Secrets of the Railways - Dark Side of the Mountain

Many of the world's most spectacular railways are surrounded by mysterious stories, tales and sagas. The fact is that what is often seen as beautiful today sometimes has a very dark and chilling past. Many railroads were constructed and used during history's most turbulent periods and have long-buried associations with some of mankind's ugliest deeds. But a great many of these back stories have been lost to the passing years and are now unknown, even to those that work or travel on them every day. These are the Secrets of the Railways...

Since their meteoric rise in the 19th Century, railways have been at the forefront of modern engineering and transport. They have conquered dizzying altitudes, wilderness, seas and cities. With amazing access and using a trademark combination of stunning footage and expert analysis, the series captures the design breakthroughs and heralds the pioneers who have embraced nature and physical challenges to create a truly remarkable global railway network.

In this episode we discover the unique small track railway system in the German Harz region – the biggest steam railway system still under operation and heading since 100 years from land to the summit of the Brocken mountain.