An Itinerary Customized to Your Wants and Needs.

 

Car 7503 in Service on the Strasburg RR, Autumn '94
 Pennsylvania Railroad Private Business Car 7503 Francis L. Suter in service on the Strasburg Rail Road
Sample itinerary for a 15-day circle trip to the West Coast
 Philadelphia · Washington · Chicago · San Francisco · Seattle · Chicago · New York
 Day 1
If you wish, board the car at Strasburg, Pa, or join at Philadelphia or Washington. In Washington, we join the Capitol Limited for our trip to Chicago. An elegant dinner is served as we pass through the mountains of Maryland and West Virginia. The style of moguls of previous generations is yours as our 90 tons of elegance speeds toward the Windy City.
 Day 2
Morning arrival in Chicago. The car is your base in Chicago, as you shop and sightsee during the day. In the afternoon we are switched onto the back of the California Zephyr, and we wave farewell to Chicago from the open platform. We pass through the heartlands of America and reflect on the vast distances in our country, which cannot be appreciated from an airplane. Almost a thousand miles of plains passes under us as we dash through the night to our rendezvous with the Rockies.
 Day 3
The train is standing in Denver station as you enjoy your gourmet breakfast and Blue Mountain coffee. We have climbed thousands of feet during the night. Today will see the most breathtaking rail scenery in the United States. Leaving Denver we begin climbing again, and the train curves in its slow ascent of the Rockies. Through openings in the forest you see the city retreating beneath you. We pass through the Moffat Tunnel, which shortened the trip to California by eight hours when it opened in 1927. There are no highways here and motorists can never enjoy this scenery. The train carefully snakes along a ledge in the Colorado Gorge. The Amtrak passengers must admire this view through glass, but you can sit on the open platform, nearly able to touch the rock on one side. By evening, we are in Utah and during the night we speed across the desert flats.
 Day 4
Today's travel takes us through Reno, across the heights of the Sierra Nevada, and past Donner Lake and the American River Canyon. We pass through the wine country, and on our arrival in the bay area, you transfer to an elegant hotel in downtown San Francisco.
 Day 5 - Day 6
Visit vineyards, eat well, and sightsee in the Bay Area and the Wine Country.
 Day 7
Departure for Seattle in the evening on the Coast Starlight, Amtrak's answer to Interstate 5.
 Day 8
We cross the Cascades of Oregon, as deer graze by the right-of-way and clouds float above the valleys. Mount Ranier commands your view as we draw closer to Puget Sound. At eight o'clock, we draw to a stop in Seattle, the land of Dungeness Crab and Sockeye Salmon.
 Day 9 - Day 10
As you sightsee in Seattle, the chef and steward are replenishing the pantry of the Francis L. Suter from Seattle's limitless offerings.
 Day 11
Enjoy a lunch in Seattle, but return to the car afterwards, as we leave for Chicago on the Empire Builder. Your gourmet dinner is served as we cross the fruit groves of Washington State.
 Day 12
We pass by Glacier Park and appreciate John Steinbeck's favorite state, Montana. During the night we cross eight hundred miles of grasslands and plains.
 Day 13
Passing through St Paul and Minneapolis, we cross the gentle dairylands of Wisconsin. During the afternoon we see the approaching skyline of Chicago, leaving the Great West behind.
 Day 14
Sightsee in Chicago. At six o'clock we leave for New York on the Lake Shore Limited.
 Day 15
Awake in upstate New York, following the gentle terrain of the old Mohawk Trail as we approach Albany. We turn south and follow the Hudson River as it winds past cliffs and mountains. Our mid-afternoon arrival in New York is convenient for transfer to your hotel.
 Price: $53,630.00, inclusive of food, beverage, and staff.
 

Most trips cost in the area of $4,000 to $4,500 per day. By way of comparison, the sample itinerary for a 15-day circle trip to the West Coast is priced at $53,630. This is about $600.00 per person per day, based on a party of six. On the Queen Elizabeth 2, this is the equivalent only of the best tourist class (Mauretania) cabin.  If you have a party of six, you can have a private railroad car going to the destination of your choice at lower cost than first class travel on the QE2. Our nightclub, gaming, and shopping facilities are more limited than Cunard's, but our scenery is more varied and interesting than theirs, the trip will be much smoother, and your party has exclusive use of the conveyance.

 We can arrange your party's stay at a Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, or similar hotel**, with limousine transfers to and from the car. Limousine sightseeing tours can also be booked, with lunch at a fine restaurant. A local tour can be useful to occupy the time between a morning arrival and afternoon check-in at your hotel.

 The car is based in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles west of Philadelphia. The car can be brought to any Amtrak-served location in the US for your boarding, but the best value will be obtained by bringing your group either to Strasburg, in the heart of the Lancaster County Amish Country, or to Philadelphia to begin your trip.

 If you are a businessperson, and your company attends trade shows and conventions as an exhibitor, consider taking the car to these events. The car can serve as an attractive hospitality center during the show, and the travel segments can be used as incentive awards for your salespeople.

 **Prices do not include hotel accommodations at layover cities.