(The following article by Gary A. Warner was posted on the Orange County Register website on September 11.)
Published September 11, 2005
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — My 10 favorite train trips, in no particular order:
Bergensbanen: The Norwegian train is the highest main line rail route between two cities in Europe. Great scenic spur line from Myrdal to Flam.
Indian-Pacific: This epic 2 1/2-day Australian rail ride from Sydney on the Pacific Ocean to Perth on the Indian Ocean covers 2,704 miles. It includes a 297-mile section across the Nullarbor Plain that is the world’s longest straight track. Favorite stops: Broken Hill, Adelaide and Kalgoorlie.
Vienna-Venice: The train across the Alps is also a journey from Germanic northern Europe to the Italian Mediterranean. Best to take the train in late spring when the wildflowers are in bloom.
Eurostar: The express train roars from London to Paris in less than three hours, including a half-hour in the tunnel beneath the English Channel.
Nozomi 500: The fastest scheduled train streaks from Kyoto to Fukuoka with an average speed of 162 m.p.h. The journey goes from Japan’s most tradition-bound city to its most cosmopolitan.
Pacific Starlight: Great scenery makes up for sometimes-mediocre service on Amtrak’s run from Los Angeles to Seattle. Consider this a land cruise, as you’re unlikely to arrive on time. Break up the trip with an overnight in Santa Barbara, San Francisco or Mt. Shasta (Calif.) or Portland, Ore.
Southwest Chief: The successor to the classic Santa Fe train roughly parallels old Route 66 from L.A. to Chicago. Stop off in Flagstaff, Ariz.; Albuquerque or Kansas City, Mo.
Sunset Limited: The last remaining American coast-to-coast train covers 2,764 miles from Los Angeles to Orlando. Stop off in Tucson, Ariz.; San Antonio or–when it’s rebuilt–New Orleans.
Rovos Rail: The retro competitor to South Africa’s famous modern Blue Train. These luxurious coaches make excursions around southern Africa, including Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border and Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.
Trans-Siberian: I haven’t taken the official Russian train, just a tourist excursion version from Beijing to Moscow. The epic weeklong crossing of northern Asia is an amazing journey whichever way you go.
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Gary Warner has been travel editor at the Orange County (Calif.) Register for the last decade.