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

A Few More Things Automobiles Have Lost Over Time Part II

TWO-TONE EXTERIORS

There was a time when the beauty of a car was one of its most prized attributes. Cars were sleek and stylish.  The early twentieth century was a highpoint for the automobile, and during that time auto makers made sure to compliment their innovative, elegant designs in stunning multi-colored beauty.  The 1950s, in particular, were the time of two- and sometimes tri-tone color schemes as the sleek and shapely bodylines of the designs provided fine boundaries for colors to meet and mash.

            The colors were vibrant and varied, and they were thrown together to create a great assortment of diverse color schemes. Bright colors were matched with black for dramatic flash.  Matching shades of a single hue made for class and elegance.  Most any color could be matched with white. One of the most striking combinations was the popular black-and-red color scheme that screams 1950s Americana. Another one of my favorites of the chrome-and-fins era was the gorgeous charcoal-and-coral scheme offered on 1955 Chevy’s.

            Cars don’t come from the factory with rich colors like that anymore—they haven’t the shape for it.  The majority of today’s cars are monochromatic and formless blobs, melting Jellybeans idly oozing their way down the road.  Older cars are finely sculpted pieces of kinetic art.  They are low, long and wide not for improved handling but for a graceful and gliding appearance as they move down the road.  And like a fine painting these pieces of rolling art exhibit a deliberate and stimulating use of color.

WRAPAROUND WINDSHIELDS

Wraparound or panoramic windows are another styling cue unique to the 1950s.  These windshields turned the corners of the cars with elegantly curved glass which was not only stylish but pushed the pillars to less visually restrictive positions. When paired with the thin front pillars of the day and the hardtops that had no center pillar, the wraparound windshield helped provide unobstructed visibility and a spacious open-air feel.  I especially like the inwardly angled shape achieved when a wraparound windshield was paired with a wraparound rear window like on the 1958 Chevy Impala. Another one of my favorite designs of the 1960s is the elegant sweptback styling Pontiac achieved by pairing a wraparound windshield with a beautifully curved ultra-thin rear pillar.

THIN AND DECORATIVE STEERING WHEELS

I don’t believe there has been a truly beautiful steering wheel since the standardization of the airbag. Airbags ruined the steering wheel with their rubbery bulkiness. Before airbags steering wheels had far greater potential for alluring design. They were thin yet over-sized.  They could be flashy chrome and color or they could be wood and brass. The use of a chrome horn-ring made for an elegant and popular circle-within-a-circle affect. There were also cars like 1960s Pontiacs and Chryslers that used translucent steering wheels that placed the Sun’s radiance in the hands of the driver. 

1918 Oldsmobile

1934 Packard

1934 Cadillac V-16 with banjo style spokes.

1950 Oldsmobile 88 with gull wing (slightly bent) top spokes.

Notice the wonderful combination of polished chrome and brushed steel.

1947 Buick Super 8

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado

1956 Mercury Montclair

Porsche with a lovely use of chrome and wood.