trains

In these days of full-body scans, machine gun-toting security forces and endless departure delays it can be difficult to recall a time when travel was more enjoyable than onerous. Unless you happen to own a private jet or yacht, however alluring your destination the business of actually getting there these days can seem like more trouble than it's worth at times. A beautiful new book from Taschen reminds us that wasn't always the case. A compendium of 100 years of travel advertisements, 20th Century Travel is a lush visual history of the golden age of globe-trotting, a look back at the era of sexy air hostesses, smoking lounges on planes and bars on private club cars. With a decade-by-decade analysis and an illustrated timeline, the book highlights the cultural and technological developments that "transformed travel from a cushioned journey of the elite into a convenient leisure pastime for the general public".

Advertising is of course one of the best ways of looking at the transformation of travel, in particular the ways in which companies attempted to make it alluring to all strata of society. "At the start of the 20th century, only people with extensive disposable income and time to spare could enjoy leisure travel," the authors note. "By the century's end, journeys took hours, not days, and mass travel - especially brief air flights - became the new normal. Along the way, ocean liners broke speed records, aerodynamic trains roared down the tracks, stylish boat-plane clippers evolved into jumbo jets. Whether aboard high-speed locomotives or ships, jets, or Greyhound buses - or when setting their own schedule on the open road - Americans demanded ever greater mobility and wider choice of destinations, thereby setting a new standard for travelers around the world."

There comes a time in every collector's life when it is time to decide what to do with what has been amassed. For Wayne Burkholder, a collector of trains, that time has come and tomorrow his vintage train collection will be auctioned off by Gateway Gallery Auction in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Burkholder and his wife are moving to Florida and his sons and grandsons weren't interested in the product of years of collection.

Burkholder spent the last ten years perfecting a layout of three train sets spread out over an 8'x21' layout. His collection has been cataloged into over 400 lots that include engines, tenders, cars, cabooses and accessories like Mel's Diner, Ford sales, Sinclair gas, a car wash, oil derricks and more. Model train collecting isn't a hobby that attracts as many fans as it once did but for hobbyists with an eye toward the past, Burkholder's trove offers much to admire. Check out more at the online catalog.

It's not looking to be a good week for train lovers. Yesterday, I mentioned that GrandLuxe Rail Journeys was shutting down their luxury train operations. Now the AFP brings news that the planned "five-star" train from Beijing to Tibet won't be starting service in September as had been reported back in March. A reason for the delay wasn't given nor was a new date for the launch provided. Speculation is that there was a delay in the delivery of the train's carriages. But the AFP also notes that government figures show that the number of tourists visiting Tibet in the first half of 2008 fell by about 70 percent over last year after the violent riots in March. In a clampdown on the area, Beijing barred all tourists from going to Tibet until the end of April and didn't allow foreign visitors back in until the end of June.

The faltering economy has had a profound effect on air travel, now it's taking its toll on the train travel industry. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, which we've covered before for their luxury train trips throughout the U.S. and Mexico and their partnership with Amtrak, has announced that they cannot continue to operate due to financial reasons. The Denver Post reports that the company is not sure yet if people who made deposits for trips will get their money back.

The company formerly known as American Orient Express got a new owner in 2006 and seemed to be on track for success. But train travel in the U.S. has become less and less popular and the vacation industry as a whole is suffering.

At the recent World Travel Awards, where travel agents from around the world pick some of their top travel choices in various categories, the Royal Canadian Pacific Trains were found to offer the best luxury train experiences. The company was founded in 2000 and maintains a fleet of fully restored, 1920s-era railcars." They offer luxury tours and private bookings. The other nominees for the luxury train service award included the Blue Train (South Africa), the Eastern and Oriental Express (Asia), Pride of Africa-Rovos Rail (Africa), Palace on Wheels (India) and the Venice Simplon Orient Express (Europe).

The Canadian trains also did well in other categories. The Vancouver-Banff GoldLeaf Service provided by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations was declared to be the "world's leading travel experience by train."