When Europe’s railroad dining cars were the height of luxury

[caravanman]

On October 4, 1883, the legendary Orient Express departed Gare de l’Est in Paris for the very first time, slowly winding through Europe on its way to Constantinople, as Istanbul was then known. During a seven-day round trip, the service’s 40 passengers — including several prominent writers and dignitaries — lived in mahogany-paneled comfort, whiling away the hours in smoking compartments and armchairs upholstered in soft Spanish leather.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/11/style/europe-railroad-dining-cars-wagons-lits/index.html

 

[Willbridge]

One thing that people today may not realize is that European railways ran a lot of express trains without on-board food service. That made the Orient-Express even more impressive by comparison.