There used to be a book at the local library called "Rail Bike". It covered a bit of the history of these types of bikes, as well as where you can ride them today (The pics of riders crossing washouts on the abandoned Dease Lake Extension, isn't something I'd try). The section I liked, was how to build your own. A sort of "Hi-Rail" for bikes. The author was inspired from a movie, where, in the opening scenes, a rider pedals a rail-bike along tracks in Australia.