How Lucas is spending his summer vacation...

Posted by Brett Maverick Lambert from edtntnt13-port-225.dial.telus.net (209.162.160.225) on Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 11:26pm :

...that's right, boyos. Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola are spending their summer vacation on a train holiday all across Canada! Pretty cool, I say. It would be awesome if Lucas got inspiration from the sights he's seeing and says: "Hey! That would be a great place to shoot some of Indy 4 or Episode III in!" Ya never know. Anyways, I included the article for your reading pleasure.

P.S. - Why am I getting the mental image of a bunch of fans dressed in gear or as Darth Vadar camping out along Canada's railroad tracks in order to catch a glimpse of Mr. Lucas having poutine on the train... :P

“MOVIE MOGULS OPT FOR POSH TRAIN HOLIDAY”
Lucas, Coppola and familes to traverse Canada in luxury

___________________
Phinjo Gombu
The Canadian Press
Toronto
___________________

The Royal Canadian Pacific is billed as the definitive luxury travel getaway for those who love the finer things in life and don’t need to ask the sticker price.

It’s exactly what Hollywood directors Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), George Lucas (Star Wars) and their families had in mind when they chartered the luxury private train, with three heritage cars, for a horrendously expensive cross-Canada rail holiday.

It usually costs at least $483,000 just for the six-day trip through the Rockies using the three cars based in Calgary – added to that are the costs of bringing the train to Toronto and taking it back out to the Rockies.

The directors won’t be blazing a new luxury vacation trail, however. It’s a train ride that has lured the likes of Sir Winston Churchill, then-Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh and King George VI and the Queen.

The Coppola and Lucas parties discreetly boarded their private train Tuesday at Union Station in Toronto and left in a westerly direction at a leisurely 70 kilometres an hour for an undisclosed location after spending the night at the Royal York Hotel and dining at the downtown Bistro 990.

At the station, witnesses saw the group emerge from a private elevator to be welcomed by the staff of the three 25-metre-long heritage cars – the Killarney, Van Horne and Strathcona.

“The train carrying the Lucas and Coppola families left at 3 pm this afternoon,” Canadian Pacific Railway spokesman Paul Thurston confirmed.

He said the company’s heritage trains don’t normally come this far east because most people prefer to see western scenery.

“It’s quite luxurious,” Thurston said, adding later that for chartered trains such as this one there are no normal schedules.

A spokesman for Coppola would only say that according to the director: “Our families are vacationing together in beautiful Canada.”

Thurston said he had no idea where the holidaying group was headed. The CP rail track network would take them west through Northern Ontario and the Prairies, before offering different routes in Alberta, including a circuit through the Rockies. The westward track ends in Vancouver.

The cars normally carry about 23 people and have two to four bedrooms each, as well as lounges and a dining room. Based in Calgary, they are almost always used for exclusive excursions through the Rockies within Alberta for those willing to spend more than $7,000 per person for a six-day trip.

How much the Coppola and Lucas families were charged is anybody’s guess, and Jean LeSourd, manager of sales and marketing for the Royal Canadian Pacific, didn’t provide the answer.

“If you see our excursion costs, you can imagine what it may cost,” LeSourd said.

She said anybody wanting to charter an entire train on a regularly scheduled excursion through the Rockies would normally have to pay the per-person cost for all people that can be carried in a car.

At $7,000 per person for three cars and with 23 people in each car that would bring the final tab to at least $483,000 for chartering a six-day train ride with three cars within Alberta.

For that kind of money, passengers can, of course, only expect the very best.

“Our service at the Royal Canadian Pacific would be similar to the Orient Express and the Royal Scotsman as far as luxury rail service goes,” LeSourd said.

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Murder on the Alberta Express? - Fall Guy 1:01am 08/16/2002

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: ...that's right, boyos. Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola are spending their summer vacation on a train holiday all across Canada! Pretty cool, I say. It would be awesome if Lucas got inspiration from the sights he's seeing and says: "Hey! That would be a great place to shoot some of Indy 4 or Episode III in!" Ya never know. Anyways, I included the article for your reading pleasure. : P.S. - Why am I getting the mental image of a bunch of fans dressed in gear or as Darth Vadar camping out along Canada's railroad tracks in order to catch a glimpse of Mr. Lucas having poutine on the train... :P : “MOVIE MOGULS OPT FOR POSH TRAIN HOLIDAY” : Lucas, Coppola and familes to traverse Canada in luxury : ___________________ : Phinjo Gombu : The Canadian Press : Toronto : ___________________ : The Royal Canadian Pacific is billed as the definitive luxury travel getaway for those who love the finer things in life and don’t need to ask the sticker price. : It’s exactly what Hollywood directors Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), George Lucas (Star Wars) and their families had in mind when they chartered the luxury private train, with three heritage cars, for a horrendously expensive cross-Canada rail holiday. : It usually costs at least $483,000 just for the six-day trip through the Rockies using the three cars based in Calgary – added to that are the costs of bringing the train to Toronto and taking it back out to the Rockies. : The directors won’t be blazing a new luxury vacation trail, however. It’s a train ride that has lured the likes of Sir Winston Churchill, then-Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh and King George VI and the Queen. : The Coppola and Lucas parties discreetly boarded their private train Tuesday at Union Station in Toronto and left in a westerly direction at a leisurely 70 kilometres an hour for an undisclosed location after spending the night at the Royal York Hotel and dining at the downtown Bistro 990. : At the station, witnesses saw the group emerge from a private elevator to be welcomed by the staff of the three 25-metre-long heritage cars – the Killarney, Van Horne and Strathcona. : “The train carrying the Lucas and Coppola families left at 3 pm this afternoon,” Canadian Pacific Railway spokesman Paul Thurston confirmed. : He said the company’s heritage trains don’t normally come this far east because most people prefer to see western scenery. : “It’s quite luxurious,” Thurston said, adding later that for chartered trains such as this one there are no normal schedules. : A spokesman for Coppola would only say that according to the director: “Our families are vacationing together in beautiful Canada.” : Thurston said he had no idea where the holidaying group was headed. The CP rail track network would take them west through Northern Ontario and the Prairies, before offering different routes in Alberta, including a circuit through the Rockies. The westward track ends in Vancouver. : The cars normally carry about 23 people and have two to four bedrooms each, as well as lounges and a dining room. Based in Calgary, they are almost always used for exclusive excursions through the Rockies within Alberta for those willing to spend more than $7,000 per person for a six-day trip. : How much the Coppola and Lucas families were charged is anybody’s guess, and Jean LeSourd, manager of sales and marketing for the Royal Canadian Pacific, didn’t provide the answer. : “If you see our excursion costs, you can imagine what it may cost,” LeSourd said. : She said anybody wanting to charter an entire train on a regularly scheduled excursion through the Rockies would normally have to pay the per-person cost for all people that can be carried in a car. : At $7,000 per person for three cars and with 23 people in each car that would bring the final tab to at least $483,000 for chartering a six-day train ride with three cars within Alberta. : For that kind of money, passengers can, of course, only expect the very best. : “Our service at the Royal Canadian Pacific would be similar to the Orient Express and the Royal Scotsman as far as luxury rail service goes,” LeSourd said.

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