Our Vintage Private Railcars

Our 'train within a train' will consist of Colonial Crafts, a former Pennsylvania sleeper-lounge; Silver Rapids, a roomette bedroom sleeper from the California Zephyr; Silver Lariat, a vista-dome diner lounge, also from the California Zephyr; and Silver Solarium, a vista-dome sleeper-lounge-observation car from the California Zephyr. Accommodations aboard the train include roomettes, each sleeping 1 person; bedrooms, accommodating 2 people, and drawing rooms, accommodating up to 3 people. Each sleeper is equipped with one or more guest showers. Our combination of cars provides an exceptional amount of public space, and our professional staff will see to it that your on-board experience is an outstanding one.

Friday June 6: (B-L-D) Amtrak's California Zephyr originates across the bay from San Francisco in Emeryville, where we gather to await its appearance with our private cars on the rear. Amid the hustle and bustle of passengers seeking their assigned cars our professional staff greets our group and assists with luggage. A light breakfast will be served upon departure from Emeryville. Members of our group get acquainted with each other in the domes and lounges as the train meanders along the shore of San Francisco Bay, on its way to Martinez and Sacramento. Luncheon will be served as we begin the ascent of the Sierra, along the route of the Central Pacific, founded in 1863 as one of the two companies tasked to build the first Transcontinental Railroad. Our route over the Sierras takes about 4 hours to complete, and includes breathtaking scenery as the railroad follows a continuous ridge high above the American and Yuba Rivers. After Donner Summit is reached, at approximately 6,900 ft altitude, we emerge high above Donner Lake, and we begin the descent to the high desert of Nevada along the course of the Truckee and Humboldt Rivers. Hors d' Oeuvres and Dinner are served as we head east past Reno, Sparks, Fernley, Lovelock, and Winnemucca. Night owls may enjoy a libation in our two lounges, while those wishing to retire early will find that their rooms have been made down for the night by our attentive staff. Be sure to set your watches ahead one hour when you retire for the night.

Saturday June 7: (B-L-D) In the wee hours of the morning our train was serviced in Salt Lake City, and we continue our journey east through Provo, then on a spectacular climb over the Wasatch, cresting at Soldier Summit. Breakfast buffet will be served between 7 and 9 AM, so you may get up at your leisure. Our train follows the Price River Canyon through Castle Gate and the stop at Helper. Continuing eastward the train races across the desert toward Green River, where we reach the lowest altitude we'll see today as we cross the town's namesake river, the major tributary of the Colorado River. We pick up the Colorado River shortly before leaving Utah, and will follow it upstream for more than 200 miles and 5 major canyons. Our stop at Grand Junction, CO provides us with an opportunity to step off the train and to enjoy some fresh Colorado air. Our next stop is Glenwood Springs, at the west end of Glenwood Canyon, inspiration for the Vista-Dome concept in 1945. The best place yet to view this stunning canyon is from your seat in the vista-domes, where every seat is a window seat. Don't forget to look down at the river, too. Glenwood Canyon is a mecca for kayakers and rafters. We crest the Continental Divide while inside the Moffat Tunnel, which at 6.2 miles is the 4th longest railroad tunnel in North America. At a summit elevation of over 9,200 ft it is the highest railroad tunnel in active service in North America. After leaving the Moffat Tunnel we begin our crooked descent of the Front Range of the Rockies into Denver. When we pass Plainview we begin to see the lights of the city of Denver far below. We'll enjoy dinner aboard the train before we arrive at Denver Union Station, where our cars will be removed and held for the return trip. The downtown Denver area is a walker's delight and an after-dinner stroll completes a delightful day before we return to the train for the night.

Sunday June 8: (B) Today is a leisurely day, so feel free to sleep in a bit. A buffet breakfast will be served aboard the cars until 9 AM. We'll board our motorcoach which will take us on a tour of the Colorado Rail Museum and the Coors Brewery in Golden. While on the tour we'll arrange to transfer your luggage to your rooms at the Oxford Hotel. On our way back we'll make our way to Central City and Blackhawk for a little flavor of Colorado's mining past and to see how mining for money has progressed in the 21st century

Monday June 9: (L) Today we head to Rocky Mountain National Park. On the way to the Park we take a short detour to Georgetown and Silver Plume, two semi-ghost towns that were connected by a remarkable narrow-gauge railway. The gradient was so steep that a loop and trestle had to be built in order to make it passable for trains. We'll enjoy lunch in the Park. Breakfast and dinner are on your own.

Tuesday June 10: (L) Our motorcoach takes us to Cripple Creek, where we descend 1,000 feet into the ground in a restored gold mine that dates from the 1880's. Then it's on to the Broadmoor resort for lunch. After lunch we head to the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which will take us to the summit of Pikes Peak, 14,110 ft above sea level. The trip takes a bit over an hour in each direction, and we will have 30-40 minutes at the summit to enjoy the breathtaking views from the roof of North America. We return to Denver for a leisurely evening in the Mile-high City.

Wednesday June 11: (B-L-D) We check out of the hotel by 8:00 AM and return to our waiting private railcars for the return to the Bay Area. The morning climb up the front range of the Rockies is spectacular as we dive in and out of the 40+ tunnels on the route, eventually crossing the Continental Divide once again inside the Moffat Tunnel, and emerging on the west side in Winter Park. Breakfast, luncheon, afternoon hors d' Oeuvres and dinner will be served today. Bars in the lounge cars will be open until midnight. Set your watch back one hour as you retire for the night.