I rode on the Orient Express twice for a day trip, London to Oxford. Ate the elegant breakfast on the way. Also I have watched a couple of documentaries about the train.There are two things that are generally unknown. One is that each sleeper compartment had a small blue light in the celing that could be switched on. I wish I had asked what it was for. I suppose is was gentler on the eyes if you had to get out of bed during the night. Maybe someone knows.It is also mentioned in the features section of the 1974 "Murder on the Orient Express" with Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall adn Sean Connery.
Second, heat was provided by an actual skinny coal stove that was built into the wall of each sleeper car. It was designed to allow the heat to flow throughout the car walls. Train porters added coal to the stove as needed. I saw confirmation of this in 2010 documentry "David Suchet on the Orient Express" with people recognizing him as the actor who portrayed Hercule Poirot in a long running BBC TV series.
Another is that there are no toilets in the sleeper compartments, only a wash basin. there is only one toilet room at the end of the car and it does not have a shower.
Old train rider One is that each sleeper compartment had a small blue light in the celing that could be switched on. I wish I had asked what it was for. I suppose is was gentler on the eyes if you had to get out of bed during the night.
This was also standard in US Pullman sleepers. A night light.
Amtrak sleepers also have night lights; I prefer no light at night, so I do not turn it on.
Johnny
aboard!
My wife and I did the American Orient Express between Seattle and Salt Lake City before it went under. Seven days, and it was wonderful. We had a bedroom with upper and lower bunks. The necessary facilities were in the room with a shower down the hall.
Our car was situated just in front of the NYC round end observation car with the two dining cars in the middle of the consist. As we left Seattle I went immediately to the NYC car to see the departure from Seattle along the Puget Sound to Everett and then up through Cascade Tunnel on Stevens Pass.
We stopped overnight at Sand Point, ID so that the route east toward Glacier Park, through Libby and Whitefish could be seen in daylight. We toured Glacier Park in vehicles and the departed back to Sand Point the next day, again staying overnight so that the trip through Thompson Falls toward Missoula could be seen in daylight and then on to Helena for overnight.
The next day we had a bus tour to Great Falls and back where we departed on the train to Garrison and then south on UP tracks to Idaho Falls for overnight. Next day we bus toured Yellowstone Park and Jackson, WY with overnight at Jackson Lodge. Then next day by bus to Idaho Falls and back aboard the AOE for overnight to Salt Lake City. To bad that is no longer available.
Apparently the rail cruise concept didn't attract enough people with the time and money. What was the per person charge back then?
We were both retired and had a daughter in Seattle so this was also a family visit.
As I recall we received a special offer as the AOE had not filled the available spaces and our cost was about $2500 each, a bargain in our view. We lived in AZ and drove to SL City where we left our car at a hotel that permitted such if you booked a room before flying and after returning on the AOE.
charlie hebdo Apparently the rail cruise concept didn't attract enough people with the time and money. What was the per person charge back then?
Can't answer the question, but it triggers another - the relative attractiveness of a rail cruise vs a ship cruise, with the relative costs being a factor.
Those interested in travelling by rail to simply to travel by rail would be a relatively small subset of the population. Never mind advertising considerations, people just aren't as aware of rail travel any more.
OTOH, ship cruises offer a week of complete entertainment - shows, pool, games, gambling, what-have-you. A complete vacation in 1,000 (+/-) feet.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
tree68OTOH, ship cruises offer a week of complete entertainment - shows, pool, games, gambling, what-have-you. A complete vacation in 1,000 (+/-) feet.
Entertainment is in the eye of the beholder. Pools, games, gambling, etc. are meaningless to me. But I can watching the country pass by by a train window for hours at a time. I suspect I fall into a relatively small minority in that respect.
With the right service, "rail cruises" can be fully entertaining. The best example from my experience is the Rocky Mountaineer. You ride in glass top bilevel cars, with narration provided the entire way, explaining the geography and history. Breakfast and lunch are provided on the first level of your car, and evenings in a hotel, with options for a local show if you elect to opt in. They also run on-time, and I suspect they pay the host RR's well to ensure that is the case.
The Canadian comes next, though no narration except in a few select locations. You also spend a lot of time sitting in sidings, as it mostly runs on congested CN routes. If you ride the Canadian, do NOT expect to arrive at your destination anywhere near on time, and plan your connections/ accomodations accordingly.
Amtak used to do some nice things for sleeper passengers like wine tastings (on the Empire Builder), but that sort of amenity is long gone.
Anyway, I'll take rolling countryside over expansive ocean views most anyday.
adkrr64Anyway, I'll take rolling countryside over expansive ocean views most anyday.
And so would I - I've already done a couple of ocean cruises, albeit at the behest of Uncle Sam.
But who notices the ocean view while sitting at the craps table? Rhetorical question...
All very true, Larry. According to Google Search, a seven-day Caribbean cruise costs $1500-2000 per person, inclusive plus getting to the Florida embarkation port.
The preferences expressed on here are not representative of the population. 23.6 million took Carribbean and South American cruises in the 2014-15 cruise season, spending $2.45 billion. How many took rail cruises in North America?
Amtrak's Rail Experience circle tours are basically rail cruises. Lynn and I enjoyed such tours in 2016 and 2017.
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