Financial barons and wealthy socialites once traveled the country on luxurious private railroad cars, dining on fine china and crystal and pampered by stewards. Today's travelers can recapture that romantic era with journeys on some of the same cars.

A small number of train devotees have purchased and refurbished the private rail cars familiar in the first half of the 20th century — the golden age of passenger rail travel.

Passengers can sip cocktails and nibble on hors d'oeuvres while sinking into deep leather sofas in lounges paneled in rich mahogany and be lulled to sleep at night by the rhythm of train wheels rolling down the rails.

"I wasn't a train buff, but I am now," said Donna Cothron, who took a trip with her husband on the Cincinnati-based Oliver Hazard Perry sleeper-lounge. "I could travel like this forever. It's so relaxing."

360-DEGREE DOME VIEW

The Cothrons' car was part of a train that went to Chicago for shopping and sightseeing, then through picturesque Michigan towns such as Petoskey on the banks of Lake Michigan and Boyne Falls, where the train pulled into a Polish Festival.

While the Cothrons' car was chartered for their use only, the private-car train also included the Vista Dome sleeper-lounge topped with a glass dome providing a 360-degree view and the Birch Grove sleeper that accommodates 22 people.

The private single cars and multicar trains normally travel Amtrak routes, hooked on to the back of Amtrak passenger trains as they wind through the Sierra Mountains or the Great Plains or into bustling metropolitan areas such as Chicago, New York and Washington.

Sometimes they go off Amtrak lines, hiring a freight engine to pull the cars along short-line railroads that are less traveled and offer a more leisurely pace and the opportunity to stop in small towns.

CELEBRATE VIA RAILCAR

The Cothrons leased a car with three bedrooms, two showers, kitchen, dining room and lounge solely for themselves and were served by a chef-concierge.

"It's like riding in a million-dollar motor home on rails," said Edwin Cothron, a real estate developer, as he relaxed in the car with a glass of wine as the 1940s song "Long Ago and Far Away" played softly in the background.

There are 130 to 140 private rail cars for charter certified for Amtrak routes in nearly every section of the country, and some for Canada and Mexico, according to Diane Elliott, executive director of the American Association of Private Railroad Car.

Businesses, organizations, families and groups of friends lease the cars for reunions, celebrate birthdays or anniversaries and attend sports events like the Kentucky Derby or the Super Bowl.

Interior design varies from the brass trim and wood paneling of luxurious business cars to the high-gloss enamel and stainless steel of the Art Deco style popular in the 1940s and 1950s.

NOSTALGIA IN COMFORT

Brian Collins, owner and president of the Cincinnati Railway Co., says most of the 50 or so owners around the country who provide charter service charge by the car. He also makes trips available per individual. A four-day trip to Washington might cost $1,000 per person, including the accommodations on the train, food and drinks. Off the train, passengers pay for their own meals and activities.

"The cost can be comparable to a high-end ocean cruise," Collins said.

Rail fan Ted Hutton, 59, of Cincinnati, said he paid $200 a day for the recent eight-day trip from Cincinnati to Michigan.

"Part of the appeal to me is the nostalgia, but it's also more comfortable and convenient than Amtrak," Hutton said. "I can park my car, get on and off when I want and have all the amenities."

FLEET OF SLEEPERS

Collins, who took his first private rail car trip in 1996, eventually bought the Birch Grove, a 1950 sleeper car that served on the Southern Pacific's "Sunset Limited" between Los Angeles and New Orleans.

"I decided that if I bought a sleeper, I could partner with owners of lounge and dining cars for trips," said Collins, who handles the complex scheduling involved in switching back and forth between railways and arranging destinations.

His sleeper car has 10 private one-bedroom roomettes with pull-down sinks, beds and six double bedrooms. Each sleeping room has a sink and toilet, and there is a shower onboard.