The Gateway to the Continent. Jack Birns and the Simplon Orient-Express in 1950 — part I: England

In 1950 the American photographer Jack Birns traveled the Simplon Orient Express from London to Istanbul for LIFE magazine. In upcoming issues, retours will be traveling after him. The journey started in London, Victoria Station as the gateway to the continent.

The Pullman rides again. Dutch Railway Posters by Fedde Weidema

In December 1945 the first post-war international train ran from Amsterdam to Brussels, equipped with luxury Pullman carriages. Designer Fedde Weidema created ​​a poster for this train, the first of a series of posters commissioned by the Dutch Railways.

Voyager en Wagons-Lits. Jack Birns and the Simplon Orient Express in 1950, part 2: France

On the second stage of his journey, LIFE photographer Jack Birns set foot in France. The Channel ferry from Folkestone moored at the quay of Calais Maritime, where the through-carriages to the Balkans were waiting. In the evening the train reached Paris, where Jack Birns photographed Gare de Lyon.

Aesthetic Sense and Practical Construction Requirements. The Utrecht platform canopies by G.W. van Heukelom

In 2011, the last historic platform canopies in Utrecht Central Station were demolished. The elegant iron structure was the first major project of engineer G.W. van Heukelom, known as the architect of The Inkpot. In 1894, the canopies were not realized without a struggle.

La plus directe et la plus pittoresque. Jack Birns and the Simplon Orient Express in 1950 — part 3: Switzerland

Switzerland was the third country LIFE photographer Jack Birns entered on the Simplon Orient Express in 1950. He photographed famous sites such as the Chillon Castle and the ruins of Sion. After Brig the train entered the Simplon tunnel, at the time the world's longest railway tunnel.

The graphic representation of the Simplon line. Swiss railway posters and brochures, 1925-1956

In the 20s and 30s, the electrified Simplon line was the epitome of modernity and efficiency in railways. Promotional materials exploited this image. They show the development of Swiss graphic design in the Art deco period.

Buon viaggio e buon appetito. Jack Birns and the Simplon Orient Express in 1950 — part 4: Italy

Italy was the fourth of eight countries LIFE photographer Jack Birns depicted in the spring of 1950 while travelling the Simplon Orient Express. On their way to Milan passengers enjoyed a fresh meal in the dining car. Diplomatic couriers were delivering mail. At Trieste the train was reduced to only two carriages.

Dutch concrete and Art Nouveau. The decorations of the lost Rotterdam Hofplein railway station

The 1908 terminus of the first electric train in the Netherlands was an engineering marvel of concrete, hidden behind Art Nouveau decorations. In 1940 the legendary station was destroyed in the bombing of Rotterdam.

The Twilight Zone of the Cold War. Jack Birns and the Simplon Orient Express in 1950 — part 5: Yugoslavia

Photographer Jack Birns entered the twilight zone of the Cold War. Yugoslavia was a communist country but did not belong to the Eastern Bloc. The land and the people had a grim look. On board of the Simplon Orient Express were no tourists anymore, but diplomats supplemented with a 'mystery woman'.

Chemins de Fer Européens. European railway posters from the early 1970s

A series of posters for the European Railways from the early 1970s express the desire of the time for an integrated European railway system. The direct occasion was the 50th anniversary of the International Union of Railways UIC. In the same year 1972 the InterRail pass was introduced.

Where Borders of Three Nations Meet. Jack Birns and the Simplon Orient Express in 1950 — part 6: Bulgaria-Greece

Being denied a Bulgarian visa, photographer Jack Birns took a detour to the Bulgarian-Greek-Turkish border triangle. In the area around the Maritsa river the Simplon Orient Express entered both Greece and Turkey twice. At the Edirne railway station Birns witnessed that not only borders were shifted but also people.

Canadian Cars in the Austrian Alps. Canadian Pacific Railway observation cars in Europe, 1912-1914

One hundred years ago, Canadian observation cars were crossing the Alps. Looking for ways to attract more foreign visitors, Austria was very impressed by the rail tourism in the Rocky Mountains. The First World War put an early end to Canadian Pacific's European adventure.

End of Line. Jack Birns and the Simplon Orient Express in 1950 — part 7: Turkey

Turkey was the last leg of LIFE-photographer Jack Birns's journey by the Simplon Orient-Express. Birns photographed everyday life around the railway stations of Eastern Thrace. The train entered Istanbul over the same track as the first Orient Express in 1888.

Traveling-by-train-plus-speed. Railway photos by Willem van de Poll — part 1: Amsterdam 1932

Willem van de Poll was a travel and advertising photographer during the interwar periode and frequently depicted railways. In 1932 he made a series of photos at Amsterdam Central Station for an advertising campaign. They were too experimental for the Dutch Railways.

The coming and going of travelers. Monumental art in railway stations by K. van der Gaast, 1955-1965

In the second half of the Dutch post-war reconstruction era, after the damages were restored, there was room for innovation and experimentation in architecture and art. This trend fitted well with the Dutch Railways's desire for a fresh and modern look.

The young architect Koen van der Gaast introduced a new kind of railway station using expressive shapes and modern materials.

In the stations of the post-war period monumental art played an important role: grand works of art that were inseparable from the architecture. Reliefs, windows and mosaics depicted coming and going travelers.

The Flying Scotsman and the Coronation. Railway photos by Willem van de Poll — part 2: Edinburgh

Luxurious train travel in the latest streamlined coaches, a restaurant and a cocktail bar on board, hauled by the fastest steam locomotive in the world, accompanied by the perfect woman. Dutch photographer Willem van de Poll did pretty well for himself during his summer of 1938 Scottish tour.

Before or after a car trip through Scotland, Van de Poll captured the remarkably located Edinburgh Waverley station. He traveled by two long-distance trains that connected Scotland to London: the already legendary Flying Scotsman and the brand new Coronation streamline train. Model Doreen Sinclair added extra attractiveness to the pictures.

Three Dutch railway anniversaries. From 100 to 175 years of railways in the Netherlands

This year the Dutch railways celebrate their 175th anniversary. The first train ran between Amsterdam and Haarlem in September 1839, hauled by locomotives called Arend (eagle) and Snelheid (speed). In 2014 this fact is celebrated modestly compared to previous railway anniversaries.

In 1939, 1964 and 1989 large public events took place. These celebrations not only left us graphic witnesses such as posters and commemorative stamps, but also artworks in railway stations.

The 1939 centenary followed shortly after the completion of the merger of 19th century railway companies into the Dutch national railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen). The anniversary provided an opportunity to look both back and forward.

Paper Trails to the East. Posters and brochures for the Orient Express 1888-1988

A major exhibition on the Orient Express is currently on show in Paris. retours presents a brief history of the famous luxury train by taking a closer look at 10 posters along with matching brochures and photos, partly from the exhibition and partly from own collection.

These graphic witnesses tell the story of a century of Orient Express trains. They provide travel itineraries as well as depictions of the train's destinations. In addition, their changing design reflects the changing spirit of the times.

On paper, the journey often looked better than in reality. The Orient appeared to be even more exotic on posters. Brochures promised a direct connection to Cairo and Baghdad, but in reality the Orient Express did not go that far.

Amsterdam-Brussels v.v.. Photos and posters of the Dutch-Belgian Benelux trainsets

In 1957, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Brussels were directly and electrically connected. There were international trains before, but they ran less frequently and only with reservation and at a surcharge.

The Benelux trainsets resembled the Dutch Hondekop (Dog nose) but they carried their own colors and were able to handle voltage differences between the two countries. The national railway companies NS AND SNCB commissioned photos and posters to promote the train.

The Benelux train did not live up to its name entirely — Luxembourg was never reached — but it did strengthen cooperation between the neighboring countries. In 1958 this relation was formalized in the Benelux Economic Union.

La Littorina. Fiat self-propelled railcars of the Mussolini era

Around 1930 a new type of trains appeared all over Europe: self-propelled railcars powered by liquid fuel, consisting of a single unit with an open interior including the driver's seat. The German Schienenbus looked like a bus that was put on the rails. In Italy, a car manufacturer took this concept to a higher level. The Fiatautomotrici were modern, efficient and beautifully designed.

The Littorina can be regarded as a co-production of Mussolini and Fiat president Agnelli. The new train type helped achieve Mussolini's political goals, proudly carrying the symbol of his fascist party on its front. Agnelli was able to realize his ambitions for Fiat's railway division — as far as in Africa.

Panorama Transsibérien. The Trans-Siberian Express at the 1900 Paris Exposition

In 1890 the Russian tsar decided to build a railway connecting Moscow with Vladivostok. The world's longest railway was not finished until 1916. At the 1900 Paris world's fair Russia and the Wagons-Lits sleeping car company presented the Trans-Siberian Express. Visitors could experience the luxury on board in real railway carriages.

Two different moving panoramas — a populair display technique of the 1900s— provided an impression of the journey through the Urals, Siberia and Manchuria. One of them was more an attraction than a work of art. The other panorama formed the longest painting in the world.

Le Pur Sang du Rail. Autorails Bugatti, French railcars of the 1930s

With the emergence of automotrices and autorails — self-propelled railcars and railbuses — around 1930, car manufacturers started to focus on railways. After all, they had first-hand experience with combustion engines and single-piece coachwork, while car sales were declining because of the economic crisis.

In Italy, Fiat was building Littorinas. In France, Renault had introduced the autorail, originally for narrow gauge only. Tire manufacturer Michelin conceived the Micheline, a rail vehicle with rubber tires.

Bugatti — an Alsace-based carmaker of Italian descent — presented its autorail in 1933. It stood apart because of its streamlined design and a very high speed.

Southwards in Search of the Sun. The Méditerranée and Riviera Express before 1914

Around 1900, the European elite wintered on the French Riviera. Discovered in the 19th century by the English aristocracy, the sunny Côte d'Azur attracted fashionable tourists from all over Europe. Too hot in summer, it was considered the ideal place to escape the rainy and chilly English or northern European winters.

A network of luxury trains — exclusively composed of first-class teak Wagons-Lits sleeping and dining cars — took wealthy travelers directly to the Riviera during the winter season. Not only from London and Paris, but also from Amsterdam, Berlin and even St. Petersburg.

MITROPA. German Art Deco railway carriages and posters

Despite the economic crisis, the German railways flourished between the two world wars. This was also the case for sleeping and dining car company Mitropa. Founded during the First World War as the German counterpart of Wagons-Lits, it entered a period of prosperity after the war, despite the restrictions it was subjected to.

The carriage interior style owed much to the Neue Sachlichkeit and Bauhaus, but with a luxurious rather than Spartan finish. The Mitropa logo and poster designs showed that the Art Deco style had become popular in Germany too.

In the 1930s Mitropa was used for Nazi propaganda and control. After the war the company was split, just like Germany itself.

Rheingold vs. Edelweiss. Luxury day trains from the North Sea to the Alps

In the interwar period, well-off travelers could choose between two luxury day trains from the Netherlands to Switzerland. This was the result of competition between the French Wagons-Lits and the German Mitropa.

The opulent Wagons-Lits Pullman trains, such as the Étoile du Nord from Amsterdam to Paris, aroused German envy. In 1928 Mitropa and the Reichsbahn introduced their own version: the Rheingold running between Hook of Holland and Basel. The German parlor cars could not carry the Pullman name, but otherwise they were almost identical. In response, Wagons-Lits also introduced a luxury day train to Switzerland with an alternative route: the Edelweiss.

Immer schneller!. German high-speed trains of the 1930s

After a quite literal attempt to put an airship on the tracks — the Schienenzeppelin — the German railways of the 1930s developed the so-called Fliegende Züge. The prototype, called Flying Hamburger, became the most well known. They achieved a top speed of 160 km/h and brought German cities closer together. Besides these diesel multiple units the Deutsche Reichsbahn also commissioned fast trains with electric and steam traction.

Hitler took the credit for the success of the Schnelltriebwagen, after which World War II put an end to their continued development. In the 1950s both the Bundesbahn and the Reichsbahn of the GDR built on the foundation laid in the 1930s.

Esposizione del Sempione. Railways at the Milan World Fair of 1906

Currently the Expo 2015, the 34th universal exposition, is being held in Milan. In 1906 Milan also hosted a world expo, which focused on the theme of transportation. It was the largest railway exposition of the first half of the 20th century. The 9 kilometers of railway track in the various pavilions showcased, in the words of a visitor, "huge locomotives and beautifully decorated sleeping and parlor cars."

The occasion for the 1906 international exhibition was the inauguration of the Simplon Tunnel, the world's longest railway tunnel — a technical tour de force that took almost eight years to complete. The new Simplon Express connected Milan to the metropoles of Paris and London.

Milano Centrale. Milan's megalomaniac railway terminal with a dash of fascism

Milan Central may not be the largest railway station in Europe anymore, it is still the most pompous. Milan's famous cathedral fits in twice and the canopy has the size of ten football fields.

The railway terminus was inaugurated in 1931, but had a long prehistory which started in 1906. Delayed by World War I, the plans were revised under Mussolini. The result was a mixture of Art Nouveau, Art Deco and fascism.

Balkanzug. Propaganda vehicle during the First World War

Germany and its allies started running their own luxury train to Constantinople in 1916. For Germany, the Balkanzug was more than a train. It was a way of settling a score with the French Wagons-Lits, a strategic link to its allies and an effective propaganda tool.

This edition of retours is a prerelease of the informative iPad app Orient Express History that will be available in early October.

Settebello. An Italian designer train from the 1950s

In the 50s and 60s Italian design was the center of world attention. Italy had managed to overcome war and poverty and experienced an unprecedented economic boom. The country gained an image of modern elegance in which art, fashion, industry and even film coincided.

The Settebello, an electric train of futuristic design, became the icon of Italian progress. The harmonious mix of form and function, the technical innovations, the stylish interior and the high service level fueled the period's optimism. The train's exuberant luxury, though at a hefty price tag, came with the hope that it could eventually be accessible to everyone.

Gateway of the Continent. Hook of Holland Harbour station

During a century the Hoek van Holland Haven station was the starting point of many international boat trains. For British travelers, arriving by ferry from Harwich, 'the Hook' was the gateway of the continent. From there they took the train to Berlin or the luxurious Rheingold to Switzerland. After World War II the number of international services reached a peak with trains such as the Holland-Scandinavia Express and even the Orient Express.

Exactly 100 years after its opening, the last international train left the station for Moscow. Today only photos and posters remind of Hook of Holland's heyday.

The tracks of two Alpinists. Austrian railway posters by Gustav Jahn and Otto Barth

>Two fellow alpine painters, active mountaineers and skiers themselves, took the Austrian railway poster to the 20th century. Previously, posters were packed with small pictures or pompous personifications of towns and regions. Following the Frenchman Hugo d'Alesi, Gustav Jahn and Otto Barth created posters with contemporary landscape painting.

By commissioning these painters, the Austrian railways chose the landscape rather than the means of transport as a main motive. The posters recruited domestic and foreign tourists to the newly opened Alpenbahnen, but also had a unifying and educational role: they made passers-by at the Viennese stations familiar with all corners of the Austria of that time

Gara Centrale București. The never-built Bucharest Central Station

From 1883 the Orient Express connected Western Europe to the Romanian capital of Bucharest. The city did not yet have an appealing, centrally located railway station; instead the Gara de Nord (North Station) of 1872 served as a terminus.

n 1894 French architect Alexandre Marcel won a design contest for a new central railway station. His spectacular design was never realized, though. A 1911 plan by the Romanian architect Victor Stefanescu came to nothing either. The North Station was extended step by step and modernized in the 1930s. Bucharest never got a real central station.

Safe, Quick, Economical. Dutch railway posters of the 1930s

After the formation of the Nederlandsche Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) as a collaboration between private railway companies around 1920, virtually no railway posters were issued anymore. Competition through advertising had become obsolete. Only with the economic crisis the railways started recruiting new travelers by advertising discount tickets and day trips.

This coincided with the popularity of the French designer Cassandr, who put the advertising industry on a new track with his stylized posters of the Nord Express and Étoile du Nord. Around 1930 he began working for Dutch companies such as the Holland America Line and Philips. The influence of Cassandre, together with the railway's advertising campaigns, resulted in a series of beautiful posters in the 1930s.

Très Grande Vitesse. From Turbotrain to TGV

First edition with new design an navigation (scrolling)!

France could not stay behind when Japan introduced the Shinkansen bullet train in the early 1960s. High-speed trains had to compete with cars and airplanes, and also reduce the distance between Paris and the rest of the country. In 1966 the research department of the French railways SNCF started the C03 project: a plan for trains à très grande vitesse on specially constructed new tracks.

Originally, the TGV trains were to be powered by gas turbines. The first prototypes were equipped with these helicopter engines of high power and relatively low weight. After the oil crisis, however, electricity was preferred. Even so, parts of the experimental TGV 001 were used in the final train, which was inaugurated in 1981. Many design elements and the distinct orange livery also remained.

Switzerland through and through. Advertising the Gotthard Railway 1882-2016

The first posters for the Gotthard Railway appeared a few years after its inauguration in 1882, the last ones in 2016 surrounding the opening of the 56 km long Gotthard Base Tunnel. In the intervening years not only the design styles changed, but also the posters' focus. An international project by origin, the Gotthard was later touted as being typically Swiss.

Alternately the railway was advertised as a transit route from northern Europe to Italy, or a Swiss travel destination and attraction in itself. In both cases the Gotthardbahn was the link between the cold north and the sunny south: either Italy or the southern Swiss canton of Ticino.

Sybold van Ravesteyn. an exceptional Dutch railway architect

Between 1930 and 1960 the idiosyncratic architect Sybold van Ravesteyn shaped the image of railway architecture in the southern half of the Netherlands. He designed clean, functionalist signal boxes as well as baroque stations with curves, ornaments and sculpture colonnades. It has been said that Van Ravesteyn conceived both some of the most beautiful and the ugliest buildings in the Netherlands.

Despite recent revaluation of his more flamboyant works, only a few of his railway buildings have been preserved. His magnum opus for instance, the Rotterdam Central Station, was demolished in 2008. Van Ravesteyn's last station, a small and rather eccentric building, was renovated in 2016.

The New Travel Land. Intourist posters from the Soviet era

Around 1930 the Soviet Union wanted to attract foreign tourists to bring in foreign currency and improve its external image. The economic crisis aroused Western interest in the communist experiment. On Stalin's and the Party's initiative a national tourist agency was founded. Intourist was responsible for attracting, accommodating and escorting all foreign guests.

Western advertising styles were applied to appeal to the target audience. Intourist posters pictured a tourist paradise, not a country of laborers and peasants. Trains were no icons of progress but a comfortable way of transport. Intourist women were not working hard in a factory but were either fashionable or exotic.

Plain elegance. Railway posters by Leo Marfurt and Tom Purvis

Shortly before 1930, railway posters with attractive travel and leisure scenes, composed of simple shapes and solid colors, appeared in both the United Kingdom and Belgium. There were many similarities between the posters of Tom Purvis and Leo Marfurt. The designers knew each other's work, but it is unknown whether they influenced each other knowingly.

Perhaps the spirit of the times, the late Art Deco period, sent both designers in the same direction. Marfurt mainly pictured passengers on platforms, while Purvis showed leisure activities at their holiday destinations, such as the British East Coast. Both managed to catch the clothing and hair fashion of the late 1920s in two-dimensional planes.

The Global Significance of the Railway System. Transportation on Peter Alma's murals

Dutch painter Peter Alma became primarily known for his impressive murals in the Amsterdam Amstel railway station of 1939. He was also one of the pioneers of 'De Stijl', the abstract art movement headed by Mondrian that started exactly one century ago this year — the occasion for a current exhibition dedicated to Alma's work.

Because of his communist ideals Alma swapped abstraction for a figurative visual language that everyone could understand. Searching for art forms with a broad social scope, he devoted himself to wall paintings in public buildings. In his murals, transportation — railways, shipping and aviation — constituted a major theme.

Train your car. Posters for car sleeper expresses around 1960

In the late 1950s Western European railway companies were looking for a response to the increase in car traffic and tourism. They introduced car sleeper expresses (Motorail trains) that enabled tourists to take their car with them to their holiday destination. Passengers could relax in sleeping and dining carriages while the railways were doing the heavy work.

Posters for the car sleeper trains — which ran only in summer — emphasized that a holiday feeling could start immediately, supported by puns and pictorial jokes such as a car in a suitcase. Although the costs were high, the car sleepers were a success. The decline came when cars and highways became better and air travel more affordable.

TEE Design. Railcars on Trans Europ Express posters

New version on the occasion of the 60th TEE anniversary!

60 years ago, on 2 June 1957, the first Trans Europ Express ran. The TEE was the most legendary episode of postwar European railway history. Eight railway companies cooperated to compete against emerging air travel. The modern and fast trains with only first-class seats — at a surcharge — were primarily aimed at business travelers. In 1957, the TEE network connected 70 European cities and no less than 130 cities twenty years later.

In 1957, the TEE network connected 70 European cities and no less than 130 cities twenty years later. The TEE was innovative not only technically, but also in terms of design. The strikingly designed trains in red and cream livery contributed to the legend. The recognizable shapes of the railcars were very suitable to depict on posters promoting the TEE service.

Europe in your back pocket. 45 years of InterRail posters and advertising

In 1972 InterRail was introduced, a rail pass that allowed young people to travel freely throughout Europe. It matched perfectly with the unbound youth culture of the early seventies. Millions of Europeans have used it since. For many, InterRail was a rite de passage to adulthood, just as the Grand Tour once was for the wealthy.

Sleeping in trains and stations allowed youths to travel as long as possible for as little money as possible. The borderless travel and mutual contacts among interrailers have certainly contributed to European unity. On posters and other promotional materials the sense of freedom was symbolized by backpacks and guitars.

Frauen­plakatserien. Women posters of the German Federal Railway

During most of the 20th century the railways and advertising industries were a man's world. By conducting market research the Werbeambt (advertising agency) of the German railway found out that women were an important target audience.

Special series of Frauenplakate (women posters) were designed with, for and partly by females. The image of women on railway posters changed with the times: from elegant via dependent to liberated — or still as sex objects?

Along straight lines. Schematic railway maps in advertising

Every map is an abstraction, but some maps willingly distort reality. The best-known example is the London Underground Map: distances are unrealistic, geographical features absent, lines are straight and angles either right or diagonal. Such imaginary maps help travelers to find their way easier, in contrast to the spaghetti-like mash that is hidden behind.

Using simplification to provide insight into the network was just as important for (inter)national rail connections as it was in metropolitan areas. Schematic railway maps, as designed during the course of the twentieth century, sometimes resembled metro maps, but could take other shapes as well. They always had the same goal though: making complicated journeys look easy.

Pictorial railway maps. Mid-century maps telling stories

In the mid-20th century pictorial maps in cartoonish styles were a popular way of promoting travel and tourism. In contrast to objective, realistic maps they appeal to emotions such as romance, fantasy and humor. They are used to tell anecdotes about a region's history, culture and landscape in a way attractive to old and young. These illustrated maps are meant to inspire, not to provide travel information.

Pictorial maps or Bildkarten seem to be the opposite of the schematic metro-like maps of railway networks from the same period, composed of straight lines and without any details. Schematic and pictorial maps share one thing though: they are only loosely bound to geographic reality. Their common goal is to convey a message — either the straightforwardness of a journey or the attractiveness of a region.

Spearheading Design. Corporate Identities for European railway companies

The corporate identity of the Dutch Railways is 50 years old in 2018, currently celebrated with an exhibition at the Spoorwegmuseum. The Dutch Railways' new house style was not unique, but part of a European trend. The desire to give the railways a modern look coincided with the emergence of large professional design agencies.

British Rail's new corporate identity of 1965 had a major influence on railway companies on the continent. This applied to the logo symbol, consisting of two arrows, but also to the comprehensive and consistent approach, which included train colors, typefaces, uniforms, signage and advertising.

Joyaux de Belgique. Picturesque railway posters by Armand Massonet

Around 1950 the Belgian artist Armand Massonet created a series of ten tourist posters for the Belgian railways. Every poster featured a city or a region — from Flemish art cities to Ardennes villages. Massonet was a master of easy and sketchy recordings of light and movement. Despite large differences, the poster series formed a peculiar unity.

Railway motifs only rarely appear on the posters. Massonet's subject choices were sometimes daring, including a naked woman and industry fumes. His painting techniques in watercolor or gouache were also quite experimental, with rough brushstrokes and unusual perspectives. Massonet avoided tourist clichés such as blue skies. He was, however, inspired by romantic landscape painting.

Railway to runway. Train & plane publicity and posters

In the course of the 20th century train and airplane became competitors, but they also supplemented each other. European railway companies and airlines jointly promoted the train as the ideal way to the airport. They issued combined tickets, while in practice a bus link between station and airport was often required.

Posters and ads featured images of rails as a runway, flying trains and rail and flight staff working together. These pictures were accompanied by winged slogans such as Air-Fer, Train to Plane, Rail & Fly and Zug zum Flug. At the end of the 20th century the ideal of integrated transportation to a large extend became reality.

Willy Sluiter. The first modern Dutch railway posters

Early Dutch railway posters mostly featured detailed timetables in small print, sometimes supplemented with cliche images of trains. The versatile artist Willy Sluiter changed all of this in 1913 and 1914 with his posters for train travel to the Riviera, Cologne and the Dutch seaside.

Sluiter did not depict trains or landscapes, but people: passengers, railway staff and locals. He did this in a distinctive cartoonesque way, using humor and flair. The relatively short texts were integrated in the image. More than a century later, Sluiter's bright colors still look strikingly fresh.

Three Continent Train. The Taurus Express to Iraq and Egypt

From London and Paris to Cairo and Baghdad by train. This became an option when after World War I the Middle East fell into the hands of the British and French, including the Baghdadbahn. This railway was constructed by the Germans, but was not yet finished. Together with the new Turkish state railways the French sleeping car company Wagons-Lits already started a luxury train service.

In 1930 the Taurus Express was introduced as an extension to the Simplon Orient Express, named after the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey. Travelers first had to cross the Bosphorus at Istanbul. In Syria connections were provided to Iraq, Palestine and Egypt, requiring several transfers, including taxi or bus services. In the Wagons-Lits advertising, though, the Simplon Orient Express was touted as a three-continent train (Europe, Asia, Africa).

Windmills, tulips, trains. Railway posters for Holland tourism

Around 1900 foreign tourists discovered the Netherlands, attracted by colorful descriptions in travelogues and travel guides. These stories and articles painted an image of a country full of windmills, flower fields, farmers with wooden shoes, women in traditional costumes, cheese markets, fishing boats and Amsterdam canals. Artists from the Netherlands and abroad, who came to work in 'unspoilt' villages such as Marken, Volendam and Katwijk, also contributed to the exotic picture.

The cliché images were eagerly applied on posters meant to attract British, French, German and later also Americans tourists to Holland. To be sure, early 20th century Holland was already quite different in reality, as demonstrated by the presence of the railways themselves. But the visual language of clogs, windmills and tulips would remain unchanged during the rest of the century. Only the design styles changed, as well as the railway companies that issued the posters.

Die Winterreise. Snowy railway posters

Trains are the ideal transport mode in winter: mostly unaffected by slippery conditions and strong enough to withstand snowstorms. Railway companies advertised these characteristics on their winter posters, but even more often they promoted winter sports destinations. Especially when cars were still less reliable and flights too expensive, the train was the preferred means of transport to ski resorts.

Snowy railway posters from the beginning of the 20th century onwards not only show that ski fashion changed and trains became electric. The design styles also evolved, with the photo poster eventually prevailing.

Inox et Grand Confort. French TEE carriages and posters around 1970

In the late 1960s domestic long-distance trains were added to the Trans Europ Express (TEE) network of first-class trains. Paul Arzens designed colorful TEE carriages and sharp-cut locomotives for the French national railways.

Matching posters for these SNCF carriages were created by graphic designer Philippe Foré. He played with lines and colors to express speed and strength. The posters promoted legendary trains such as the Mistral and Capitole.

Restaurez-vous. Dining and drinking at the railways

An exhibition at the Dutch Railway Museum in Utrecht, titled Toasties Truffles Trains, tells about food and drink in trains and stations. It features real dining cars from several countries. Inspired by this exhibition, RETOURS showcases over thirty culinary railway posters from all over Western Europe. The posters, covering the whole of the 20th century, show that what you were served strongly depended on the period and price class.

Luxury trains offered lavish multi-course dinners and fashionable cocktails were mixed in special bar cars. French station buffets served traditional regional dishes, while 'rolling snackbars' originated from the same country. In the United Kingdom, British Rail sandwiches had a questionable reputation, just like the 'Honki Tonki' burgers in Dutch station restaurants.

Art Deco from the 1930s and 1980s. Railway posters by Pierre Fix-Masseau

The French designer Pierre Fix-Masseau was one of the creators of iconic railway posters of the Art Deco period. Like his mentor, the even more renowned designer A.M. Cassandre, Fix-Masseau specialized in depicting speed and progress on posters for trains, ships and cars.

50 years after the initial succes of his famous 'Exactitude' poster, Fix-Masseau's work witnessed a second blooming together with the revival of a legendary train. His retro posters referred to the 1930s, but fonts, colors and hairstyles reveal that they date from the 1980s.

The North-Holland Tramway. Posters and stations

Around 1900 the Netherlands had an intricate network of regional steam tramways. The North-Holland Tramway above Amsterdam was one of the first tram companies to actively advertise at the end of the 19th century. Domestic and foreign tourists were made aware of round trips to Marken and Volendam.

The early posters and the first wooden tram stations were designed by H.P. Berlage, who would become one of the most famous Dutch architects. He was the associate of the tramway's founder. Later posters were created by other designers, as was the tram boat station in front of Amsterdam Central Station, which became known as the North-South Holland Coffee House.

Bonne Nuit, Guten Morgen. Sleeping cars on railway posters

For train journeys lasting longer than a day, luxury sleeping cars were introduced in the late 19th century. They were operated by specialized companies such as Wagons-Lits and later Mitropa. The first decades the 'mobile hotels' were only available to the wealthy. Posters advertising overnight travel featured sleeping beauties and lots of dark blue.

After World War II affordable options became available for mass tourism, but some of the romance disappeared. By the year 2000 the number of overnight services declined sharply due to the rise of high-speed trains and cheap airline tickets. Because of climate change, night trains are currently experiencing a renaissance. Is the same true for posters?

Boat trains and train ferries. Railway posters as shipping posters

Some railway posters are also shipping posters. In the second half of the 19th century, boat trains were introduced that linked to ferry services, which were often set up by railway companies. The two modes of transport complemented each other with transfers directly on the quay

Boat trains provided connections to short crossings from England and Scandinavia to the European mainland. They also connected to large ocean liners departing for other continents. A special case were train ferries that enabled trains to roll-on and roll-off for an uninterrupted travel experience. Boat trains have inspired some of the most successful railway posters.

Taj Mahal and windmills. Railway posters by William Spencer Bagdatopoulos

In 2023 I didn't have much time for RETOURS because I was working on books and magazines. But there is a new edition at the last minute! It is shorter than previous episodes, and that will also be the formula in the coming year: shorter and hopefully more frequently.

The artist William Spencer Bagdatopoulos (1888-1965) was of Greek-British descent, but he spent his youth and education in the Netherlands. After a long journey through the Middle East, he specialized in orientalism, the romanticized representation of the East by Western artists. Bagdatopoulos, whose signature reads 'Bylityilis', was also an advertising artist and the two sides came together in a series of posters for the Indian State Railways. Most famous became his posters for luxury Pullman trains, in which he presented the wealthy clientele in a fashionable way.

Little boy, large locomotive. History of an iconic image

The famous photo of a toddler near a giant steam locomotive is exactly one century old this year. It was reused on many railway posters, both in Great Britain and abroad. The iconic image also inspired competitors and artistst to create variants and parodies, even recently.

The picture could become such a success because parents recognized their own children, who were also impressed by the huge machines. Almost every boy at one time or another was dreaming of becoming an engine driver. For girls with such feelings was less attention in the twentieth century.

Cartes kilometriques. Distance maps of European railways

Distance maps or 'Carte kilometriques' show the distances or travel times between stations. Some distance maps are standard topographic maps with numbers on them, others have a schematic design or look more like diagrams. Travellers can plan their journey by adding up the distances or by writing down the times.

Often, all railway stations in a country or area are indicated, resulting in very detailed maps with a lot of information. In such cases, a clear design is essential for comprehensibility.

GDR railway posters: Eisenbahnen in Volkes Hand

Even though there was no competition in the socialist system, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was not completely devoid of advertising. Political propaganda could be seen everywhere, but posters for concerts, exhibitions and movies were also present. Product advertisements also existed. These were primarily meant to create a favorable impression of the country's state, even if products were scarce and the selection limited. Advertising was also used by the GDR's railways, called Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR), to promote new timetables, discounts, vacancies or tourism. Here too, posters mainly created the illusion that there was a lot to choose from. Foreign destinations were limited: most people were only allowed to travel within the Eastern Bloc. Generally, the designs of railway posters were on par with those in the West.