remember when folks dressed up on the train?

These are all reasons that I enjoy modeling with a bit of fantasy. I've got nothing but postwar-style trains, and I model early Dec., concentrating on scenes and ideas that are about early-winter beauty, fantasy, the excitement of Christmas and making it appeal to today's children, and so far, they love it and enjoy pushing buttons and making operating cars or accessories do stuff. More power to the guys who shoot for letter-perfect accuracy. I will probably go for that, too, one day, but I want to model something nicer than present-day urbane ugliness and trains that are bereft of romance and color.

Our family's first fantrip was in 1966 when we rode a High Iron Company excursion over the CNJ from Elizabeth to Jim Thorpe powered by the former CP 1278. My father, brother and I were all attired in jackets and ties and we weren't the only passengers dressed like that. I get a kick out of looking at those photos now.

Take a look at pictures of fan trips from "back in the day" with hats, jackets and ties the order of the day for male passengers. As dress become somewhat more casual, the majority of excursion passngers still dressed very nicely. Nowadays, with what some fans wear, you'd think it was Halloween. 

Bob   

remember when folks dressed up

As I got onto an AMTRAK coach a few years back, the sight that I first saw was a woman in the front seat with her jeans unbuttoned and unzipped for comfort.

That sure is beaten by the guy defecating on the subway though.

Many look like they are on there way to audition for "People of WalMart"

Picture worth 1000 words dept:  In the dome of B&O's Columbian, summer 1956. Remember, the Columbian was an all-coach train. These are COACH passengers, not the Pullman folks!

Remember when folks rode trains?  (I never rode a passenger train until I got to Europe

in 1976)

I'd say this guy is pretty dressed up. 

Looks like he's ready to "revolt."  Matt

That was just part of a promotional event done to get more people to ride Amtrak.

Yep...things sure have changed....now people go to church in cut off jeans and t-shirts.

Chris

How many of us still dress like this when we break out the Lionel trains!

Jim

I remeber dressing up to:

1.  Worship Facility.

2.  Foley's Downtown.  (Houston version of Macy's, now Borged into the same.)

3.  Theatre:  Live and Motion.

4.  Hobby Airport

5.  Museum of Fne Arts, Houston.

Once, I went to the Alley Theatre's version of CHRISTMAS CAROL.    I wore period dress, and roade Houston METRORail from Fannin South.  Somebody thought I was a person promoting female exploitation.  Right, with all the camera's on board.

Now, if one goes to the Hobby Center, out non-opera stages, people dress as if they are going to Minute Maid (baseball), BVAA Compass (International football) or Reliant (NFL/Rodeo).

General Paton thought if an army was not dressed right, it is half defeated.  Now, I do think he was right in civilian some civilian situations.

Any you cannot war jeans on the recreated ORIENT EXPRESS in Europe.

When I was a machinist for the GM&O in Bloomington Ill.  The engineer and fireman both wore coats and ties on passenger trains.  How times have changed.  LOCOMOTION

On another forum I frequent, a bunch of young women had been invited to a wedding. They were seriously up in arms because the wedding was in a house of worship and there was a card included with the invitation asking guests to wear long pants or a skirt that covered the knees, necklines that were no lower than some certain distance below the collarbone, covered shoulders and no bare midriffs (rules applying for either sex.) They regarded being asked to dress appropriately for an hour as some dire insult.

I'm all for casual clothing in casual situations, but there are times when it's seriously inappropriate.

--Becky

Ever heard of a Goodwill store?