You Can Travel in a Vintage 1940s Train Along the Hudson River

In its heyday, the 20th Century Limited was advertised as “the most famous train in the world”

Ella Feldman

Daily Correspondent

20th Century Limited chugging along the Hudson

If you thought the term “red-carpet treatment” came from Hollywood, think again. The phrase actually began with railroads in the early 1900s, when the  New York Central used crimson carpets to direct people boarding its luxurious  20th Century Limited , which it eventually advertised as “the most famous train in the world.”

Now, the luxury train is taking off once again—and you can be on board.

For the third year in a row, Hudson River Rail will be offering rides on restored 20th Century Limited trains from 1948. The first departure is on February 10, according to the company’s recently announced  2023 schedule , and will ride from New York City to Albany. The next batch of tickets will be released on February 17.

20th Century Limited chugging along the Hudson

Inaugurated by then-General  Dwight D. Eisenhower , the 1948 model of the luxury train “catered to the highest of society,” Hudson River Rail states on its  website , citing celebrities like  Walt Disney and  Marilyn Monroe among its passengers.

“Our train runs on the very same tracks on which the train ran in the 1940s,” Kevin Phalon, executive director of the  United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey , tells  Travel + Leisure ’s Adrienne Jordan. “Folks in 1948 looked out the very same windows at the very same view that we see 75 years later. It really is as close to time travel as you can get.”

The 20th Century Limited, which operated between 1902 and 1967, is a “bucket list item” for “train buffs,” Phalon tells Travel + Leisure . The train has had an indelible effect on pop culture, featured prominently in films like  The Sting (1973) and Alfred Hitchock’s  North by Northwest (1959).

“The bulk of our passengers are millennial folks looking for a unique experience but don’t necessarily know the backstory of the 20th Century Limited,” Phalon tells Travel + Leisure . “... It is always special to see older folks share their stories with younger people, who they would likely never cross paths with if not for our train.”

Train interior

The trips, offered through November 5, will begin at Penn Station’s  Moynihan Train Hall . Then, passengers will board one of two historic cars: the Hickory Creek ($349 per traveler) or the Tavern-Lounge No. 43. ($149 per traveler). The luxury package includes a four-course meal and alcoholic beverages, while the BYOB lounge class includes a buffet. After stopping at the Albany-Rensselaer station, the train will resume its journey along the Hudson as the sun sets.

Love birds looking for a romantic escape can sign up for the all-inclusive  Valentine’s Special , offered between February 10 and 14. For a hefty price ($399 for luxury and $299 for lounge), passengers in both cars will receive a series of small plates and wine pairings in a tasting menu format.

Train buffs, though, might want to save up their pennies ($2,500 to be exact) for the all-inclusive  75th anniversary special from New York to Chicago. The journey begins on September 17—75 years to the day of the Hickory Creek’s first run in 1948.

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Ella Feldman | READ MORE

Ella Malena Feldman is a writer and editor based in Washington, D.C. She examines art, culture and gender in her work, which has appeared in Washington City Paper , DCist and the Austin American-Statesman .

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Rail Travel mid 20th Century

What train travel was like for passengers in 1940s wartime Britain

train travel

Train travel was the only realistic means of long-distance travel for ordinary people during 1940s wartime. This page elaborates and explains what it was like to travel by train at that time: the dirt, soot and over-crowding and the hypnotic effect of looking out of the train window . Specific features of train travel are on other pages - see the above menu.

By the webmaster based on her early recollections with additional research and firsthand contributions

Why travel by train

Trains were by far the main mode of travel for any distance in Britain during World War Two .

Very few families had cars, and even where they did, the car driver was invariably the man of the house who was away serving in the armed forces. Petrol was rationed anyway and often unavailable for anything other than essential services. So trains were the only realistic option for relatively long distance journeys.

Overcrowding and discomfort on trains

My memory is that trains were not particularly comfortable because they always seemed to be packed with army, navy and airforce personnel, often with standing room only.

Poster urging housewives to free up trains, buses and trams for the war workers**

Also trains were dirty because the engines, being still steam engines running on coal , produced an enormous amount of soot. You could watch it in clouds wafting past. If the windows were open, it got into eyes and made clothes dirty.

Only necessary journeys

Long distance journeys were a matter of necessity or special treats for families - although not of course for forces personnel. Money and resources were in short supply, and everyone felt that they shouldn't travel without good reason.

World War Two poster encouraging people to save on train journeys*

Back in the 1940s, my mother did take me with her on what we called a 'long' journey. That was to visit her friend no further than the other side of London. Also on one occasion she took me on an even longer journey to see my father who was on leave from the army. A leave of absence from the armed forces was invariably short and often measured in hours rather than days, so my parents probably thought they would have more time together if my father didn't have to do the travelling.

The hypnotic effect of looking at telephone lines out of windows

A major amusement on a train for me as a child was looking out of the window - but this was not just at the scenery. Let me explain:

At that time the wires connecting telephones to the exchange were not buried underground. They were carried up high, strung between poles known as telegraph poles. It was quite normal to see roads and railways lined with these poles each carrying many wires referred to as telephone 'lines'. The wires hung down between poles and so when watched from a train one's eyes were attracted by the smooth rythmic up and down sense of movement of the wires.

Telegraph poles strung with telephone lines along a railway in the 1940s and 1950s before the lines went underground. Detail from an old painting.

Engineer climbing a telephone pole with special grips on his legs, 1940s and 1950s Britain

Engineer climbing a telegraph pole with special grips on his legs. Detail from a picture in Milton Keynes Telephone Museum.

Station platform showing telegraph wires along railway lines. Photographed along the Swanage Heritage Railway.

Telegraph wires runing along the side of a road, common in the 1940s and 1950s

Telephone lines running along the side of a country road. Screenshot from an old film.

It became almost hypnotic to fix one's eyes on the telephone wires as the train moved. The train windows were very much narrower than those of later trains, so it was rather like viewing through a slit - albeit a wide one. So the telephone wires seemed to swing up and down as the train moved from the high points of the poles to the sagging points mid-way between.

Trains after the war

After the war and into the 1950s, little seemed to change on the railways from a passenger point of view. Britain was still recovering from the ravages of the war and there was hardly any spare money for investment.

Certainly I remember, in the late 1950s, my face being black with soot after travelling between London and Exeter in a train pulled by a steam engine and powered by burning coal. There was always a great deal of smoke from these engines. Of course my sooty face was my own fault for leaning out of the train window !

Text and images are copyright

*Photographed by the webmaster in Lincolnsfields Childrens Centre, Bushey **Photographed by the webmaster in Brooklands Museum.

If you can add anything to this page or provide a photo, I would be pleased if you would contact me.

sources: early 20th century material       sources: ww2 home front and other material      contact the webmaster/author/researcher/editor      privacy policy

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A Mapped History of Taking a Train Across the United States

The first steam engine railway travel took place 209 years ago today. Here, the story of how the Civil War impeded, and then accelerated, the progress of America's trains.

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That progress you see in the above three maps was because of the steam engine. 1830 gave us Tom Thumb , the first U.S. steam locomotive, in Baltimore. And from there these machines took off.

But before we could build the transcontinental railroad, the Civil War broke out, which temporarily stalled things. Ultimately, however, the war accelerated the ubiquity of trains. Railway and bridges were destroyed, and Americans learned to rebuild them better and faster.

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According to William Thomas, in The Iron Way , "The South possessed some of the most beautiful depots and railroad facilities in the nation in 1861. Sherman's campaigns sought to dismantle the Confederate railroad system and in so doing deny any claim to modernity and progress."

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Meanwhile, guerrilla Confederates would attack trains, so the Union soldiers braced their bridges for attack and put up these block houses for bridge defenders. Sherman, knowing that his supply lines would be under attack, is said to have trained 10,000 troops in railroad repair before he marched on Atlanta. That his men were so adept at repairing their lines contributed to his success during the March to the Sea.

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This bridge was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In May 1862 it was rebuilt in nine days. By 1864, they could rebuild it in 40 hours. Thomas notes that bridges like this contributed to the sense that railroad were "thought to defy nature."

After the war, many of these men put their railroad-construction skills and experience to use for non-military lines, and by 1930 the travel time from Manhattan to LA was down to three days.

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By 1930, three days brought us 2,500 miles. In 1800, three days would have taken us just 250 miles. Three weeks in 1857 was three days by 1930.

But comparing that 1930 map with Amtrak options today , despite the lack of any civil war to impede our growth since then, we're still at about the same travel times.

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

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

In the early-to-mid-20th century, trains were steadily a popular way to get around. Through these vintage photos, we can see what train travel looked like in the good old days with the lavish furnishings and fine dining that holds a special place in the railroad’s rich history.

The 1920s and 1930s were a kind of golden age for rail travel in the U.S. and Europe, a period when railroads were portrayed as modern amenities that carried passengers to romantic getaways in luxury and comfort.

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

Automobiles reduced demand for short-haul rail service because people could easily drive from one town to the next, but the unpaved surfaces of most roads and the uncertainty of amenities like gas stations and wayside restaurants made train travel for long distances the more convenient and preferred method of transportation.

Making long-distance rail travel comfortable required a growing number of porters and staff who catered to passengers’ every whim.

train travel 1940s

Two female passengers eating a meal in a London & North Western Railway dining car, 1905.

During the same decades, American railroads like New York Central embarked on new advertising campaigns to confront the growing threat from automobiles.

Posters, calendars, and magazine advertisements presented images that romanticized train travel, their destinations, and the sleek, new streamlined locomotives that moved passengers.

New York Central hired Industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, who redesigned not only their locomotives and passenger cars but nearly everything the passenger may encounter from tableware to matchbooks.

Train travel made another humongous leap forward in 1930 when it debuted as the first passenger cars fully equipped with air conditioning.

The B&O Railroad debuted the first passenger train with AC on April 28, 1930, when the Martha Washington model dining car was unveiled in Baltimore. It was a sensation that The Baltimore Sun said turned train travel into a “resort on wheels.”

As the 1930s chugged along, train companies found themselves being forced to push the envelope, even more, when it came to the amenities they offered on their routes.

That meant major upgrades in areas like dining cars, which were the social hubs for all train rides, and no one did dining cars better than the B&O Railroad Company.

The Royal Blue line was the flagship train for B&O and was known for having the best of the best dining cars for its route between New York City and Washington, D.C.

train travel 1940s

LNWR dining car on an American boat train, 1908.

Railroads played a large 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 mania began with the founding of the first passenger and freight line in the nation of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1827 and the “Laying of the First Stone” ceremonies and the beginning of its long construction heading westward over the obstacles of the Appalachian Mountains eastern chain the following year of 1828.

It flourished with continuous railway building projects for the next 45 years until the financial Panic of 1873 followed by a major economic depression bankrupted many companies and temporarily stymied and ended growth.

Although the antebellum South started early to build railways, it concentrated on short lines linking cotton regions to oceanic or river ports, and the absence of an interconnected network was a major handicap during the Civil War (1861–1865).

train travel 1940s

Interior of a luxury dining car, 1910.

The North and Midwest constructed networks that linked every city by 1860 before the war. In the heavily settled Midwestern Corn Belt, over 80 percent of farms were within 5 miles (8 km) of a railway, facilitating the shipment of grain, hogs, and cattle to national and international markets.

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

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

After 1940, the use of diesel electric locomotives made for much more efficient operations that needed fewer workers on the road and in repair shops.

train travel 1940s

A first-class dining car on the Britain’s Great Eastern Railway—also known as GER, as shown on the embroidered seat cover, 1912.

train travel 1940s

The observation and lounge car on Northern Pacific’s transcontinental U.S. railroad line, 1926.

train travel 1940s

Gentlemen relax in leather armchairs on the Royal Scot, a train on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, 1928.

train travel 1940s

The luxurious first class lounge on board a London Midland and Scottish Royal Scot train, 1928.

train travel 1940s

Two elegant ladies and waiters in a train dining car, Germany, 1929.

train travel 1940s

Rail passengers listening to the radio through personal headphones in the dining car of a train, 1930.

train travel 1940s

Passengers listen to a radio gramophone on a LNER train carriage in 1930.

train travel 1940s

Passengers listen to the wireless on board a train on the Canadian Pacific Railway, September 1930.

train travel 1940s

Family enjoying Christmas dinner in the Flying Scotsman restaurant car, 1931.

train travel 1940s

Midland And Scottish Railway train restaurant, 1932.

train travel 1940s

Passengers have lunch on North Coast Limited’s restaurant car, 1934.

train travel 1940s

The interior of a carriage, circa 1934.

train travel 1940s

The dining car on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway Company’s Hiawatha line, which at the time of its debut was boasted as being “the largest single unit of any dining car in service,” 1935.

train travel 1940s

“Mitropa” dining-car, Germany, 1935.

train travel 1940s

Passengers dine in the Art Deco-style car of the New York Central Railroad’s Mercury train, 1936.

train travel 1940s

Passengers in a first-class railway carriage smoking compartment, 1936.

train travel 1940s

Children enjoying a festive party in an LMS dining car while traveling home for Christmas, 1938.

train travel 1940s

The luxurious and spacious dining of the new, streamlines Twentieth Century Limited, crack New York Central Railroad flyer showing the passengers at their meals during the “preview” run to New York City, 1938. The new train, first all-room train in America, will go into service between New York City and Chicago June 15th, on a 16-hour schedule.

train travel 1940s

Passengers play cards in a Great Western Railway (GWR) dining car, 1938.

train travel 1940s

Cleaners at work in the luxurious coach ‘Minerva’ in 1938.

train travel 1940s

A corridor buffet car built for the new electric main line from London to Bognor Regis, Chichester and Littlehampton districts on show at Waterloo station, London in 1938.

train travel 1940s

Waiters bringing food to passengers in the dining car of a Canadian Pacific Railway train during a three day journey across the country, 1939.

train travel 1940s

Interior view of a crowded restaurant car, 1940.

train travel 1940s

Interior view of a restaurant car, 1945.

train travel 1940s

Diners in the restaurant car on a GWR (Great Western Railway) oil-fired locomotive, 1946.

train travel 1940s

Passengers in a BEA Vickers Viking while away the time with a game of cards, 1947.

train travel 1940s

Interior of Jolly Tar, the first of the new British Railway Tavern cars at Waterloo Station, London, May 25, 1949.

train travel 1940s

A new British Railways restaurant car at Waterloo Station in London in 1949.

train travel 1940s

Passengers in the dining car on a Rio Grande streamliner train, early 1950s.

train travel 1940s

Crowded dining car aboard the Simplon Orient Express train, 1950.

train travel 1940s

A man uses a typewriter while riding the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, 1950.

train travel 1940s

Passengers in a first class dining saloon in 1951.

train travel 1940s

British Rail stewards serve drinks in a first-class dining car, 1951.

train travel 1940s

Veronica Balfe (wife of actor Gary Cooper) has a cocktail on the Super Chief railroad, 1951. The train was a favorite of celebrities traveling between Chicago and Los Angeles.

train travel 1940s

Passengers on the Pennsylvania Railroad restaurant car, 1952.

train travel 1940s

French actor, director and mime Jacques Taty examines the dining car train, September 1958.

train travel 1940s

A new restaurant car was launched on the Paris-Lille railway in France, 1959.

(Photo credit: Mashable / Getty / Wikimedia Commons / Library of Congress / Britannica).

Updated on: August 30, 2022

Any factual error or typo?  Let us know.

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These Historic Rail Journeys From New York City Revive the Golden Age of Travel

By Hannah Towey

Image may contain Nature Outdoors Scenery City Water Waterfront Architecture Building Cityscape and Urban

Train lovers everywhere wait all year for Hudson River Rail's annual excursions that allow passengers to relive the historic splendor of the 20th Century Limited express passenger train, once billed as the “most famous train in the world.” The popular rail journeys sell out every year—and last year, tickets were snapped up in minutes.

Why? Traveling up the Hudson River in two restored vintage train cars, passengers are transported back in time to the 1940s and 50s, when movie stars and presidents boarded the train via red carpet. The scenic train trips follow the original New York Central Railroad main line between Manhattan and Albany, about an eight-hour round trip.

For those looking to experience the golden age of travel themselves, the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey has just released the 2024 Hudson River Rail schedule with departures slated from April through July, as well as in October and November (ideal for catching views of fall foliage ).

Image may contain Nature Outdoors Scenery Railway Train Transportation Vehicle Road Plant and Vegetation

The popular Hudson River Rail day trips travel up the Hudson River between New York City and Albany.

Passengers can choose from two classes of service, both of which include lunch and drinks. The luxurious observation lounge, named the Hickory Creek, was the the rearmost—and most exclusive—car on the 20th Century Limited, and is the last-remaining car from the original train. It's since been meticulously restored to its historic appearance, from the signature oversized windows to the vintage carpeting and furniture. If you can't nab one of Hickory Creek's dozen or so seats, then Tavern Lounge No. 43, a lounge car first built in 1947, offers a more affordable alternative to experience the historic route. With seats facing inward and plenty of room to meander, drink, and chat, both of the cars foster a refreshingly social atmosphere on board.

In addition to the day trips from New York City's Penn Station to Albany, this year will premier two new offerings, including overnight itineraries between Chicago and New York. During four one-way and roundtrip journeys in June and July, passengers will sleep aboard the train's historic Pullman Sleeping Cars, indulge in multi-course meals cooked on-board by a private chef, and enjoy the open bar service available throughout the trip.

For the history buffs out there, the 2024 schedule includes a new variation on the classic day trip excursion: the Hudson Valley History Tour. The excursions, slated in May, October, and November, offer a fully narrated tour of the Hudson River Valley in partnership with the National Park Service’s Trails & Rails program.

Tickets go on sale March 15 at 10 a.m., with day trip prices ranging from $179 to $399. The overnight journeys between New York and Chicago are $1,600 for a one-way trip and $3,200 for a round trip.

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This Vintage Train Will Take You on a 1940s-inspired Ride Along the Hudson River — and It Departs From NYC

Hudson River Rail Excursions will bring back its train rides from NYC to Albany this summer aboard 1940s rail cars. Last year, tickets sold out in two minutes — here's how to snag yours.

train travel 1940s

Hudson River Rail Excursions' rides from New York City to Albany, in glamorous 1940s vintage rail cars, return in June. But if you want to experience this train trip along the Hudson River, you'll have to act fast since last year's inaugural tickets sold out in less than two minutes.

Hudson River Rail Excursions will bring back rides in the Hickory Creek sleeper-lounge car aboard New York Central's 20th Century Limited train, which was called "The Most Famous Train in the World." Train travelers can book a seat in the Hickory Creek car for a round-trip journey from NYC to Albany over 21 dates in June. Passengers will travel the same route as riders in the 1940s and 1950s, on a round-trip day excursion between New York City's Moynihan Train Hall and Albany-Rensselaer Station.

The higher class of service (tickets from $349) will be in the Hickory Creek car, with a full-service meal made by the onboard chef, along with beer, wine, and snacks served throughout the journey. The other option is riding in the Tavern-Lounge No. 43 car (tickets from $149), which was once used as a break area for passengers to socialize in lounge chairs and booths. Passengers in the Tavern-Lounge car will enjoy catered sandwiches with sides, as well as drinks served at their seats. All passengers are invited to bring their own beer and wine aboard the train and will have access to Amtrak's Metropolitan Lounge's first-class amenities ahead of the trip.

The day trip will leave Manhattan at 11:20 a.m. and arrive in Albany at 1:50 p.m. After the stopover, passengers will reboard at 4:30 p.m., returning to the city at 7:05 p.m.

The new experience on Hudson River Rail Excursions comes from the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey , a nonprofit which preserves local railroad equipment, including locomotives and railroad cars, and acquired both cars in 1991.

The nostalgic train trips started last year with just four scheduled departures in October, and tickets sold out within two minutes. Eight more trips were added last year — all of which also sold out.

"The demand for these trips last year was far and beyond what we could have hoped for," URHS president Kevin Phalon said in a statement released to Travel + Leisure . "It was humbling to find that so many are so passionate about history and about our old railroad cars. We are looking forward to another sell-out year."

Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 22 at 10 a.m. for 2022 departures. Departures this year include trips every Friday through Sunday in June, as well as departures on three fall weekends: Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, Oct. 7 to 9, and Oct. 28 to 30. You can buy tickets here .

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A ride across passages of history - Moscow Metro rolls on

train travel 1940s

Click on the map to enlarge it

Lying at a depth of 5 (Pechatniki station) to 80 metres (Park Pobedy station), the history of the last eight decades unfold before your eyes, carved out of marble and granite and built in iron and glass – revealing the tastes, ideas, dreams, hopes and disappointments of the previous generations and contemporaries. The Moscow Metro dates back to 1931, when its construction first began, although engineers Pyotr Balinsky and Evgeny Knorre submitted their first designs to the Moscow City Duma as far back as 1902. “His speeches carried a strong temptation: like a true demon, he would promise to cast Moscow down to the bottom of the sea and raise it above the clouds”, a journalist for the Russkoye Slovo newspaper commented on Balinsky’s idea. Yet the Duma, made up of rich people, did not bite the bait: after all, they all lived in the centre of the city and never rode overcrowded trams.

After five failed proposals before the Duma, the Moscow Metro finally threw open its doors on May 15, 1935, 18 years after the revolution, and carried the first passengers on its moving staircases, escalators, and the padded seats of its new wagons (unlike the wooden seats in trams). The first metro line – from Sokolniki to Dvorets Sovetov (now known as Kropotkinskaya) -- was 11 km long and had 13 stations. Now, the Moscow Metro has a track of over 300 km with 12 lines and 182 stations. The city’s development outline for 2020 envisages that, by then, another 120 km will have been added to the existing routes.

For the first 20 years of its history, the Moscow Metro was named after Lazar Kaganovich, the “iron commissar” and Stalin’s right hand man, who was in-charge of construction of the first stage of the metro (incidentally, he personally blew up the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in December 1931 as a part of the Proletarian Capital project). In 1955, however, the Metro was renamed after Vladimir Lenin. Although Russia has long since changed its political track, you can still find the images of the former leader at over 10 stations, including, for instance, busts of Lenin at Belorusskaya and Komsomolskaya stations, impressive mosaics at Baumanskaya and Kievskaya stations, a tile panel in the passage between the Borovitskaya and Biblioteka Imeni Lenina stations. By a bitter irony of fate, Lenin’s full-face and side-face images decorate the Tsaritsyno (translated as the Tsarina’s Estate) station (dubbed Lenino up until 1990) – images of the very person who ordered the shooting of the royal family. You will not, however, find any images of Stalin in Moscow’s underground. A symbol of Russia's victory, he was omnipresent in the late 1940s. After his death in 1953 and the denunciation of Stalin’s personality cult, his images were gradually withdrawn from the Moscow Metro.

“Architecture developed along the same lines, both above and below the surface. Anything that emerged above ground had a reflection underground. It is equally true that vice versa never occurred: good architecture underground but bad architecture above the ground,” says Nikolay Shumakov, chief architect of the Moscow Metro. The first metro stations, up until the mid-1950s, were conceived and built as luxurious “palaces for the people”, great architecture for a great state. Art historians insist that the richly-decorated underground was a deliberate ideological move to eulogise the young Soviet country. Stations built between 1937 and 1955 are characteristic of the first architectural period. Everything completed at this time is worthy of special attention. For instance, look at the ceiling at Mayakovskaya and Novokuznetskaya stations to see mosaic panels based on designs by artist Alexander Deineka – 24-Hour Soviet Sky and Heroic Labour of the Soviet People on the Home Front. The mosaics were assembled by famous mosaic artist Vladimir Frolov, author of the mosaic icons in St. Petersburg’s Church of the Saviour on Blood. The Ploshchad Revolutsii station was decorated with 76 bronze sculptures of workers, soldiers, farmers, students and other Soviet people. You can even find a frontier guard with a dog and rub its nose for good luck. You may also note that all the figures (except pioneers) are either sitting or bent, which engendered the sad joke – “Any Soviet man is either in jail or on his knees.”

 Elements of decoration in Moscow's metro.   Photos by Alexandr Ganyushin

1955 heralded the end of the good times for Russian architecture – both underground and above ground – after the Communist Party issued a decree "On elimination of extravagance in design and construction.” Dull stations, without any stucco work, mosaics, original columns or other “unjustified” elements, were built under the slogan “Kilometres at the expense of architecture”. Things were the same above the ground, where entire cities were built of commonplace five-storey apartment blocks, all looking the same, nicknamed ‘Khrushchevkas’ after the then leader, Nikita Khrushchev. To get a sense of this period’s architecture, see the few stations built in the 1960s-1980s like Tverskaya, Kitay-Gorod and Kolomenskaya. In 2002, with the reconstruction of the Vorobyovy Gory station, the development of the Moscow Metro entered a third stage, which could be defined as ‘renaissance’. The platform of the station offers a splendid view of the Moskva River, the Luzhniki Olympic Complex and the Academy of Sciences building. Architectural canons of the 1930s-1940s were once again in use in the design of underground stations. By the same token, artists once again become involved in decorating the stations. As such, the Sretensky Bulvar station boasts silhouettes of Pushkin, Gogol, and Timiryazev and Moscow sights; the Dostoevskaya station is decorated with black-and-white panels featuring the main characters from Dostoyevsky’s novels The Idiot, Demons, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and the Maryina Roshcha station flaunts its pastoral mosaic landscapes. In 2004, Russia's first monorail transport system was launched into service – an elevated track (running 6 to 12 metres above the ground) in the northern part of Moscow, linking the All-Russian Exhibition Centre and the Timiryazevskaya metro station. The evolution of the Moscow Metro goes on. It’s still a work in progress, with ambitious plans to move the Moscow Metro even closer to passengers over the next ten years, not just by adding an extra 120 km to its total track. “We want to strip the stations of everything we can,” says Nikolai Shumakov. “We are trying to show the passengers their very framework, what the metro is made of. Cast iron and concrete are beautiful.”

Joy ride: Read Gogol, Dante or savour art

train travel 1940s

The Aquarelle Train.   Source: Reuters/Vostock-Photo

With any luck, you can ride in a retro train, a moving art gallery or a library. The trains are actually a part of the general traffic (i.e., they do not run to any special schedule) and are used on certain lines. The Reading Moscow Train , an ordinary train on the face of it, features extracts from literary works for adults and children. Each wagon has its own selection, from children’s fairy tales to Gogol. Circle Line. The Poetry in Metro Train carries an exposition, updated this year, dedicated to Italian poets Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarch, Giacomo Leopardi, etc. All the poems are featured in two languages, Russian and Italian. Filevskaya Line. The Sokolniki Retro Train looks exactly like the first Moscow Metro train, both inside and out. Painted brown, it has padded seats, typical wall decorations and retro lamps. Sokolnicheskaya Line. The Aquarelle Train looks like a cabinet painted with flowers and fruit on the outside. Inside, it is an art gallery featuring art reproductions from the Vyatka Apollinary and Viktor Vasnetsov Art Museum. Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line.

Revolution Square station (built in 1938) is close to the Red Square area. There are 72 sculptures in the station, depicting the people of the Soviet Union, including soldiers, farmers, athletes, writers, industrial workers and school children.

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Riding the Rails to the Roaring Twenties: Train Travel in the 1920s

In the 1920s, train travel was still a popular and vital mode of transportation in the United States and Europe. However, there were significant changes in the technology and infrastructure of the trains. Steam engines were starting to be replaced by more efficient and reliable diesel and electric engines. This change made train travel faster, more efficient, and more reliable.

The trains were also updated with more modern amenities, such as air conditioning and on-board restrooms. This made the travel experience more comfortable for passengers. The sleeping and dining cars were also updated to provide a more luxurious experience.

During the 1920s, train travel was becoming more affordable for a wider range of people, and it was no longer just a luxury for the wealthy. This led to an increase in the number of passengers, and the trains became more crowded.

The 1920s was also a time of significant growth in the rail industry. The development of new technologies and the increased demand for transportation led to the construction of new rail lines and the expansion of existing ones. This allowed for more destinations to be connected by train and made it easier for people to travel long distances.

Regarding cargo transportation, the rail industry continued to be a key component for the movement of goods, especially for heavy cargo. It was vital for the economy and the development of industries. The travel experience was also more comfortable and affordable, which increased the number of passengers. The rail industry was also expanding, connecting more destinations and supporting the economy.

#1 United States President Calvin Coolidge on a campaigning whistle-stop train tour in Washington state, 1923.

United States President Calvin Coolidge on a campaigning whistle-stop train tour in Washington state, 1923.

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Riding the Rails to the Roaring Twenties: Train Travel in the 1920s

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#2 The exterior of the Flying Scotsman cinema car at King’s Cross Station, London, 1924

The exterior of the Flying Scotsman cinema car at King's Cross Station, London, 1924

#3 American anthropologists Martin and Osa Johnsonith their houseman at the back of train on the Kenya and Uganda Railroad, Nairobi, Kenya.

American anthropologists Martin and Osa Johnsonith their houseman at the back of train on the Kenya and Uganda Railroad, Nairobi, Kenya.

#4 Holiday crowds at King’s Cross railway station, London, August 1925.

Holiday crowds at King's Cross railway station, London, August 1925.

#5 Holidaymakers At King’s Cross

Holidaymakers At King's Cross

#6 Douglas Hamilton greeting Sir Harry Lauder as he leaves a train at Waterloo Station, London, 1928

Douglas Hamilton greeting Sir Harry Lauder as he leaves a train at Waterloo Station, London, 1928

#7 A general view of the interior of Marylebone Station, London, 1928

A general view of the interior of Marylebone Station, London, 1928

#8 The interior of Liverpool Street station in London, 1928

The interior of Liverpool Street station in London, 1928

#9 Liverpool Street Station in London which is run by Great Eastern Railway and connects passengers with the South East.

Liverpool Street Station in London which is run by Great Eastern Railway and connects passengers with the South East.

#10 Charles I of Austria, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia – after his failed putsch Charles leaving the Hungarian town Szombathely by train

Charles I of Austria, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia - after his failed putsch Charles leaving the Hungarian town Szombathely by train

#11 Jozef Pilsudski Jozef. Officer and politician, Poland Portrait in uniform, with his German shepherd dog in a train

Jozef Pilsudski Jozef. Officer and politician, Poland Portrait in uniform, with his German shepherd dog in a train

#12 Electric multiple unit train, Moscow, 1920s

Electric multiple unit train, Moscow, 1920s

#13 The Tram at Stony Stratford.

The Tram at Stony Stratford.

#14 Italian soprano Luisa Tetrazzini on a train in Memphis

Italian soprano Luisa Tetrazzini on a train in Memphis

#15 Interior of an all-steel London underground train.

Interior of an all-steel London underground train.

#16 The observation and lounge car on Northern Pacific’s transcontinental U.S. railroad line, 1926.

The observation and lounge car on Northern Pacific’s transcontinental U.S. railroad line, 1926.

#17 Gentlemen relax in leather armchairs on the Royal Scot, a train on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, 1928.

Gentlemen relax in leather armchairs on the Royal Scot, a train on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, 1928.

#18 The luxurious first class lounge on board a London Midland and Scottish Royal Scot train, 1928.

The luxurious first class lounge on board a London Midland and Scottish Royal Scot train, 1928.

#19 Two elegant ladies and waiters in a train dining car, Germany, 1929.

Two elegant ladies and waiters in a train dining car, Germany, 1929.

#20 Two man reading while other sleeping, 1924

Two man reading while other sleeping, 1924

Written by Aurora Hale

I am a blogger, entrepreneur and small business coach. I'm an introvert and cat lover. My favourite hobbies are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

train travel 1940s

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A Display of Trains in the Moscow Metro Museum (Still Image)

http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2015/HUM54/files/original/46e3f1e270cc4632591edaa21b64c9f2.jpg

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A Display of Trains in the Moscow Metro Museum

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This is a display from the Public Museum of the Moscow Metro. It shows miniatures of three different kinds of train cars from the Metro system.

http://www.anothercity.ru/metro-nuseum-en

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity.  While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration.  Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way.  The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow.  The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum.  Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide.  What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater.  You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure .  I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history.  It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

train travel 1940s

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River.  Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.  Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention.  The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper.  Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

train travel 1940s

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station.  Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action.  The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases).  Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur.  It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city.  The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life.  Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

train travel 1940s

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature .  The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile.  However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment.   Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections.  At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again).  Chrome borders all.  Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft.  There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects.  Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display.  By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

train travel 1940s

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry.  The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform.  The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns.  The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students.  Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success.  Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing.  At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45.  Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

train travel 1940s

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics.  This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area.  Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market.  The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in.  The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya.  Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya.  At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north.  Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center.  Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii.  Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

Check out our new Moscow Indie Travel Guide , book a flight to Moscow and read 10 Bars with Views Worth Blowing the Budget For

Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala.  For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

train travel 1940s

Photo credits:   SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

train travel 1940s

Tags:  Moscow city

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Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

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Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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