THEN AND NOW: Photos that show how glamorous train travel used to be

Commuters wear masks to protect and keep a safe distance at Saint Lazare train station in Paris, France.

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• I spent 8 days taking trains across Europe for under $500. Not only was it cheaper than some flights, it was the adventure of a lifetime.
• Before-and-after photos show how the coronavirus has left some of the world's busiest train stations looking like ghost towns
• I spent 4 days on the longest train ride in North America, and I wouldn't hesitate to do the entire 96-hour trip again

Travelers wait at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2015.

Women aboard a London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) train listen to a gramophone.

Travelers at Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof (Nuremberg Central Station) in Germany wait in line at an information desk during a train strike in 2014.

Passengers step up to an inquiry booth at Victoria Station in London, England, in 1934.

A typical business class seat on an Amtrak train at Union Station. Amtrak only offers first-class service on its Acela trains.

The first-class section of a Deutsche Bahn ICE 4 high-speed train typifies what "luxury" train travel looks like today.

First-class passengers on a Canadian Pacific Railway train read and listen to the wireless in 1930.

Travelers headed to the Royal Ascot buy tickets from a self-service kiosk at Waterloo Station in London, England, in 2014.

People buy tickets from the booking office at York Station in York, England, in 1935.

Spanish commuters on a train from Madrid to Alcázar de San Juan use their computers, phones, and other electronic devices in 2013.

Passengers read during a trip on the Brighton Electric Railway.

A passenger sleeps on an Amtrak train departing from 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2015.

A couple relaxes in a sleeper car aboard the California Zephyr in 2017.

An attendant on the London, Midland, and Scottish Railway (LMS) wakes a passenger by bringing her a cup of tea in 1945.

A woman purchases coffee from an Amtrak train's cafe car in 2015.

People enjoy tea in a new passenger coach at Marylebone Station in London, England, in 1951.

A passenger on an Amtrak train buys drinks and a snack from the cafe car in 2005.

Passengers have drinks in the Jolly Tar, one of the so-called "tavern cars" that the British Rail introduced in the 1940s.

A passenger at Union Station in Washington, District of Columbia, holds a pizza box from Sbarro in 2014.

Passengers on the Green Diamond, an Illinois Central streamline diesel train, enjoy a hot meal in 1935.

While train meals aren't maligned like their airplane counterparts, they're typically not that fancy.

A table on Amtrak's California Zephyr, which travels between Chicago, Illinois, and San Francisco, California, is set for dinner service.

The Flying Scotsman — which ferried passengers between London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland — featured a luxurious, all-electric restaurant car.

Although the iconic steam train was retired in 1963, you can still hop aboard during special events held throughout the UK.

Until January 2017, when it was replaced with smaller, LCD displays, New York City's Penn Station utilized a combination digital/analog board.

A woman at Charing Cross Station in London, England, examines a timetable in 1958.

Passengers wait at Amtrak's Union Station in Chicago, Illinois, in 2015.

While Amtrak does offer a free porter service called the "Red Cap Baggage Handling Service," it's only available at 12 of the American passenger rail corporation's busiest stations.

Men load luggage at Waterloo Station in London, England, in 1939.

Railway porters in Calais, France, carry luggage in 1935.

Travelers make their way to board a train at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2018.

Two girls and their dog sit atop their luggage and read newspapers at Euston Station in London, England, in 1935.

Two women at Paddington Station in London, England push their luggage on a cart.

Travelers wait in line to board an Amtrak train at Penn Station in New York City, New York, in 2017.

Crowds at Waterloo Station in London, England, in 1913.