This article explores the author's lifelong passion for trains, encompassing various types of journeys, iconic stations, and memorable experiences across different countries.
I confess: I’m a life-long train tragic. There’s nothing I love more than riding aboard a passenger train, but it goes deeper than that. I love everything about railways – the locomotives, the carriages, the stations, the station restaurants, the onboard catering, even the antiquated old signal boxes and water tanks that you sometimes see alongside the line, sparkling with nostalgia. I also like every type of train journey.
There are some marvellous “rail cruises” out there, featuring luxurious long-distance trains such as the Eastern & Oriental Express or Australia’s own Indian Pacific and The Ghan. These trains, which include fine meals and interesting tours, take their time and do so in style. Then there are the regularly scheduled services: more keenly priced trains that run to set timetables but provide access to good company and beautiful landscapes, such as Amtrak’s California Zephyr or the train which links Montenegro to Serbia.Let’s not forget the many heritage railways, running along highly scenic routes once used by industrial operations or quiet branch line trains: the many narrow-gauge railways of Wales come vividly to mind. As railways conquered the world of travel from the 19th century onwards, it gave rise to remarkable stations, often built with a grandeur that underlined their role as important public infrastructure, a symbol of society’s progress.Europe is dotted with great railway stations, from London’s delightful St Pancras Station to Paris’ beautiful Gare du Nord – and the 21st century has added its share, as seen in the striking modernity of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Among this tangle of lines around the world, with their myriad trains and stations, there are many memorable experiences for the avid train traveller. Here’s a selection of those I’ve enjoyed on my own rail travels across the decades.This remarkable Swiss train also thinks it’s a boat – as it’s a two-stage journey by a swish modern train from Lugano, after which a historic paddle steamer heads across Lake Lucerne.I was particularly struck by the views on our approach to the Gotthard Massif, a looming set of snow-topped mountains which seem to block any further progress – until the train ducked under them via the historic Gotthard Tunnel.Four of America’s most renowned long-distance trains arrive and depart from Los Angeles’ Union Station: the Sunset Limited to New Orleans, the Coast Starlight to Seattle, the Southwest Chief and the Texas Eagle to Chicago.This is my favourite station in the world. Often called the last of the great train stations, its stunning blend of art deco, streamline moderne, and Spanish-inspired mission revival architecture on a monumental scale is breathtaking. The station’s waiting room is the most eye-catching feature, with its decorative ceiling panels, enormous circular chandeliers, and tiled floors. If waiting for a train, relax in one of the art deco armchairs and soak it in.Dinners are a highlight of the journey, within a glamorous dining car featuring gleaming glassware, crisp white tablecloths, art deco-styled lamps, flowers – and marvellous food created in the best traditions of Europe and Asia.This mighty double-decker sleeper train takes two nights to bridge the distance between Chicago, US, and Oakland (for San Francisco).It’s amazing just how much stunning scenery this train passes, especially on the stretch between Denver, Colorado, and California. First the Zephyr heads through the Rocky Mountains, at one point passing through a rail tunnel more than 2800 metres above sea level, then spends hours following the stunning red rocky terrain alongside the Colorado River. The next morning it forges its way over the forbidding Sierra Nevada mountain range.A nation-building project of the former Yugoslavia, the Bar to Belgrade railway took two decades to build through lofty mountains.Nightly, the sleeper train named Lovcen departs Bar, Montenegro, on the Adriatic coast, to head north to Belgrade. A coastal stretch and mountain ranges are the highlights before sunset, but after dark the train crosses the international border and you get a knock on the door and passport inspections by border guards – a bittersweet old-school pleasure that’s not much encountered in Europe these days.My favourite of Australia’s great train journeys, this transcontinental sleeper train covers 4352 kilometres of fascinating and varied terrain between Sydney and Perth.There are plenty of highlights along this coast-to-coast trek, but the most memorable must be the Nullarbor Plain, a vast and empty expanse of exposed limestone bedrock over which the train travels for many hours. Along the way it traverses the world’s longest stretch of dead-straight rail, a whopping 478 kilometres with no bends.Italy’s sleek red “Red Arrow” trains reach up to 300 km/h, zipping across the peninsula and to neighbouring countrie
TRAIN TRAVEL RAILWAYS TRAIN STATIONS LONG-DISTANCE TRAINS HERITAGE RAILWAYS TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
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