WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA The Greenbrier, perhaps America’s most iconic luxury resort, is launching a signature train service to and from Washington, D.C., beginning next summer.
The Greenbrier Presidential Express will cost US$650 for a roundtrip ticket, which is a five-hour nonstop journey each way. The 15-car train will accommodate up to 240 passengers and will feature a boardroom car, a salon car and an open-air car.
“We want to bring The Greenbrier experience to Washington, D.C., and bring back the glamour of rail travel,” says Jim Justice, chairman and owner of The Greenbrier. “Everything from the décor to the food will make you feel as if you are already at the resort.”
Renowned decorator and the resort’s curator, Carleton Varney, president of Dorothy Draper & Co., with his associate Brinsley Matthews have taken The Greenbrier’s signature décor and applied it to the train’s interiors and exterior. The cars, originally built in the 1950s, served as the long distance trains for the Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads; they are currently being refurbished.
This project is being designed, built and operated by a new West Virginia company, The Greenbrier Express Co. Inc., cofounded by Justice, Paul Nichini and Ross Rowland.
Now….let’s see if we can find out about what they’ll be using on their tabletops?
