Alaska or Canada to South America ?

Having completed a mamoth west to east train journey from the UK to China, I would now really like to travel as far as possible by train either from Alaska or Canada down into South America using trains all the way. Is this possible ? Also how far south can I get by train, all the way to the southern tip pf South America ? Living in the UK I dont have much information so any help on this from anyone `across the water` and any useful websites that I could look at would be much appreciated.

Not an easy trip to book to get 'as far as possible' all rail....but..........

Via Rail ...Churchill MB to Winnepeg Manitoba leaving Churchill on April 5 20:30 arr Winnipeg April 7 0:838 )...then Winnepeg to Vancouver BC lv April 8 16:55 arr BC April 10 07:50.

Amtrak Vancouver - Seattle Cascades Lv BC Apr 10 12:30 arr Seattle Apr 10 15:55

Seattle - Los Angeles Coast Starlight Lv Seattle Apr 11 09:45 Arr LA Apr 12 21:00

Los Angeles - El Paso TX Sunset Ltd Lv LA Apr 13 14:30 arr El Paso Apr 14 08:16

Then take the GrandLuxe Rail Journeys (formerly American Orient Express) April 15 from El Paso Tx to Mexico City. http://www.luxurytour.com/deluxerail/grandluxemxico.htm

From there to get further south, all by rail, I believe you may be able to get a bit further South and East in Mexico by train. (Ferrocarriles Chiapas-Mayab ...Veracruz to Yucatan?)

You'd have to 'jump' over to South America to travel further by rail

http://www.seat61.com/SouthAmerica.htm

Around 15 years ago i attempted a similiar trip . Except i started in San Francisco . Down to El Paso , crossed the border , then a scheduled train to Mexico City . (no longer possible i believe ) . From there out to Merida on the train , then through Belieze to Gautemala by bus / boat . Train across Gautemala ( until we derailed ) , but not possible to go southwards . Bus through to Nicaragua , trains there , then costa rica , train acrossthe country , but nothing heading South .
Flew to Ecuador , trains there , and in Peru , but gaps by bus . Same in Bolivia , and a train in Northern Argentina , but then i ran out of time , and headed across to Brazil and up to venezuela , before flying to New York .
Sadly , i believe alot of these trains are gone these days .but it would still be a good trip . Its not easy or necessarrily safe , but always interesting . Read Paul theroux' old patingonian express .

The Seat 61 site to which Mr. Morris refers has more information of South American rail travel than I have seen in one place.

I note the site refers to a revival of Argentinian intercity travel, and it is amazing how much Spanish (a linked site in Espanol) one knows when confronted with a subject in which there is interest. The website of the Argentinian rail passenger agency suggests all the great and wonderful things awaiting the tourist traveler aboard their trains.

http://www.ferrobaires.gba.gov.ar/

However, here is a site in English suggesting the contrary.

http://www.allaboutar.com/transportation_trains.htm

Lest we note, anyone out there can throw together a "slick' website about anything. Often the site is prepared by people who have less than first hand knowledge of the product or service in question.

Case in point:

http://www.ferrobaires.gba.gov.ar/HTM/ClaseCamarote.htm

I have to wonder for how long and how much longer Sleeping Car service will be "temporarilly suspended'.

And for those who'd enjoy it, there's a novel by Paul Theroux entitled
The Patagonian Express in which he chronicles a trip from Boston to Tierra del Fuego, on the southern tip of Argentina. Quite interesting reading if you're a railfan.