Luxury train trips

If you're assuming, by the way, that a trip through rural Siberia on former Soviet rolling stock can't possibly be luxurious, in April 2007 Littler unveils the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, a new 21-carriage train built by a Russian company that will replace some of the older cars on his three-week Trans-Siberian and Silk Route tours.

But Orient-Express remains at the forefront of luxury train travel, operating no less than six luxury tourist trains on three continents. "Like the most high-end cruise ships, the secret is to offer something unique," explains Alistair Ballantine, U.S. Director of Sales and Marketing for Orient-Express.

Thus, while the Venice Simplon evokes all the old romance of the original Orient-Express, the company's Royal Scotsman service that operates out of Edinburgh offers passengers a rare insider's view of the Scottish gentry. A luxury coach travels alongside the train to take passengers to single-malt distilleries, salmon smokehouses, and grand Highland castles such as Glamis, childhood home of the late Queen Mother.

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And a journey on the O-E's Northern Belle through the north of England includes an evening on board the Royal Yacht Britannia, once the ocean-going home of the Royal Family.

Of course, even for the most luxurious trains, one limitation is space; unlike hotels or cruise ships, they have to fit the size of tracks. At 124 square feet, the Presidential Suite on Asia's Eastern & Oriental Express is enormous for a train, but it doesn't compare to the top deck cabins on, say, the Queen Mary 2. And while Tim Littler sees certain advances such as double-decker carriages, duplex cabins and even glass-roof domes in the future, it's unlikely we'll see golf driving ranges or swimming pools next to the dining car anytime soon.

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Yet, this too, is an inherent advantage. Due to their size and length, rooms and passenger numbers on luxury trains are limited, meaning they will remain exclusive. After all, virtually anyone can enjoy an ocean cruise these days; only the elite go by rail.