This isn't 100% "train-related", but the thread title at least gives it that spirit. 
I ran across this video this morning, and the first thing I thought was, "I wonder if this was ever done when famous steam locomotives and/or popular passenger trains were retired?" Most steam locomotives and elite passenger train services were retired from day-to-day duty before I was born, upon the ushering in of the diesel era and air travel, respectively. So I can't speak first-hand of what happened back then. But I'm sure glad to see the 747 being given the respect it deserves after decades of stellar service. It really is/was an iconic air craft, and I flew it whenever I had the opportunity.
As more fuel-efficient planes were introduced on the scene, the 747's were pretty much relegated to international, long-haul travel. But I would often try to catch a "domestic leg" from Chicago to San Francisco back in the 80's and 90's when I worked for a company in Silicon Valley, and I'd use my frequent-flier miles to upgrade to Business Class on those 747's. Depending on how a particular 747 was configured, Business Class was sometimes "upstairs" on the second deck which was cool. And back in the early 1980's when frequent flier clubs were just getting started, not too many folks were competing for upgrades. So at the end of a long day, it was nice to "escape from it all" upstairs on the plane. And once, I recall sharing the entire upstairs deck with just a few other passengers. Almost felt like we had the whole plane to ourselves!!! Fun memories for sure.
It truly represented an era of "days gone by" air travel.
But I remember glancing forward as I boarded the flight and saw a fancy champagne fountain in the center of the lounge area up front. Some of the older movies of the time always depicted the lounge area of the 747's. Now THOSE were the glory days of flying. Eventually, the bean-counters won the battle of passenger revenue $$$ over fancy frills. And by the time I accumulated enough frequent flier miles to cash them in for 1st-class upgrades on a regular basis, the 747 lounges had been replaced with seating -- nice roomy seating for sure. But it would have been nice to enjoy the lounge area at least once while flying in those magnificent machines. 
But I started flying a decade too late. The 1970's represented the decade of Pan Am and the ultimate in luxury aircraft travel before the bean-counting culture took over American Business. 
Although I miss flying when it was a much more enjoyable experience, I don't miss flying at all nowadays amidst the pack-'em-in-like cattle culture.
