View of the abandoned Grand Orient Express train in Belgium. Abandoned seven years ago, the once-luxurious train is crumbling in decay. (IMP Features/Brian Romeijn)

The golden age of train travel was a time when the journey didn’t take a backseat to the destination, when travelers watched changing landscapes fly by their windows, while enjoying luxurious amenities. Created in 1883, the Orient Express train ran between Paris and Istanbul (new routes were later developed) and was synonymous with luxury travel—and mystery.

And although it now lies dormant in Belgium, a Grand Orient Express train abandoned seven years ago still exudes the mystery of one of the world's greatest train journeys. Urban explorer and photographer recently captured images of the train, now crumbling in decay with its moth-eaten seats and rusty ceilings.

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The Rotterdam-based photographer says this eerie mystery is exactly what attracts him to abandoned sites. "When I step into an abandoned site it feels like stepping into a time machine," he said on his website. "I try to feel the emotions of it's past and that is what I want to show in my pictures."

Although they all come from an era many have forgotten, not all Orient Express trains have been left to rot. Every carriage of the train has been restored to its former glory, recreating one of the finest luxury experiences the world has ever known. It's now a private luxury train service that travels from London to Venice and other European countries. It aims to recreate the luxury experience the Orient Express is known for, offering opulent cabins and suites and five-star dining.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Vintage Photos from the Golden Age of Train Travel

A group of orphaned boys from the Dr. Barnardo's Homes leave Waterloo Station in London for a new life in Canada, April 1923. (Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)