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Question. Will British Coilumbia's world famous Royal Hudson be back in service for the 2010 Olympics

Rail Tours 30yg.htm

Rail Excursion on South Africa's Rovos Rail

Rail Adventures
Introduction
Railway Contacts
Bargain Fares
Cruise & Rail


About the IRTS
All Aboard
Africa - Rails
Airport Rail
Alaska Railways
Alberta - Railways
American Spirit
Amtrak USA
Asian Railways
BC Rail -Dome
BC Railways Map
BC Whistler Nwd
Blue Train, SA
Box Car Willie
Canada's Via Rail
Canadian Pacific
CPR Rockies Map
Europe Railways
Fun Trains
Heritage Park Rwy
History of CPR
Kettle Valley Line
Railway Museums
Railways: In BC
Rocky Mountaineer
Rapid Transit
Rovos Rail . SA
Sierra Madre
Sky Train
Streetcars
USA-Rails
West Coast Express
White Pass & YR
Wine Trains

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Great Continental Rail Safaris and Rail Cruises
by Jerry W. Bird


Jerry W. BirdWe've been avid Rail Travel enthusiasts for decades, and our sights are set on South Africa for an opportunity to board the famous Blue Train and the elegant Rovos Rail, among others. We've been raring to go for months, having had a taste of the Cape Town area last spring and a private tour of Emperor Haile Sellasie's historic 'Lion of Judah" train with its matched set of rail coaches at the station in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Those occasions set the stage for next year's journey. In 1989 I introduced Railways of the World to the travel industry, despite a lukewarm response from several media colleagues at the time, including my boss. However, the concept proved to be a roaring success, and led to other avenues of opportunity in the world of travel, tourism and transportation. From example, I went on to write stories on rail travel for a variety of newspapers and magazines. Often my mailbox was jammed full of requests from individuals and couples, many of them active retirees with plenty of time on their hands.

Alaska Rail FotomationA new Magazine and book
With the publishing of " Rail Adventure." we take a giant step forward, having created a definitive rail travel guide featuring the best of 33 countries around the world. It's the second installment of a project we began in 1992 called, "Everything a Travel Agent must know to sell Rail Travel effectively."
It will be available in a combination of media - in print- on the video screen - on Adobe PDF talking books - and on our web sites. We've been gathering items for a long time, just itching for this opportunity. Be one of the first to order by e-mail airhwy@dowco.com or fax (604) 681-6595. Here are some sample topics .

Welcome aboard Alaska Railroad
( ... the last full-service railroad in the United States.) We owe our success of the past 77 years to the hard work and dedication of our employees and the loyalty of our customers. From tidewater at Whittier and Seward to the heart of Interior Alaska, our route covers more than 500 miles. Our summer service offers three daily routes. Continued. Above photo courtesy of Alaska Railroad.

Circle Rail Tour via Historic Kicking Horse and Crowsnest Pass
(... the 'trip of a lifetime,' through the blue Canadian Rockies.) While there will be a variety of rail tours leaving from Calgary, the most popular tour heads west through the Kicking Horse Pass, then swings south at Golden, following the Columbia River to the Cranbrook- Kimberly area in BC's East Kootenays. At the town of Elko, the train heads east via the Crowsnest Pass to Lethbridge. The final leg is a return north to Calgary via Vulcan and High River. Continued)

Franco-Ethiopian Railway and Haile Selassie's Historic Coaches
( ... given Aladdin's 3 wishes) I would restore Emperor Haile Sellasie's 'Lion of Judah' railway engine, hook it up to the prized set of French and British coaches, and operate luxury excursion tours on the Franco-Ethiopian Railway line. Built in the 1930s, the 482 mile route stretches from Addis Ababa, via Nazaret, the Rift Valley and Dire Dawa, to Djibouti, a French protectorate on the Gulf of Aden. Continued)

American Spirit Roars into the Old West
(... Montana's Big Sky Country beckons) Having driven much of the scenic route from Montana via Great Falls, Helena, Glacier National Park , Kalispell, Couer d'Alene, Idaho and Spokane, Washington to Seattle on the Pacific Coast, our editors were pleased to receive the material on this page about American's best daylight train journey. It's the American Spirit Rail tour, formerly known as the Montana Daylight. Passing through many parts of the country impossible to see any other way, its refurbished 1940 and '50 s rails cars, including 'dining car' add a touch of nostalgia and a class act. Tour highlights include mountain scenery in national parks, native sites, old West museums and much more. Continued.

Riding the Shoulders of Alaska's Sawtooth Range
(... My endless fascination with railways) and railroad memorabilia goes back to childhood days, when the White Pass & Yukon Railway of Gold Rush fame was linked via Skagway, Alaska, to a vast transportation system of BC-Alaska Coastal steamships and Yukon riverboats. Continued)

Canadian Cities and feds wrestle with rapid transit woes. What is your solution? While Ottawa stands aloof, Canadian cities are falling behind in providing the public transit services that are critical to growing the economy and sustaining prosperity, Pollution Probe and the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) said today.

Rail is the answer for rapid airport connections: I feel saddened each time we drive along the boulevard in Kerrisdale and see that former interurban rail corridor going to waste, when in my high school days (seems like yesterday), BC Electric's fleet of bright red trams whisked passengers from downtown Vancouver to Richmond's Steveston Village.

Via Rail Fleet Expands: Via Rail Canada has purchased 139 new passenger cars including coaches, sleeping cars and restaurant service cars. Originally built for a European consortium, the new equipment includes special features to maximize accessibility for passengers with restricted mobility. The first units will go into service in fall 2001.

Looking for Railway Memorabilia? Check out Railway World in Vancouver's Gastown, a few blocks from the historic Waterfront Station. They've got everything under the sun, from books and magazines, to models, posters, you name it. Contact Arthur Darlington at Railway World: 150 Water Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1B7, phone (604) 681-48211, or 604-929-7293. Division of Salopia Train Lore Ltd.

• More topics on our left hand column index, plus a whole
variety of new story titles to come.