SPECIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY GETAWAY Washington D.C. By Private Varnish 6 Days: July 1 6, 2012 (round-trip from Chicago or St. Louis to Washington D.C.) This is a very enjoyable tour which is being brought back after several years absence. The tour is scheduled to maximize time for touring and sightseeing our Nation s Capitol during the annual celebration of its Independence from Great Britain. Passengers will receive a two day pass for a step on step off trolley with narrator that stops and picks up at most all major attractions including: Arlington Cemetery, Washington Monument, White House, Thomas Jefferson Memorial & Tidal Basin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, all the Veteran s Memorials, the Smithsonian Museums Land cruises. For your enjoyment, American Rail Excursions is offering nostalgic private rail car tours that include visits to numerous historical sites. You will ride the rails in the style of sports and movie stars of a bygone Golden Age. See the USA up close and personal. Let the rhythm of the rails lull you to sleep in your comfortable berth. The private cars we will use are vintage cars from the Chicago & Northwestern, the Louisville & Nashville and others. All have been restored/modernized without losing their art deco charm. Your private rail car is your hotel throughout each tour. You will avoid the hassle of checking into and out of hotels. The scheduled cars include the Royal Street 5 bedroom/round end observation lounge, the Silver Quail 11 double bedroom sleeper, the Pacific Union 6 double bedroom, 10 roomette sleeper, the NYC 448 48 seat diner. The actual cars used depend on level of tour sales. We got the Southern Comfort vista dome car!!! Meals are prepared fresh onboard by an accomplished chef and served by attentive stewards. Premium beverages and snacks are served by our stewards in the afternoons and evenings after dinner. Rail travel is the form of transportation where the ride competes with the destinations for enjoyment. While we are pulled by Amtrak locomotives, Amtrak passengers are not allowed in our cars. During the daytime, you will enjoy the scenery from our lounge(s) or your room. All bedrooms have a large picture window. During the morning your beds are stowed and the room reconfigured into daytime seating. You may not see Eva Marie Saint, Cary Grant or James Mason (North by Northwest, 1959) onboard but we ll have everything else. TRIP 12-H 6 Days: July 1 6, 2012 (8 days: June 30 - July 7 if boarding from St. Louis) Carrier: American Rail Excursions, Inc $2199/pp Double Occupancy in Double Bedroom $3599/pp Double Occupancy in Suite $2399 Single Occupancy in Roomette $3599 Single Occupancy in Double Bedroom $2666/pp Triple Occupancy in Deluxe Suite $9999 (for the room) 2 people in Dome Car Master Suite (lower level of dome car) (add $100/pp if boarding from St. Louis) Child discount available Deposit of $500 per person Final Payment Due: JUN. 4
Return to those days when rail travel was paramount. Travel with us in comfort and style as our historic privately owned railcars transport you on a wonderful journey from Chicago to Washington DC and back. Wrap-around windows in the dome car allow unbelievable sight lines and photographic opportunities. Soft lighting will perfectly complete the aura of a bygone time in rail elegance. Enjoy hors d oeuves as you spend time together with friends old and new found. For a travel experience you will never forget, step away from the crowd and back into railroad s Golden Age. Immerse yourself in the style of dining and opulence like the presidents of the railroads, once referred to as Rail Barons and Baronesses. Ahhhh, the dining car, with its four course dinner, all awaiting your taste buds and those accompanying you into this taste not only of delectable, delicious mind-teasing food, but pure, absolute elegance as well. Famous personalities of the first half of the Twentieth Century enjoyed traveling in style and comfort. Personalities such as Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and even past Presidents of the United States. And now, you! And yours... your friends, and family can enjoy this grand trip. Our first Private Varnish tour in 2011 sold out very quickly. Even if your only railroad experience is as a railroad president on a Monopoly game board, come and be Mr., Mrs., or Ms. President. Join us on this tour and add the title President of big trains to your resume!
Saturday, June 30, 2012 (note: B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner, R = reception) St. Louis boarding Passengers 2:30 pm: St. Louis boarding passengers should be ready to board private cars shortly after cars arrival at the St. Louis Amtrak Station, 430 South 15th Street, St. Louis, Missouri. Your onboard service director and contact is Roger Verbeeren, Jr. 3:00 pm: Depart St. Louis Private cars attached to #304. Passengers enjoy dinner as they travel to Chicago 8:40 pm Arrival in Chicago Chicago Union Station After some dwell time, our cars will be moved to the Amtrak yard at Canal St. and Roosevelt Bridge where we ll be parked for the night. Overnight on the private cars parked in Amtrak s Coach Yard. (D) Sunday, July 1, 2012: 7:30 9:30 am: Breakfast for St. Louis passengers while parked in Amtrak Coach Yard. You will have the day to explore the Windy City. We recommend the Architectural Tour by cruise boat. All Passengers Depart Chicago 5:40 pm: Chicago Union Station, 225 S. Canal St. Passengers to meet American Rail s onboard service director, Roger Verbeeren, Jr. at fountain under escalator and opposite Amtrak ticket booths. Passengers will be checked in and shortly escorted to their private rooms onboard our cars. Do not check luggage with Amtrak. Redcaps will take your luggage directly to our cars and our crew will place your bags in your room. 6:10 pm: Depart Chicago Union Station Private cars attached to #30, the Capitol Limited. 6:30 pm: Dinner enroute may require two seatings 8:34 pm: Depart South Bend, IN Home of Notre Dame University and the now defunct Studebaker Corp. 8:53 pm: Depart Elkhart, IN Known for manufacture of musical instruments and recreational vehicles. Overnight on the private cars enroute... 11:06 pm: Depart Toledo Known for glass making and a Jeep Assembly Plant. 11:56 pm: Depart Sandusky, OH. Home of the well-known amusement park, Cedar Point. (D) Monday, July 2, 2012: 1:08 am: Depart Cleveland, OH 4:50 am: Depart Pittsburg, PA. Once the steel capitol of the world now reborn as educational center and headquarters city for insurance companies and other businesses. The Pennsylvania Station, ca. 1903, D. H. Burnham, architect, is now a 242 unit apartment building. The ornate waiting room and rotunda have been preserved. Amtrak is in a new building behind the station. 6:29 am: Depart Connellsville, PA. Famous for Connellsville coke used in steel making 7:30 9:30 am: Breakfast enroute 9:01 am: Depart Cumberland, MD. Was once known as Washington Town as General Washington s military career both started and ended there. Home of Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 10:30 am: Depart Martinsburg, WV. In 1849 B&O built architecturally significant shops and roundhouse only to have them destroyed during the Civil War. Only the station survived. Most were rebuilt in 1866. In 1877, B&O workers went on strike, which became the largest railroad worker strike in history. 10:55 am: Depart Harper s Ferry, WV. In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a raid on a federal armory at Harper s Ferry. Seven men were killed and ten injured. John Brown and his men were captured by local farmers, militiamen, and US Marines led by Robert E. Lee, He was tried for treason, convicted and hanged. As early as 1836 a railroad bridge connected WV and MD. 11:00 am 12:30 pm: Lunch enroute 11:15 am: No Stop Point of Rocks In 1828 there began a bitter battle between the C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad over control of the narrow passage between the mountains. They finally reached agreement and the B&O Railroad built a wall between the canal and the railroad to prevent the trains from scaring the mules. 11:40 am: Depart Rockville, MD. As we approach Washington you will enjoy seeing the historic structures in use since Colonial Days. 12:40 pm: Scheduled Arrival Washington, DC Station, circa 1917, designed by D. H. Burnham. It is 633 feet long and 211 feet wide. The main waiting room is 220 feet long and 130 feet wide with a barrel-vaulted ceiling 93 feet high in the
center. Pierre Charles L Enfant, chosen by President Washington, laid out the Nation s Capital including the selection of the locations for both the White House and the Capitol Building. Washington was the only President that did not get to live in the White House. President Truman did not get to live in the White House for very long. A leg of his daughter s grand piano went through the floor. The Truman family moved to the Blair House while major repairs were made to the White House. You will have the rest of the day to sightsee, shop and dine in Washington, DC. Dinner is on your own today. Overnight on the private cars parked at Union Station. (B) Historic Sites that can be seen/visted on Tourmobile (step-on/step-off) trolley route: Arlington Cemetery Women in Military Memorial Kennedy Family Grave Sites Tomb of the Unknown Robert E. Lee Mansion Lincoln Memorial Vietnam Veterans Memorial Korean War Veterans Memorial WW II Memorial White House/White House Visitors Center Washington Monument Arts & Industries Building Air and Space Museum U.S. Botanic Gardens West Front of US Capitol National Postal Museum East Front of US Capitol Library of Congress Supreme Court National Gallery of Art National Museum of Natural History National Museum of American History Bureau of Engraving & Printing U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Thomas Jefferson* Memorial & Tidal Basin Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Ford s Theatre FBI Building U.S. Navy Memorial National Archives National Law Enforcement Memorial Tuesday, July 3, 2012:: 7:30 9:30 am: Breakfast onboard while parked. Sightsee Washington Included two day step on step off trolley that takes you to most all popular attractions. Lunch and dinner are on your own today while touring. Overnight on the private cars parked at Union Station (B) Wednesday, July 4, 2012: 7:30 9:30 am: Breakfast onboard while parked. Enjoy the Independence Day Parade. Continue sightseeing; there is so much to see and enjoy and you have a two day pass. Lunch and dinner are on your own today while touring. Evening Enjoy the Independence Day Fireworks. A favorite viewing location is atop the Amtrak Parking Garage. Overnight on the private cars parked at Union Station (B) Thursday, July 5, 2012: 7:30 9:30 am: Breakfast onboard while parked. Lunch is on your own today. 3:05 pm: Please be back onboard private cars. 4:05 pm: Depart Washington Private cars attached to #29 the Capitol Limited 6:30 pm: Dinner enroute May require two seatings Overnight on the private cars enroute (B,D) Friday, July 6, 2012: 7:00 8:30 am: Breakfast enroute 8:45 am: Arrive Chicago St. Louis passengers have rest of day to shop, explore and dine in Chicago St. Louis passengers overnight on the private cars parked in Amtrak Coach Yard. (B) Saturday, July 7, 2012: 7:00 am: Depart Chicago Private cars attached to #301 7:30 9:30 am: Light breakfast enroute 12:20 pm: Scheduled Arrival St. Louis
Room Descriptions Enclosed shower and changing room in each sleeping car. Passengers can use shower in another sleeper if their car s shower is in use. Double Bedrooms: Double bedrooms have space for two passengers. Each double bedroom features either one large couch or a small couch and lounge chair for comfortable private day travel. Every double bedroom has a large window. By night, each double room has two beds (1-upper and 1-lower). Every room is furnished with adjustable climate control, fan, reading lights, fold-down table, and garment closet and full-length door mirror. The annex (your private bathroom) has a fold-down sink; large lighted wall mirror, toilet and a 110-volt convenience outlet. Your linens, towels and soap are also provided. Best of all, your attendant will turn down your bed, arrange for a wake-up call and bring your morning tea, coffee, or juice right to your room. All sleeping cars are equipped with a hot shower. Roomettes: have space for one traveler. Roomettes feature a small couch, in-wall folddown sink, garment closet, large overhead luggage rack and a huge lighted wall mirror with an electrical outlet. By night, each room has one lower bed. For your added travel comfort, each room has an adjustable climate control, fan and reading/night lights. Roomettes 1-6 additionally have an in-room toilet. A general toilet is located down the hall for your use in Pacific Union. Your linens, towels, bath towels, soap and shampoo are also provided. A shower and changing room is located at the end of the car. Double Bedroom Single Occupancy: Round trip bedroom 1 person, 1 room, 1 lower bed at night, one private bathroom, 1 large sofa and an table or 1 short couch, 1 lounge chair and an table by day. Shower at the end of the hall. Deluxe Suite: A deluxe suite is a combination of two double bedrooms, en-suited. The deluxe suite affords discriminating travelers twice the room and comfort. If a couple, you would occupy only the lower beds. If a family, you have room for four travelers. Each suite has two bathrooms, one large couch, one small couch, a lounge chair, two tables and two windows for your viewing pleasure. The partition can be open or closed at night as occupant s desire.
20th Century Railroad Club Order Form P.O. Box 247 Arlington Heights, IL 60006 Phone: 312-829-4500 www.20thcentury.org Washington DC by Private Varnish Trip 12-H Jul. 1 Jul. 6, 2012 (optional from St. Louis 6/30 7/7) FULL names of ALL persons in your party (or, if you re rooming with another single, name him/her): Address City, State, Zip Phone (day) Email REQUIRED so we can contact you quickly with questions and/or itinerary changes (evening) Hotel Room Preference Non-Smoking Smoking ACCOMODATIONS PERSON(S) PER PERSON TOTAL 1 person in Roomette per person x $2,399.00 = 1 person in Double Room per person x $3,599.00 2 people in Double Room per person x $2,199.00 2 people in Suite per person x $3,599.00 3 people in suite per person x $2,666.00 2 people Dome Car Master Suite for the room $9,999.00 We can only get the dome car for our trip if we sell this Master Suite OPTIONAL PICKUP POINT Start/End trip from St. Louis, per person, add: x $100.00 = (child discount available, call us 312-829-4500) TOTAL = Required deposit of $500 per person x $500.00 = >>> Final Payment Due by JUN. 4 <<< PAYMENT METHOD: Check Money Order MasterCard VISA make check or money order payable to TCRC Account No. Expiration Date: Cardholder s signature MAIL ORDER TO: Trip 12-H 20th Century Railroad Club PO Box 247 Arlington Heights, IL 60006 We will mail trip information on JUN. 15 NOTICE: Your trip order is subject to the General Information, Terms and Conditions attached. For NOTE: An order form which is missing ANY required information will be For OFFICE returned to you without being processed, and you will lose your place in line. OFFICE USE USE ONLY ONLY
General Information, Terms and Conditions ORDERING: Please mail your orders to us, on the original form mailed to you, or the one you printed from the PDF file on our Web site. We cannot accept orders by phone or fax. Any order form which is missing any required information (the names of everyone in your party, your telephone number, etc.) will be returned to you for that information, without being processed, and you will forfeit your place in line. To avoid misunderstandings, requests for changes to any tour reservation must be made in writing, mailed to Trip Manager, PO Box 247, Arlington Heights IL 60006-0247. PRICES & DEPOSITS: All trips are priced per person as based on single, double or triple occupancy of one hotel room, if applicable. A tour price includes: all common carrier transportation, all admissions and meals as listed in the itinerary (CB=continental breakfast, B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner), hotel accommodations, luggage handling for one suitcase, services of a tour escort, and all taxes and tips for included features. Tour prices and/or departure dates are subject to change at any time. Fuel surcharges added by common carriers, taxes added by governments, or other fees not included at time of printing will be added to the final balance as they are imposed, unless final payment has already been received. All travel booked through 20th Century is priced at special group fares. No additional discounts of any kind are applicable, except for children ages 2 15, via Amtrak, details available on request. If you re looking for a roommate, write us a note, and we ll notify you if anyone else is looking. A deposit per person (amount specified on trip order form) is due with a completed reservation form, unless stated otherwise. Final payment is due upon the date specified on the trip order form. If you pay by MasterCard or VISA, you must enter all 16 digits of your account number, and the expiration date, and your signature. We may call you for the three-digit security code on the back of your card. We ll mail a receipt to you. Trip documents, including instructions, baggage tags, etc., will arrive by mail 10 to 12 days before departure. NOT INCLUDED IN TOUR PRICE: Items of a personal nature, meals and admissions not listed in the itinerary, and customary gratuities for the tour escort and motorcoach driver. Guidelines for gratuities are provided with tour tickets. HOME PICK-UP AND RETURN TRANSFERS (if listed in a tour itinerary) are included for one or two passengers at the same address in Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, or Lake County in Indiana. One double passenger at one address costs $35 additional. No refund or credit will be given for unused home transfers. ENTRY INTO CANADA or OUTSIDE of the UNITED STATES: A passport, or passport card, valid six months after tour return date, is required for all tour travelers going to/from Canada. For application information, call 877-487-2778, or visit www.travel.state.gov/passport. Give yourself enough time before departure! CREDITS: Signed, unexpired Amtrak Transportation Credit vouchers are acceptable as partial payment for any trip involving travel on Amtrak, up to the per person cost of the train-travel only. No change can be returned. TravlChecks issued to you by Mid-America Tours are acceptable only for trips labeled operated by Mid-America in this Catalog, at the rate of $5 per person, per travel day ( change will be returned to you). Note: Amtrak vouchers or TravlChecks issued by Mid-America Tours cannot be applied to your deposit payment; only to your final payment. What you need to know page 1 of 3
CANCELLATION POLICY: If you choose to cancel your trip reservation, you must notify 20th Century Railroad Club in writing either by mail (Trip Manager, PO Box 247, Arlington Heights, IL 60006-0247). or by email (trips@20thcentury.org). Your cancellation will be effective on the postmark date of your letter or the date of your email. REFUNDS: Each trip in this Trip Catalog has a final payment due date and on the trip order form. If you cancel before the due date, 20th Century will retain $25.00 per person and refund your remaining collected balance. If you cancel after the due date, there will be no refund. But, if you notify us in writing (see above) and there is a waitlist and 20th Century sells your space to someone else, we will retain $25 per person and refund your remaining collected balance. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip insurance, available on selected trips. Please call our office at 312-829-4500 for details. LUGGAGE: Each trip member is allowed one large suitcase (weighing no more than 50 pounds) and one small carry-on bag. Please attach the supplied baggage tag before departure. The 20 th Century Railroad Club does not assume any liability for loss of or damage to your luggage or any other personal property. SMOKING: Unless you specify otherwise on your order form, all hotel rooms are non-smoking. Smoking is not allowed on board any train, plane or motorcoach. SLEEPING CARS: Sleeping accommodations aboard Amtrak trains are an extra cost option, priced separately going and returning. All Amtrak rooms accommodate one or two persons (in upper and lower berths), and are priced the same either way. Meals in the diner are included in the cost of an Amtrak bedroom. DELUXE MOTORCOACH: Many of our trips include travel on a deluxe motorcoach, in addition to train(s) or plane(s). A deluxe motorcoach is a large, comfortable, restroom-equipped bus designed to transport travelers and their luggage over long distances it is not a city transit bus or a school bus. MOBILITY: All of our trips involve some degree of walking and stair-climbing. If your mobility is limited in any way, please consult us before you reserve space. CONDITIONS: The 20th Century Railroad Club reserves the right to decline to accept or to retain any person as a passenger on any of our trips. We reserve the right to alter a published itinerary if conditions beyond our control require such alterations. We also reserve the right to cancel a trip prior to departure, in which case your entire payment to us will be refunded without further obligation on our part. Most of the trips in this Catalog are arranged through professional tour operators which are in turn booking agents for various travel vendors. No liability shall be incurred by 20 th Century Railroad Club, its agents or tour operators because of because of personal injury or sickness, death, loss of or damage to property, delay, inconvenience or other irregularity experienced by trip members. What you need to know page 2 of 3
What You Need To Know about traveling with "The Century" WHAT WE ARE If you enjoy trains and travel, we have a lot to offer you! The 20th Century Railroad Club is an educational and historical organization (incorporated not-for-profit) dedicated to promoting the advantages and celebrating the history of travel by rail. WHAT WE DO Since 1971, the 20th Century Railroad Club has specialized in planning unique rail-oriented trips for its members, their guests and the public. Most of our trips include at least one ride on a train or trolley. In recent years, 20th Century has teamed up with tour providers for some of our trips, to offer superbly structured trips all around the U.S., with professional escorts and in many cases, free home pick-up and return. While some of our trips are loosely-structured to allow our passengers to choose exactly how and where they will spend their time at a destination, we provide plenty of information to help them decide. You should think of traveling with the Century as an adventure a unique experience that may not be entirely predictable, but is nearly always much more fun than you'd have on your own! -> -> -> WHO CAN GO? YOU CAN! Unless a trip is marked for Club members only, anyone may travel with us. Of course, our members receive advance notice of all our trips in our 12-page monthly newsletter, THE FAST MAIL, and are always first in line for the limited space available. If you re not yet a member, we invite you to sample our public trips and our members meetings before deciding to join our Club. TYPES OF TRIPS We offer five categories. First are One-Day Adventures by various modes. Second are Getaway trips: These are two to four-day trips via Amtrak and/or other carriers. They usually span weekends and are open to the public. Third are Vacations with the Century : These special five- to ten-day trips, which are open to the public, are the most elaborate we offer. While the ideas come from our Trip Committee, all travel and lodging arrangements are made by a professional tour operator with special expertise in group travel by rail and other carriers. These vacation packages are among the finest available to the train-oriented traveler, and are designed to offer the highest value for your travel dollar. Fourth are chartered trains, which are open to the public and usually travel to destinations not accessible by regularly scheduled service. Examples include our chartered Amtrak trains to Galena, the Illinois Railway Museum or the East Troy Trolley Museum in southeastern Wisconsin. Fifth, we offer trips available only to our members. In past years, we have offered one or two members-only trips. This year, all trips are available to all travelers. Other trips may not be listed in this Catalog, and instead will be advertised in our monthly newsletter for members, THE FAST MAIL, or posted to our website. WHY WE DO IT: There is still a special magic to traveling by train. It's a chance to travel in comfort and style; to slow down, settle back, watch the scenery and enjoy a journey the carefree, car-free way. As Agatha Christie wrote, Trains are wonderful To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers in fact, to see life. So, come on along for a ride on the railroad it s the most civilized form of land transportation! What you need to know page 3 of 3