The Great Romantic Train Era

Part of having an interest in past styles, customs and cultures is that I’ve missed enjoying these things in their own time.  Unfortunately I have missed the great romantic train era of the early twentieth century. My modern day experiences have limited me to minutes-long metro link and subway trips—hardly the height of glamorous train travel.

There once was a time when the railways were the major and preferred mode of cross-country travel (international travel in Europe).  It seems to have been the happy medium of commuting.  It was faster, smoother and more comfortable over great distances than automobiles, yet unlike flight it did not distance you from the passing points of interest and scenic landscapes.  You could still sightsee as you cross-country as you were swiftly slipping through the country rather than leap-frogging it.  It was cross-country traveling at its most luxurious.  It was dining cars and sky cabins. It was sleeper births and lounge cars.

Union Pacific Streamliner

I also like ingenuity of the old time technology and engineering that engulfs the railway systems.  The finest passenger trains were powered by steam locomotives that were monuments to size, strength and power decked out in lustrous Art-Deco, aerodynamic styles of the day. The bridges, tunnels and train stations were all wondrous feats of architecture and engineering injected into the everyday lives of generations of commuters.  The bridges ranged from elegant to stout. The stations ranged from simple ticket booth and overhang to giant and elaborate caverns with magnificent interiors. 

The track itself made its way through the landscape in graceful, sweeping curves.  The train can be a wonderful compliment to beautiful scenery it traverses.  I think a train and track is the perfect accent to alpine pass.

20th Century Limited of the New York Central Railroad

Penn Station, NewYork

Redlands, Calif. Santa Fe train station