AMERICAN ORIENT EXPRESS
GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, formerly American Orient Express is not in business anymore. Both companies went bancrupt after only a few years of operating the trains. The train cars themselves have been sold and are now being operated by the Greenbrier Resort as a special train from Washington D.C. to the resort.
If you're looking for train vacation in the US in non-historical trains, you might want to check America by Rail.
The American Orient Express offered deluxe passenger train programs since 1997 when they bought the trains from
the American European Orient Express Company. Most of the itineraries are rare and unusual rail track routes
to the most fascinating places in the United States and also Mexico, from the Deep South to the spectacular
Pacific Coast, national parks and the Rocky Mountains, just to name a few.
Travel Experience
The American Orient Express trains consist of 17 train cars, including 2 restaurant dining cars, a glass
dome two-story viewing car, a lounge car with piano entertainment and bar service and guest sleeper cars.
Expect what a really good hotel can offer, from fine cusine to live entertainment and of course superb
service staff.
Different to cruise ships, accomodations are more compact due to the fact, that railcars are only built
as wide as the tracks on which they operate. On the other hand, your virtual hotel on steel wheels is almost
one-quarter mile long.
more information
History
The American Orient Express takes you back in time by more than half a century, to the Golden Age of Rail
of the 1940s and 50s. The rail cars are historic cars, carefully restored, fully refurbished and had been
manufactured by either the Pullman Co. of Chicago, American Car & Foundry of St. Louis or the
Budd Co. of Philadelphia, being a real gem not only for railroad enthusiasts. Read about the
history of the rail cars in detail.