Vintage photos show how glamorous the old days of train travel used to be, 1900s-1940s

In the early 1900s, leisure travel in general was experienced by some in particular by the wealthy and elite population.

From the mid to late twentieth century, trains were a popular mode of frequent commuting. Through these old photographs, we can see what rail travel looked like in the olden days, with lavish furnishings and fine food that holds a special place in the rich history of the railroad.

The 1920s and 1930s were a sort of golden age for rail travel in America and Europe, a period when railroads were characterized by modern amenities that took travelers to romantic getaways in luxury and comfort.

It was also a decade of prosperity and economic growth, and for the first time middle-class families could afford one of the most important travel luxuries: a car.

The automobile reduced the demand for short-haul rail service as people could easily drive from one city to another, but the rough surface of most roads and the precariousness of amenities such as gas stations and restaurants along the way led to long-distance travel. Made train travel more convenient and preferred. method of transportation.

To make long distance rail travel comfortable, an increasing number of porters and staff were needed to cater to the every wish of the passengers.

During the same decades, American railroads such as the New York Central launched new advertising campaigns to counter the growing threat from the automobile.

Posters, calendars and magazine ads presented images that romanticized train travel, their destinations, and the sleek, newly streamlined engines that move passengers.

New York Central hired industrial designer Henry Dreyfus, who redesigned not only its locomotives and passenger cars, but almost everything that travelers might encounter, from tableware to matchbox books.

Train travel took another giant leap in 1930, when it debuted as the first passenger cars fully equipped with air conditioning.

The B&O Railroad introduced the first passenger train with AC on April 28, 1930, when the Martha Washington Model Dining Car was unveiled in Baltimore. It was such a sensation that the Baltimore Sun turned train travel into a "resort on wheels".

With the 1930s on, train companies found themselves forced to push the envelope, even more so, when it came to the amenities offered on their routes.

That meant major upgrades in areas like dining cars, which were the social hub for all train rides, and none did dining cars better than the B&O Railroad Company.

The Royal Blue Line was the principal train for the B&O and served New York City and Washington, D.C. Best known for its dining cars for its route between

Railroads played a major role in the development of the United States from the Industrial Revolution in the Northeast (1810–1850) to the settlement of the West (1850–1890).

The American railroad frenzy began in 1827 with the establishment of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the first passenger and freight line in the nation, and the "laying of the first stone" ceremony and the beginning of its lengthy construction heading west over barriers to the west. The Appalachian Mountains Eastern Range the following year, 1828.

It flourished with continuous railway construction projects for the next 45 years, until the Financial Panic of 1873 followed by a major economic downturn that bankrupted many companies and temporarily stalled and ceased development.

Although the Antebellum South began early to build railways, it focused on short lines connecting cotton fields to sea or river ports, and the absence of an interconnected network was a major obstacle during the Civil War (1861–1865).

The North and Midwest formed the network that connected every city before the war until 1860. In the heavily populated Midwestern Corn Belt, more than 80 percent of farmland was within 5 miles (8 km) of a railway, facilitating the shipment of grain, pigs and cattle to national and international markets.

A large number of smaller lines were built, but due to the rapidly developing financial system based on Wall Street and oriented to railway bonds, most were consolidated into 20 trunk lines by 1890. State and local governments often subsidized the lines, but were rarely owned. ,

The system was largely built by 1910, but then trucks arrived to devour the freight, and automobiles (and later airplanes) to swallow the passenger traffic.

After 1940, diesel electric locomotives were used for more efficient operation, which required fewer workers on the road and in repair shops.