Vintage photos show how glamorous train travel used to be

Talia LakritzAug 1, 2024, 04:05 IST

Diners in the restaurant car on a GWR (Great Western Railway) oil-fired locomotive in 1946.Harrison/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Vintage photos from decades ago show how traveling by train used to be a lot fancier.
First-class cabins were furnished like living rooms and included radio gramophones.

Traveling by train was pretty swanky in the early to mid-1900s, and it hasn't gone out of style.

Today, Japan's bullet trains can make the trip from Tokyo to Osaka in just 2 1/2 hours, and in the US, Amtrak is working on high-speed trains of its own.

Still, the lavish furnishings and fine dining of the past hold a special place in the railroad's rich history. These vintage photos show how glamorous train travel used to be.

People used to dress up for train travel.

Train passengers in London.Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Passengers wore fascinators and white gloves — no sweats or hoodies here.

A train car at Charing Cross Station in London.E. Dean/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Traveling was an event.

Charing Cross Station.E. Dean/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Railway carriages were spacious and well-lit.

The interior of a train carriage.Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images

First-class cars in particular were tastefully decorated.

Cleaners at work in a luxury train car.Fox Photos/Getty Images

Furnished like living rooms, they came complete with armchairs, drapes, and carpeting.

A first-class train car lounge.Edward G Malindine/Getty Images

A first-class Japanese Railway Department observation car in 1920 utilized elements of Japanese art.

A Japanese Railway Department observation car.Fox Photos/Getty Images

Celebrities like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger enjoyed the comforts of first-class cars.

Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger in a first-class train car.Victor Blackman/Express/Getty Images

Second class wasn't quite as glamorous, but it still ensured a cushy ride.

A Hikari Train in Japan.Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Restaurant cars hosted guests with elegant table settings.

A British Railways restaurant car.Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Passengers dined on fine china.

A first-class dining saloon.Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Some trains offered food buffet-style.

A buffet car.J. A. Hampton/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Others employed dapper servers to pour drinks.

A Great Western Railway restaurant car.Harrison /Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

In cars equipped with radio gramophones, passengers could enjoy music and radio programs.

A LNER train carriage.Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images

Playing cards was also a popular pastime.

Train passengers played cards.Fox Photos/Getty Images

As was reading the newspaper.

A Canadian Pacific Railway train.Fox Photos/Getty Images

Sleeper cars featured upholstered beds with plenty of room to spread out.

A sleeper car.Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

Sleeper-car attendants would bring passengers morning cups of tea on trays.

An LMS sleeper car.Fox Photos/Getty Images

Back then, traveling still involved the same crowded rush as it does now.

Paddington Station.E. Bacon/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

There was also a special thrill to riding the railroad that's hard to come by these days.

An LNER train at King's Cross Station.J. A. Hampton/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

I've spent 160 hours traveling by train. It's the best mode of transportation for 4 simple reasons.

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