The romance of the Jet Age has come and gone; air travel has been reduced to a utilitarian mode of transport that we look forward to with dread. The long check-in lines, connecting flights and layovers, and cramp-inducing seats are the necessary endurances of travelling cross-country.

But there was a time— before the jets, before the hassle, before Amtrak— when travelling across the country meant travelling in style. The streamlined trains, with comfortable seats, club cars, vista-dome views, and sit down meals, raced across the country, taking passengers from Chicaco to L.A. in a mere 39 and ¾ hours.

It's the only way to fly.