What's Inside America's Most Luxurious Train Cars

For a small group of enthusiasts private, immaculately restored cars are the best way to ride the rails.

For most Americans, train travel is about finding an empty seat in a crowded car. But for a unique subset of train enthusiasts, riding the rails means hitching a ride in a beautifully restored private rail car—and enjoying all the comforts of a luxurious home as the country passes by.

In honor of National Train Day—being held at stations across the country Saturday—WIRED spoke with some of those private rail car owners and enthusiasts, many of whom will be bringing their personal rides for display in Miami, Tampa, and Washington, D.C. Their hobby may be unusual, but it's helping to preserve the country's rail history.

"People forget that that's what built this country," said Borden Black, the executive director of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners who saw more than 10,000 people walk through her own car during a previous National Train Day in Chicago. "It's great to watch the kids who have never seen anything like the insides of these rail cars."

Click through the gallery above to get a taste of what it's like to travel by train in style.