"Trains summon the romance that sleeps within us. What good movie, or classic at least, doesn't contain a scene on a train? It's as if time is suspended, and the train itself becomes this place-inhabited, lovely, completely untroubled." Brently Johnson, 2002
As you embark on the GrandLuxe Train, the excitement you feel is an integral piece of your rail journey experience. Meticulously refurbished, these cars preserve a chapter from America's rail history. They epitomize the sleek style of the era and create intimate places to socialize or to relax alone. Seek out a cozy enclave in the lounge car, view the world around you in the dome car, read or write without concern for the time. Each car has been reconstructed and restored at a cost of over one million dollars per car. The latest heating, air-conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems have been installed, along with state-of-the-art safety features.
Honoring the tradition of the great streamliner trains — the Twentieth Century Limited, Capitol Limited and Santa Fe Super Chief — our renovations stay true to the style of the day, with the addition of modern conveniences. The train's cars were constructed between 1948 and 1958. The sleepers were originally built for the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Nickel Plate Railroad Company, the Union Pacific Railroad, the Ohio Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the New York Central Railroad.
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Painted in their signature blue-and-gold, the GrandLuxe Rail Journeys vintage carriages were assembled from museums and private collections throughout America. Elegantly accented in mahogany, the interiors are designed to evoke a time when rail travel was luxurious, romantic and adventurous. Lavish attention to detail is apparent in the warm, rich tones of the woods, beautiful inlaid surfaces of marble, sparkling appointments of polished brass, painted ceiling murals and comfortable, overstuffed lounge chairs. Each car you pass through on the GrandLuxe Train has been restored to a new level of splendor; tied together as a unit by the dark mahogany walls rubbed to a matte luster and adorned with delicate marquetry. Done up in varying shades of lighter wood, they are reminiscent of the early and long tradition of George Pullman, the first builder of luxury rail cars.
Whether you settle into the comfort of your room, or remain with fellow travelers in one of the lounge cars, it occurs to you that there is nothing like a train. While traveling aboard the GrandLuxe Train, chances are good that you will find a bridge game in progress in one of our club cars — or you may want to snuggle into a comfortable chair, relax in the piano lounge and listen to pop, jazz and old-time favorites. Is there a better way to conclude an absolutely wonderful day?
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