CALGARY — For two Hollywood directors, this summer’s biggest blockbuster is the Canadian countryside, the Calgary Sun reported.
The Godfather’s Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, the man behind the Star Wars movies, are holidaying aboard the luxurious railcars of the Royal Canadian Pacific as it makes its way from Toronto to the Rockies.
The directors and their families have chartered three of the Canadian Pacific Railway luxury fleet’s eight cars and left Tuesday from Toronto behind a 1950s-era locomotive.
CP Rail spokesman Paul Thurston said this is the first time the cars have started their railway journey from Toronto — a normal trip begins in Calgary through the Rocky Mountains.
“It’s quite plainly for a well-heeled clientele, these things aren’t inexpensive,” said Thurston.
The fleet’s rail cars, which date between 1916 and 1930, are refurbished with 80% original materials, including Russian walnut panelling with ebony inlay.
“It very much rivals the Orient Express and the Royal Scotsman,” said Thurston, comparing the Royal Canadian Pacific to the famous European and English luxury trains.
The train normally sets out from Calgary’s Fairmont Palliser hotel on a six-day mountain excursion, with two nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff.
But, Thurston said the exact route and any stops are all up to the clients on a chartered trip — and details are top-secret.
The cars have a minimum of two bedrooms and a maximum of four, but Thurston said rumours 23 people were on board and the trip cost $483,000 were grossly out of proportion.
The train’s website at www.cprheritage.com lists the price of the normal six-day excursion at $6,989 per person for double occupancy and touts it as a way to “travel more than 100 years in the space of a few days.”
World-class chefs prepare, “whatever you like … they do it all well,” said
Thurston.
At the historic Banff Springs, the world-class cooking and luxury would continue, said spokeswoman Barbara Heimlich.
While officials couldn’t discuss when the visitors would arrive, Cameron Spence with the Banff/Lake Louise Tourism Bureau said they were expected to stay for the next couple days.