Built by Wolverton Works in 1869, this is the furnished interior of Queen Victoria's saloon carriage. In 1842, she was the first British monarch to travel by train when she took a Great Western Railway train from Slough to Paddington. Twenty-seven years later, Queen Victoria commissioned two railway coaches, a sleeping car and a saloon car, and the latter was reputedly the queen's favourite railway vehicle. It's now on show at the National Railway Museum in York.

Chicago Great Western Railway was a relatively small railroad chain, its routes mostly connecting Chicago and the Twin Cities. What it lacked in size though, it made up for in elegance and glamour. The daily Great Western Limited trains connecting Chicago and Kansas City didn't skimp on lavishness either, as seen in this photograph of the dining car, captured in 1899. Dedicated dining cars were already a normal part of long-distance trains by the mid-1880s.

As the wealthiest passengers' wants and needs grew larger, trains became even more luxurious, turning into 5-star hotels, restaurants and salons on wheels. This barber operated a shop aboard a train of the Erie Railroad, connecting New York City and Jersey City with Cleveland, Buffalo and Chicago.

As trains grew more and more popular around the world, plenty of people were keen to enjoy this speedier way of travel. Obviously, third class comfort was nowhere near the service first class passengers enjoyed. Yet these children and young adults are still excited for their holiday trip to Bognor Regis on the south coast, photographed before leaving London Bridge station in July 1913.

One of Britain's most famous trains, the Flying Scotsman, embarked on its first journey in 1862, however, it wasn't until May 1928 that it completed its first non-stop service between Edinburgh and London. In this image captured at King's Cross Station in London, the train driver and firemen are presented with souvenirs to mark the occasion. This particular locomotive (LNER Class A3 4472) also set two steam locomotive world records, first reaching a speed of 100mph (161km/h) and then for the longest non-stop run of 442 miles (711km) while in Australia in 1989.

As summer arrived, Paddington Station in London in June 1926 looked no different to how Stansted Airport does today before holiday season. Crowds are pictured waiting to board trains for Cornwall – an especially sough-after holiday destination for Londoners at the time.

Whether it's train travel in the 1930s or jetting away on an aeroplane in the 2000s, there's still baggage to be loaded and unloaded. Here baggage men unload passengers' suitcases from a train that's arrived at London Waterloo station. Take a look at how air travel has changed in the last 100 years.

Post-war America was very keen to quickly move past the tragedies of the war and usher in a new capitalist and consumerist era, and rail travel certainly benefited from this new attitude. Launched in 1948, this was the new observation car of the 20th Century Limited, a New York Central Railroad train running between New York City and Chicago. The new luxuriously appointed trains were (and still are) among the world's greatest trains and the phrase 'red carpet treatment' comes from the specially designed crimson carpets on this train.

An Amtrak train between Los Angeles, California and Chicago, Illinois, the Southwest Limited passed through the enchanting landscapes of New Mexico and Arizona. The new dome cars were perfect for sightseeing and were introduced as early as the 1950s by the Budd Company. Here, passengers enjoy the surrounding views in 1974 on the Southwest Limited, now Southwest Chief. Here are stunning historic images of theme parks in full swing.

A bittersweet moment is captured here in October 1977 as the Orient Express, the glamorous long-distance passenger service, stops in Monte Carlo along its final direct journey from Paris to Istanbul.

Not at all a surprising sight on any train today, this gentleman from the 1980s is well ahead of his time as he's using precious commute time to do work on an early Hewlett-Packard laptop. Discover vintage photos of American summer vacations.

Train travel in America reached new highs with the launch of Amtrak in May 1971, but its flagship service Acela Express, launched in 2000, is by far the most successful route. Connecting Washington DC and Boston via 16 stops that include Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City, it's an essential service not only for travellers, but commuters too. They are also the fastest trains in the Americas, achieving speeds up to 150mph (241km/h). Here, proud Amtrak employees show off their new uniforms in front of the newly launched train.

A new incarnation of the famous train, the American Orient Express, formerly the American European Express, operated between 1989 and 2008. A private luxury train operating under Amtrak, it offered its passengers an all-inclusive journey with meals, entertainment and hotel stays along the route. The 1940s and 1950s-era passenger cars cost nearly £12 million ($15m) to restore and tickets were priced up to £7,973 ($10,000) per person one way. Now take a look at the world's most scenic train journeys that don't cost a fortune.