Remember the Smoking Car on Trains?

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Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,413
109,220
Whoa you had some fancy McDonalds down south.

We had these:

s-l1600.jpg
We had those at the end. A box of a thousand was $10.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,455
I remember airplanes segregated with smokers consigned to the back, but still circulating their smoke throughout the plane, depending on how far back you were seated. Those were also the days when people would go to the airport for fancy dining, and nearly every passenger on flights would be dressed in a jacket and tie, with women dressed up as if for church or important business.

Rail travel is still pretty interesting. My wife and I took a train from North Carolina to New York City where she lived for years. The track bed runs through the older parts of most town and cities, so there is a time machine effect that makes everything look like it is in the late fifties and early sixties or before. The buildings date back even to the 1920's and before. The train gently rocks and the scenery is hypnotic. If it has been a long time since you've ridden a train, it is worth the fare just for the experience. I think it was Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens who commented that nothing made ham and eggs taste better than eating it while watching the scenery fly by. I'm the same way on boats and ships. I can get mesmerized just watching the water flow past in fair weather. One of the best buzzes I ever had was drinking fruit wine on a ferry across Lake Michigan on glass smooth water.
 

boston

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 27, 2018
542
1,240
Boston
I recall smoking on airlines, and in the office. Cars had cigarette lighters. When I was in high school the seniors had a lounge and they could smoke in it. Professors smoked pipes and cigarettes. It was a private high school. Not long ago, late 70s and early 80's.

Yes I do remember and those were swell times.
 

Smoke Queen

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 2, 2021
932
1,833
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When I was traveling extensively for my job, all of the airlines had smoking sections in the rear of the plane. Only Northwest allowed pipes and then only in the very last row. Just once, I got a seat there and smoked my pipe while flying from Minneapolis to Seattle, just for the experience.
@weezell I am getting a great idea... ??? I'll tell my honeybear to get me a private jet so I can experience flying and travelling whilst smoking my pipes.. what do you think!?? ??????
 

lonepiper

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 27, 2017
264
3,600
45
Central Virginia
I’ve never ridden on a train ?‍♂️ but I remember the teacher’s lounge in high school when they could still smoke in it. You’d walk past it and see smoke wafting under the door. We had a metal shop teacher who would just light up in class. Marlboro reds. I guess he could get away with it since the shop was at the far end of the school where administration seldom went and he was nearing retirement anyway.

As I am now a teacher myself I can tell you I would love to have that back (many of my colleagues would agree).
There’s really nothing that compares to a pipe to calm the nerves in the middle of the day and I’ve tried everything from lemon drops to cough drops. Candles are a no-no because it’s a flame and wax burners can’t be used because somebody might have an allergy to the scent. This year has been the most challenging and I find myself having three or four pipes before bed when I used to only have one.
 

bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
8,941
37,944
RTP, NC. USA
Probably there were some when I was a kid, but don't remember them. Even back in 80s, smoking wasn't allowed in NYC subways, or we thought. I always rode the subway in between the cars so I could smoke. Late at night, we just smoked in the car.
 
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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,747
45,290
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
So, Jesse, whose private cars are these? Gorgeous!

If not private, what line and run? (Please)
Hi John,

I went back to my search to see if any links would give some useful information.

The top image belongs to "The Blue Train", and line that runs a luxury travel service through South Africa.

The middle image is of a lounge car available through The Luxury Train Club, the Belmond Grand Hibernian Observation Car.

The bottom image was shot in Scotland
 
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LotusEater

Lifer
Apr 16, 2021
4,111
56,193
Kansas City Missouri
I’ve always wanted to take the train through the Canadian Rockies from Calgary to Vancouver in winter. If only I could sit in one of those luxurious smoking cars with a pipe and a whiskey.

The only thing I’ve experienced that is even remotely similar was in the early 90’s. I flew from Paris to Reunion Island with a short stop over in Djibouti. The plane I was on had a smoking lounge and bar upstairs. I was in a non smoking coach seat but they let me hang out in the smoking lounge for the majority of the flight. Pretty cool considering I was a long haired scruffy looking 20 year old.