A grand train awaits a buyer in American Canyon

By KERANA TODOROV
Register Staff Writer

A train with a grand history has found a temporary home in American Canyon, near a hub that once served passengers from Calistoga to Canada.

The GrandLuxe Express will remain in American Canyon while it is on the market. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys LLC of Evergreen, Colo. folded in August after running the luxury passenger train for three years.

Bob Hicks, the trainmaster, used to travel on the train during its journeys in the United States, Canada and Mexico. A retired train engineer with CSX Transportation, Hicks loves trains. The GrandLuxe Express, once known as the American Orient Express, is no exception.

“When it’s running, it’s a beautiful train,” said Hicks, as he walked toward the 20 midnight-blue vintage cars where passengers could relax as they watched the world go by.

The train took travelers on scenic trips to places including the Grand Canyon, the Pacific Coast, antebellum mansions of the Deep South, and yes, wineries of the Napa Valley.

“It’s like a beached whale sitting here,” said Hicks, 61, as he walked past more humble freight cars at the fenced-off rail yard.

The entire train is for sale: the locomotive as well as 12 sleeper cars, three dining cars, observation and lounge cars dating from the 1940s to the 1960s.

The GrandLuxe’s trips came to a halt in late August, when GrandLuxe Rail Journeys ceased operations.

“(The company) ran into cash flow difficulties and was unable to continue,” said Thomas Kim, a consultant for GrandLuxe Rail Journeys.

The train arrived in American Canyon in October, where the weather is favorable, according to Kim. The company, which employed about 100 people, wants to sell the entire train to the best bidder, he said. New York investment bankers are coordinating the sale, he said.

“There is an active process going on right now,” Kim said, though he declined discuss the number of bids he has received.

The baby grand

As Hicks walked along the corridors on the train, he pointed to the bar where passengers relaxed while they nibbled on hors d’oeuvres, listened to the baby grand piano or lounged on the observation decks. Up to 145 passengers could eat, sleep and dine on board.

Everything was first class, Hicks said proudly, including the buses chartered to transport the passengers to visit the sights along the way.

Fares for a week-long trip from Denver to the Bay Area ranged from $4,300 to $7,100 per person.

Among those who have seen the train is American Canyon resident Lavern Wilson.

“I’ve never been on a train that beautiful,” said Wilson. “I’m sure somebody will buy it.”

Neil Thompson, a Madera-based developer with interests in American Canyon, noticed the train when it first arrived a few weeks ago. A self-described train buff, Thompson said he’s been receiving the American Orient Express and GrandLuxe Express tour brochures for years.

“Rats!,” said Thompson, when told the train is dormant.

When he first saw the train, he wondered if it was parked there while passengers explored the Napa Valley. But when the train remained week after week, Thompson figured something was up.

Christopher Kyte is chairman of Uncommon Journeys, an Oakland-based travel company that sells train tours of the United States and Canada. He said that train travel is appealing to many, and is more relaxing than other modes of transportation.

“Who wants to take a bus anywhere for a long time?” he said.

But the longer the trip, the less likely people are willing to travel by train, Kyte acknowledged. Very few people will find the idea of taking four days to travel from the Bay Area to Atlanta appealing, he said.

Kyte also said the market of possible buyers for the GrandLuxe is limited.

While the effort to sell the train continues, Hicks keeps an eye on the GrandLuxe.

He said he heads to town when he wants a break from his menu of microwaved pasta. He has stayed on the train but now checks into local hotels for a warm shower and a good night’s sleep.

The train’s metal creaks at night when the temperatures cools down. It’s quite scary, he said.

Yet Hicks is not complaining about his stay, which could stretch a few more weeks. “Being in Napa is quite a deal,” he said.

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