"The doors of the Pullman car had not yet swung open, but the bandmaster was already flailing his arms ferociously, and the orchestra struck up the English national anthem with a lusty heave. Mamontov, steadying his sabre, hurried towards the carriage"

"The doors of the Pullman car had not yet swung open, but the bandmaster was already flailing his arms ferociously, and the orchestra struck up the English national anthem with a lusty heave. Mamontov, steadying his sabre, hurried towards the carriage." Pullman cars, which became a byword for luxury and comfort in travel, are mentioned not only in "Quiet Flows the Don" but also by Bulgakov, Dreiser, Mayakovsky and Jack London.

The railway car of the capitalist Pullman, appointed in sumptuous rococo and spread along the rails of the whole world, produced the formula that the journey itself is as important as the destination. In my view, the standards of those years are unattainable in our day.

On the other hand, a ride in a Pullman car across the States cost a whole dollar!