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| Passion Investments: Trains |
Iron Horsemanship
Debra Ryono
01/01/2005
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Patrick Henry confers with George Lewis, his private railcar’s on-board chef, who has just returned from cooking for George and Barbara Bush. The two deliberate over the menu in the car’s small, but thoroughly modern, kitchen. Henry is wrapping up a trip down the California coast in which he wooed clients, stopping to entertain prospects in San Francisco before heading south for a series of other encounters.
 | | PATRICK HENRY'S car has a formal dining room that doubles as a conference room. |
His business complete, Henry has parked his two railcars—a dome car and a sleeper—at Union Station in Los Angeles, awaiting family members to join him on the scenic hop to San Diego before he heads back home to Houston. He wants the menu to be just right for this particular excursion.
Private railcars, often called private varnish because of the opulent, highly polished interiors many of them boasted in their heyday a century ago, are relatively rare in the United States. Collectors estimate that there may be as few as 150 still in service. But, while some may see them as atavistic logistical and financial burdens, these land yachts attract their share of enthusiasts.
Henry, who founded a food and beverage promotion company, is the son of a railroad worker, and he spent summers during his youth riding the tracks with his father. In his early days as an entrepreneur, he courted prospective customers by taking them on short trips in chartered private cars. The novelty of these outings resulted in a stunning increase in his business, he says. (On his swing through California, Henry stopped in San Francisco to bring aboard representatives of a Napa Valley winery. “After one hour, we sold them,” he exults.)
In January 2004, he finally decided to invest in his own cars—a dome, dubbed the Warren R. Henry in honor of his father, and a sleeper, the Evelyn Henry, named for his mother. He and his fiancée, Rhonda Coolures, spent three months refurbishing them. They now use them for both personal and business occasions. | | MEALS USUALLY are served in the dome where views can be spectacular. |
At Home on the Rails
Private varnish cars lack little in the way of accoutrements. Guests enter Henry’s three-level dome car from the rear platform and walk into a mahogany-lined living room sporting satellite TV, Internet access and a wet bar. A dining room on the lower level is furnished with china and crystal for formal dinners for 10; it easily converts to a conference room. The kitchen is located a step up from the dining room, at the front of the car. The glass dome dominates the top floor. Swivel chairs enable guests to gaze at the passing scenery without craning their necks. Henry and his companions usually dine at the three small tables beneath the dome, eschewing the high style of the formal dining room in order to enjoy the panoramic views.
The sleeper car, with room for 12, boasts a master bedroom and six small rooms that convert into three suites. The crew generally consists of two: the chef and a steward, whom a traveler can summon from the dome or the bedrooms with the press of a button. The luxuries of private rail travel are quite clear to train enthusiasts. “What’s not to like?” asks Stan Garner, who once owned a small rail line between the Southern California communities of Santa Paula and Fillmore. He now owns cars for personal use, as well as for renting to the film industry. “It’s a very relaxing environment. You’re not going through metal detectors. You get a little bit of peace and quiet.”
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