Escape Inspiration: Old-Time Sleeper Cars

We traveled the Eastern European sleeper car circuit quite heavily when we visited Europe and Russian years ago. The most adventurous journey? From St. Petersburg to Moscow. The sleeper car was replete with "luxuries" like frilly curtains (much like above), flowers, refreshments, and a nifty, Russian-language toiletry kit that we've held onto to this day...

That ride felt like a step way back in time. Yes, the quarters were tight, but there was a certain dignity in the small details that's missing in plastic fold-down AmTrak accommodations. We've yet to encounter such window treatments and flowers on a train again!

More decked-out sleeper compartments:
• 1 via Trans-Siberian Express
• 2 the sleeper car set design from the Chanel No. 5 film, via ifitshipitshere blogspot
• 3 A sleeper car between Warsaw and Moscow, via Bob Cromwell

What's the extent of your sleeper car train travels? Any small-space design tips gleaned from the experience?

Comments (8)

I've also kept that little bag of toiletries from the sleeping car on the Moscow-St.Petersburg train. I especially liked the roll-up slippers.

when i was a child living in northern Ontario, we would often make the trip to Toronto to visit my grandparents by overnight train.

my most vivid memories are of the scratchy, heavy wool blankets, blue lights for getting around the train cars in the dark and the dining car with heavy, starched linen table cloths and silver tableware.

you can still get service like that if you take The Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver and pay for "Silver & Blue" class. be prepared to pay!

Bring back the North by Northwest trains! My ride from LA to New Mex was horrible!

Train travel rules, and those old-fashioned trains are the best. Sadly, they're vanishing, even in Eastern Europe.

We didn't get the toiletries bag when we took the overnite train from St. Petersburg to Moscow Am so jealous! The train ride really was one of the highlights of our trip.

My wife and I took the Renfe overnight from Barcelona to Granada on our honeymoon. It was less frilly than the pic above, but still very comfortable. I can't think of another mode of transportation where you can snuggle up and watch the sunset over the passing landscape.

I took it when I was visiting Germany a few years back. There really is no reason to get rid of these. They are relatively fast, and gives the passengers the chance to visit the scenery.

Nicolette
http://www.furnitureanddesignideas.com/