Although the contrast is supposedly between trains of 1837 and 1897, I love the way the speed of "Now" is transferred to the cartoonishly running passengers. Somehow it works visually to suggest surging energy from the oncoming (stationary) engine. And note the two classes of cars in Then, the Pullman car in the background of Now. The whole page might supply an older character's memory. Each vignette might yield a story or a plot point. Small details can add just the needed authentic touch. What would you do with it?
An afterthought: If you are going somewhere for Thanksgiving, what about taking a train instead of flying? The contrast of today and forecasts for sixty years hence should make us all lower our carbon footprint!
From the children's book, Victoria's Toy Book, via Poul Webb's Art and Artists.