The Modern Sleeping Car.

Home railway sleeping cars are the envy of the world. These luxurious coaches are really comfortable bedrooms on wheels, assuring the traveller of a splendid night's rest, and all sorts of little luxuries from a hot and cold shower to a “nice cup of tea” on awakening. Third-class sleepers, introduced a few years ago, have proved an unqualified success, and by thus popularising night travel relief has been obtained on some of the more crowded day expresses. In Italy, an interesting experiment is being conducted by the State Railways, taking the form of the provision of patent hammock berths in certain of the night trains operating between Rome and the northern winter-sports resorts. Each compartment is equipped with four hammocks, providing, with the ordinary seats, sleeping quarters for six passengers. On the mainland of Europe, the majority of the sleeping cars are operated by those two well-known organisations, the International Sleeping Car Company, and the German Mitropa Company. Wherever one journeys in Europe to-day, one has striking evidence of the growing popularity of night travel. This is all to the good, alike from the viewpoint of the railways and the public.