Chugging along takes on a whole other meaning when guests are all aboard The Patron Tequila Express. Now co-owned by actor Dan Aykroyd and John-Paul DeJoria, founder of Paul Mitchell hair products and owner of Patron Spirits Co., the restored 1927 private railcar is stocked with a variety of Patron Tequilas and can accommodate 20 guests for day trips and sleeps six for overnight adventures. It was in Pittsburgh last month for a quick stopover on its way to both the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the Republican National

The only reason Pittsburgh was on the schedule is that it has one of the few train stations in the country that still has a place for private trains to turn around.

Known as Car 50, it was once part of the Gulf Mobil & Ohio Railroad (King of the Rebel Route because it traveled north and south). Isaac Tigrett, founder of the Hard Rock Cafe and the House of Blues, discovered the abandoned old train car and sunk $2 million into refurbishing it into a one-of-a-kind personal railcar. The crown jewel on this 85-foot car is the Observation Room, which was decorated with original wood carving from the Maharaja of Kashmir's palace in India. Handwoven textiles and tassels give the room an over-the-top exotic ambience.

There are also three private staterooms, a gourmet kitchen with a porter's cabin that sleeps two and an elegant dining room. The bathrooms are outfitted with imported pink marble from Italy. The best spot on the car for sipping a margarita and watching the world go by is the back platform off the observation lounge. Although the car is embellished with old-world elegance and charm, the conveniences of modern living were not sidetracked for grandeur. The car has been designed to cleverly conceal things such as a flat-screen TV, DVD and CD player and satellite radio. Among those who have rolled the rails like royalty in the car were Franklin D. Roosevelt, Huey P. Long and Clark Gable.

It is not available for lease, but the car is used for philanthropic purposes. Most recently the train was used as a prize in the Music in Motion Tour, a benefit for rebuilding New Orleans. For information, go to video.nbc5i.com/player/?id=103284.CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: