All aboard for Nostalgia: American Orient Express, the premier private train, pampers passengers on an autumn journey in New England and French Canada

FALL IS THE PERFECT TIME TO take a train ride through new England to enjoy the vivid colors of the changing foliage. Traveling by train evokes the romance of the early 20th century, when railroads reigned as the chief means of transportation for people and goods. And those of us who are mystery buffs fondly recall Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and his sleuthing on the elegant Orient Express.

My husband loves trains and finally realized one of his dreams--to travel on the American Orient Express in the style and comfort of the golden age of rail-roading. I thought this was a "guy thing" until I met some of my fellow passengers on this beautifully refurbished train and found avid rail fans among many of the women, too.

The American Orient Express has undergone several resurrections and seems to have found its niche in the travel industry. CEO Henry Hillman Jr. says the idea of the AOE came to him while he was aboard a cruise ship sailing to Normandy. Impressed with the ambiance and ease of travel, he started thinking he would love to see the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, and other great places in the U.S. in the same style as ocean cruising. This lead to his acquisition and operation of the train in late 1997, since then, the company has expanded its offerings to nine itineraries. All itineraries involve many stops and tours along the way. Most overnights are onboard the tram, although some tours include hotel stays where the train cannot go to such as into some of the national parks). Like a cruise ship, the train is your traveling hotel, and returning to your compartment is, for a short time, like coming home.

We began our one-week journey in Montreal, arriving at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel the day before our train trip started. The hotel's convenient location downtown Montreal made our exploration easy; we later discovered the hotel was connected to underground Montreal, with its shops and subway trains. That first evening, we joined the other AOE passengers at the hotel for an introductory dinner and met the train's management staff.

The following morning, luggage was collected from our rooms as we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel. Then we went on a tour of Montreal while our luggage was delivered to our compartments on the train.

Our city guide, Anick, was very knowledgeable and dramatic. She gave us the history of Montreal and made sure that we did not miss any of the top sights. Many of us were surprised to learn that Montreal is a city on its own island. We toured Notre Dame Basilica, where young women must try to reserve the rear chapel for their weddings three years in advance. We took photos of Saint Joseph's Observatoire, drove up Mount Royal, and saw the site of the 1976 Olympics and old Montreal Expos baseball stadium. Lunch was at the venerated Auberge St-Gabriel, a restaurant that was originally built as a two-story house that became the first North American inn (or auberge, as the French say).

In mid-afternoon we boarded the American Orient Express. Ours was the blue train; the company also operates a red train. Our porter, Marvin, came to our compartment to introduce himself and familiarize us with the features of the space and with safety instructions. Helpful and eager to please, Marvin made our journey comfortable and easy. He provided morning coffee and wake-up calls as well as providing necessities and converting our compartment from sitting area to sleeper.

Our deluxe compartment in the Denver Car had a shower, toilet, and sink. There were two very small (four-inch-wide) hanging clothes areas (I can't call them closets) and adequate storage facilities for our clothes and toiletries. We had a long seat that ran the width of the compartment and a built-in table with a seat on the other side. Each evening, Marvin converted the sitting area into two beds (in an "L" shape) and left a program sheet with the next day's schedule.

Different train cars offered compartments of different sizes and configurations. The smaller compartments (Vintage Pullmans and Single Sleepers) had their own sinks and toilets and, at end of each of these cars, there were showers. Passengers were urged to reserve their shower times each day with the car porter. Other cars held the Presidential Suites, which contained slightly more space to stand, two sinks, a toilet, and a shower.

After we unpacked, we went to the Seattle Club Car to enjoy cocktails and the talents of piano player Bonnie Hackett. Cozy and inviting, the club car contained a baby grand piano, a game table, book shelves with books and games, casual seating, and a well-stocked bar. The dazzling feature of this beautifully refurbished car is its indigo ceiling strewn with 23-karat gold stars, evocative of twilight skies.

At meal time. passengers could choose the Chicago or Zurich Dining Car. We could opt to dine with other passengers (tables were large enough to serve four) or dine at tables for two. Both cars are decorated in style reminiscent of the fine dining cars of 50 years ago. Tables are arrayed with white linen, signature blue and cream china, gleaming crystal, polished silver, and fleshly cut flowers.