Golden Arrow (train) Golden Arrow (train) The ' () was a luxury boat train of the Southern Railway and later British Railways. It linked London with Dover, where passengers took the ferry to Calais to join the ' of the Chemin de Fer du Nord and later SNCF which took them on to Paris. The "Flèche d’Or" was introduced in 1926 as an all-first-class Pullman service between Paris and Calais. On 15 May 1929, the Southern Railway introduced the equivalent between London Victoria and Dover while simultaneously launching a new first class only ship, the , for the ferry crossing.The train usually consisted
Luxury train travels. Unlike airplanes, luxury trains are spacious and have restaurants and bars, comfortable sleeping and seating areas and bathrooms. Before sleeping and dining cars, long-distance train travel was an uncomfortable experience. George Pullman's first sleeping car, the Pioneer, was introduced in 1865; it was followed two years later by "hotel cars". The Pioneer was the first railway carriage with dining and sleeping areas, and the Pullman Car Company was founded in 1880. Georges Nagelmackers founded the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, creator of the Orient Express. Inspired by Pullman trains in the United States, Nagelmackers returned to Europe and built a