Elegant way to travel ...............

My last venture on a train, with a room, was in the late 50's, took a train from Dayton, Ohio to Reno, Nevada. I think it was a three day trip. I took one train from Dayton to St. Louis, and took the "Spirit" to Reno. Classy Dining Car, porters, Club Car, first class all the way. Actually, in St. Louis, one of the Busch family got on board, a complete entourage, and lots of Budweiser for some of the passengers.

Train travel was a world in itself, something about being on board,  you met many people, got to know a few well. Once you got on board, you had a new life, when you got off, to got back to normal.  You said hello to everyone, and they said hello back to you. You were in a select "fraternity" when on board, you were not a stranger for long.

I remember getting off in Reno, had a number of goodbyes to say, a few "Call when you are in town's" .... "I'll be up at Tahoe, come and see me."

Trains in those days were an elegant way to travel. I've crossed the country a few times and enjoyed each trip. On the return trip from Nevada, everything had changed, early 60's. No dining car, no club car, vending machines instead. When I hi the lottery I am heading for Japan and ride on their trains, and of course, The Orient Express. No trains, few buses, everyone drives, what a shame.....elegant travel

Vegas Party Train .....

LAS VEGAS (AP) — As if a weekend in Las Vegas isn't wild enough for Southern Californians, a Nevada entrepreneur is about to add five more hours of party to either end.

After striking an agreement with Union Pacific Railroad last week, the Las Vegas Railway Express is one step closer to bringing to life the X Train, a luxurious "party train" complete with big screen TVs, recliners and two ultra lounges.

"The whole idea is when you get on a train, you feel like you're in Las Vegas," said Michael Barron, president and CEO of the $100 million venture that hopes to launch its maiden voyage on New Year's Eve 2013. "It's essentially a nightclub on wheels."

Tourists can't get from Southern California to Las Vegas by rail alone, and Barron's company isn't the first to try and fix that. The much-talked-about XpressWest project proposes a high-speed train connecting Sin City to the region from which it draws 25 percent of its tourists.

But it's a multi-billion-dollar proposal that would require setting new tracks, and it's often panned as a "train to nowhere" because the first phase would start in relatively obscure Victorville, about 100 miles outside of Los Angeles.

The X Train proposal calls for an Amtrak crew aboard a 576-passenger train that runs at standard speeds on traditional tracks.

It would start in Fullerton, Calif. — already home to an Amtrak station and part of Southern California's Metrolink commuter train network — and end in downtown Las Vegas.