Imagine a fireplace and live music on a passenger train….
In many ways, life in the Civil War era must have been, quite simply, a grind. But compare these 1870 prints of a Pullman car to the dubious luxury of an automobile zooming along the ultra-boring interstate. Even the “immigrant coach” car (second pic) looks like more fun, though an un-upholstered bench would get old fast.
The bunks in “coach” remind me of an overnight trip I took in a second-class carriage in India. The bunks pulled down, and it did take some spryness to get into them and making them was a challenge–it was do-it-yourself all the way, and no privacy. Still, once you got snugged in, it was comfy, and people were quiet and considerate. (We won’t talk about the toilet facilities and how a guy was sleeping in there despite…. Never mind. At least he kindly left on request.)
The folks below look as if they’re enjoying themselves every bit as much, if not more, than their upper class fellow passengers.
