Riding on trains used to be the height of class, especially if you bought the best tickets. Dining cars, attendants, and berths with closets and beds were not uncommon. Table service and help with your bags wasn’t unusual either. And, the passengers would dress to the nines to ride the train: it was only proper. Flying wasn’t an option for most people and train was the standard way to travel back then.

The journey up the East Coast to New York City was one frequently traveled by businessmen and tourists alike, the scenic landscape providing the perfect backdrop for a lovely train ride. Once at Grand Central Station, all of New York could be at the traveler’s disposal and they could be back on the train home by the afternoon. Have a look at what riding on trains was like in 1942 in the wonderful video below.

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