The dome of the “Plaza Santa Fe” and a group of happy guests heading for Reno.

Someone once asked me why Private Car Service came about. The easy answer is that the folks who have worked with me on our charter trips enjoy providing a classic travel experience. In today’s busy travel world, most folks tend to put up with the hassle of getting to and from an airport, going through the terminals and finally getting to their flights, being seated in a tube for transportation from Point A to Point B. Yet, in traveling by private railcar, it is indeed a less stressful and more rewarding way to go.

Something easily forgotten is that at one time in the recent past, many people just did not travel very far in their lives. For some, a trip of 25 miles was the biggest they may have made. In today’s super highway world, that trip of a lifetime takes less than a half an hour. It tends to be one in which we can overlook much of the passing panorama, more of an annoyance than anything else. When you travel by train, you aren’t worried about what the road ahead has in store. You aren’t concerned about driving because someone else is doing it. Aboard a private railcar, you can sit back, roll the miles by while enjoying a snack or a favorite beverage and sharing it all with your fellow passengers.

A birthday celebration is about to begin as these folks board this private railcar for a trip from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo and Hearst Castle.

It’s been a true pleasure to have guests travel with us. Over the years, we have had all kinds of groups aboard, in all shapes and sizes. From as few as five to over a hundred and twenty five people, we get to make memories for these passengers. Events such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings (and receptions), reunions, business conferences, holiday parties… you name it and we seem to have had a hand in one or another. As one client put it, if you can hire a hall for any event, it can be held aboard a chartered private railcar heading somewhere or nowhere in particular.

A Tiki themed wedding & reception, enjoyed aboard between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Sometimes the journey is the reason for the event as it was on this occasion as the special train traveled the the Feather River Canyon along the original route of the famed “California Zephyr”.
Another birthday adventure with guests dressing for the period aboard this classic 1923 Pullman railroad business car.
All settled in for the day, with friends and family, travel by private railcar is the best!

One of the things we try to remember on each trip we make is that many people have never traveled by train, let alone on a private railcar before. With the creation of Amtrak in 1971, many of the classic named trains and great destinations ceased to be. And in those years since, Amtrak has seen a great number of changes as well. While some of the things we were able to offer in the past for our guests may not be possible today, the staff of Private Car Service continues to be dedicated to making every trip a memorable one.

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