Tjoe Train, South Africa

After being the longest continually operated steam train in Africa, the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe ceased operation in 2009. It was originally completed in 1928. A 2006 mudslide rendered a portion of the line unusable, and the operator then decided to shut the entire thing down because it wasn’t profitable enough. However, efforts are underway to revive the historic railway with its beautiful views and extreme heights. The train ride offers unmatched views of the Indian Ocean running underneath. An article published in South African Railways & Harbours Magazine the year the train began operating said:

Travelling from George to Knysna is like being present at an animated art exhibition, each mile presenting a new canvas that calls forth exclamations of pleasure … One loses, to a certain degree, the sense of time, thanks to a profusion of scenic delights…