Skip to main content

Southwest Airlines Community

A Grand Hotel On Wheels

Anonymous
Not applicable
Listen up all of you train buffs (that includes fellow blogger Brian "Candy Corn" Lusk), I had the opportunity to stay at a wonderful hotel that is outfitted especially for you. The Crowne Plaza Hotel at Historic Union Station in Indianapolis, Indiana (IND) has 26 suites that are located within 13 real Pullman sleeper cars. These 1920 era Pullmans were actually brought into the hotel on existing tracks on what is the second floor of the hotel. Walls were built to incorporate the cars within the hotel, where they were cleaned, painted and refurbished to a quality that I feel would make George Mortimer Pullman proud. It's hard to believe that these majestic beauties had been abandoned and left to rust away. Each suite is impressively decorated with antique tables, sitting areas, specifically designed furnishings and, of course, Crowne Plaza's wonderful Sleep Advantage Beds. The hotel has 273 other guestrooms and suites, but the Pullmans are the star attraction, and since the hotel is situated within an active railroad station, you get the muffled rumble and subtle vibrations of real trains to "enhance the ambiance" of your stay. While walking beside the Pullmans, I even noticed that "train fragrance" of grease and oil which reminded me that these cars are the real deals and not replicas. It was a wonderful moment to take in the beauty of these awesome reminders of past times in our nation's transportation history.
7 Comments
blusk
Aviator C
David, You are right, besides being Nuts About Southwest, I am a certifiable train nut. Some of my most memorable sleeping car trips were a trip (in the day's before Amtrak) on the Santa Fe's Super Chief from Albuquerque to Los Angeles, and a marathon eight-night trip on VIA Rail Canada's Canadian and The Hudson Bay from Vancouver, BC to Churchill, Manitoba up on Hudson Bay. On the latter trip, for the last couple of hundred miles of the line into Churchill, there are no roads, just the railroad, which is built on permafrost. The train is literally a cocoon of civilization in the vast sub-arctic Canadian wilderness. Blog Boy
Dan_Morisseau
Explorer C
Sleeping in a Pullman car is fine and all that; but nodding off in the head end brakeman's seat with your feet propped up in the window on the lead unit of 4 or 5 unit SD-40 lashup westbound between Rawlins and Green River - now THAT'S a railfan's dream! 🙂
Leah4
Frequent Flyer B
I stayed in a somewhat similar place to that one in Chattanooga, & really enjoyed it! I can't remember the name & don't know if it's still there. It's been several years.
Micah1
Explorer A
Leah, I believe you were talking about the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Leah4
Frequent Flyer B
Yes, Micah. That must be it! 🙂
Doug4
Explorer C
Just Like SWA we have alot to offer here in Indy.. So come on and feel the LUV and visit. GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!
chuchoteur
Adventurer B
Hi Brian! in the "trains that have to be done in a lifetime" category, I think the new line in Tibet has got to be on the list... http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-07-20-china-tibet-train_x.htm now that is something! :o)