From modern masterpieces travelling faster than anything else
on land, to heritage locomotives that get you from A to B in
sumptuous style, there have been countless trains throughout the
decades that have won the hearts and minds of their passengers, and
we thought we'd share with you our top contenders, in no particular
order!
1) The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express started
out life as simply the Orient Express back in 1863, spanning the
miles between Paris and Constantinople (now known as Istanbul).
From its very first trip it earned a reputation for being
sensationally luxurious, with its intricate wooden panelling and
silk sheets for each of the 58 passengers. These days its journey
time has been reduced from a week to a couple of nights and it no
longer offers forays to the edge of Europe, but the level of
comfort and opulence hasn't changed, with four-course dinners in
elegant surroundings, a baby grand piano to entertain you as you
enjoy an aperitif and the height of indulgence - breakfast in
bed.
2) The Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express
makes regular appearances on 'top train' lists across the internet,
and for very good reason. Carving a route across Russia and
Mongolia all the way from Moscow to Vladivostok since 1904, this is
an epic cross-country experience that provides endlessly differing
scenes rolled out past your window. One morning you'll be skirting
the shores of the world's largest freshwater lake, the next coming
face-to-face with the ferocious Genghis Khan himself - all whilst
indulging in fine food and drink. Forget about it being the world's
longest railway journey, it'll feel like it's passed in the blink
of an eye.
3) Seen zipping about Great Britain for the
past 94 years, the Flying Scotsman is almost as much a national
treasure as Stephen Fry and Dame Judi Dench rolled into one. Making
the first ever non-stop journey between London and Edinburgh as
well as being the first train in the UK to reach 100 miles per
hour, it not only earned a special place in the history books, but
also in the hearts of the public. It still makes regular
appearances, despite officially retiring in 1963 following a
restoration project undertaken by the national Railway Museum, and
you can find out where it'll be popping up next here -
http://www.flyingscotsman.org.uk/events/scotsman-on-the-tracks/
4) Known as the Super Chief during its 1930s
hey-day, Amtrak's Southwest Chief still has the ability to take you
back in time to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, when the likes
of Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Ella Fitzgerald used the
route as their gateway to Los Angeles. These days, the real
celebrity of this trip is the scenery between Chicago and the City
of Angels, with views of the mighty Mississippi and the landscape
of America's Wild West both taking starring roles.
5) One of the pinnacles of luxury rail travel
has to be The Blue Train, which has been whisking passengers 994
miles through diverse South African terrain since 1923, when it ran
under the name of the Union Express. After taking a break during
the Second World War, it came back on the scene with a new name and
a new agenda to become a "magnificent moving five-star hotel". And
so it is, with its personal butler service, soundproofed en-suite
cabins featuring their own bathtubs, and an impressive roll call of
previous passengers that includes monarchs as well as political
royalty. Making use of the bountiful land it traverses, once on
board you can look forward to delicacies such as Knysna oysters and
ostrich fillets as you look out over the savannah.
6) Japan is country renowned for its
technological advances and burst out of the gates when it fired up
its very first Bullet Train, or Shinkansen, in 1964. Over the years
it has managed to increase its top speed to a staggering 375 miles
per hour, a record breaking achievement, and to date has laid up to
1,717 miles of line. Linking major cities from north to south, it
has a reputation for being almost brutally efficient, with
plentiful services a day, all departing bang on time. As such it
has become one of the most famous high-speed services in the
world.