Thread: Railroad Dining Cars

Any of you guys have memories of eating in the dining car on passenger trains.

I lived in Davenport, IA in 1953 to 1956 and every summer my aunt would come up from Alabama and get me and take me South for the Summer. We would drive across the river to Rock Island, Illinois, catch the train to Chicago, get the L & N Train at LaSalle St. Station. The train was called the Georgian which went to Atlanta. then change on into Gadsden, AL I remember those large club sandwich's they served to this day.

After I went to work for the Southern Railway, would ride trains from Birmingham, AL to Washington, DC and from Birmingham to New Orleans, LA. Breakfast was Steak O Lean and two fried eggs, lemon/water juice and coffee. Lunch was Club Sandwich's like on the L & N Steak or Prime Rib for the evening meal.

I don't know how the food is on Amtrak as I have not been on a train in over 10 years.

Traveling by train was to me the most enjoyable way to travel.

Im a bit younger than you 😜 but I do like a train journey and I don't really like flying.

Im off on first class to London for a business trip this month. Looking forward to it.

I would love to have a nice meal in a dining carriage. There is a steam train in Aviemore that has a dining carriage. And if it was just the wife and i we would have when we were up there. But not sure the kids would appreciate it as much as we would.

Geek

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For several summers in the early 1950's I accompanied my Mom on a trip from Los Angeles to Kansas City Mo on the Santa Fe. Great club sandwich's, or a hamburger and fries. Pancakes for breakfast or scrambled eggs and bacon. Good times with my Mom.

About 8 years ago the wife and I took the Coast Starlight from the San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle and went first class. It was a lot of fun and the service was impeccable. Hot coffee and a newspaper brought into our cabin in the morning to start the day. Apparently first class passengers got a preference for meals so there was no waiting in lines. Food was outstanding. We both loved Seattle. Stayed at the Edgewater Hotel which is built on a pier. We had the last room out at the end of the pier. The room opened out on a nice private deck area and enjoyed breakfast watching the ferry's and other ship traffic with the occasional orca pod swimming by. It was also good for afternoon cigar breaks.

When I traveled, other than by car and the rare flight, it was always by train. Many times Chicago to various west coast or Colorado destinations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining car, snacks in the club car. At first it was coach when I was younger and could stand the tumult of a coach car full of humanity of all ages. Later, Pullman car where you could slide a door closed, draw the blinds and be as isolated as you would want. CD player, earphones and a couple of good books got me from West Coast to Chicago in comfort. I am still amazed at how the maitre d' in the dining car always knew my name and would seat me with interesting people to converse with during the meal.

Only travelled once by rail here in Canada as a youngster so no real memories of that. We haven't had passenger rail service through out town since January 1990. We have been able to travel by rail in other countries and the last dining car we ate in was this one. The food was excellent, the people interesting and the scenery good. The older I get the more I enjoy travel by train.

Bob

I have taken two trips on Amtrak from Illinois to Raton, New Mexico. The trip is 19 hours so we have made a point to at least eat breakfast in the dining car. Enjoyable and the food was decent. They kept the coffee flowing so I was happy.

Our next long trip out west we are considering the train - flying just isn't fun anymore.

Recently I was talking with a friend and we were discussing eating on the train and he brought up Club or Lounge Cars. He ask me if I had ever drank Old Fitzgearld whiskey. I told him that I did not think I had. He said if I ever ordered a drink with bourbon in a club car it was probably made with Old Fitzgearld I looked up this whiskey and found that it was the popular whiskey served on steamships and the railroads. Also it was a standard whiskey kept In the White House. I pride myself on knowledge of railroad lore but missed the boat on this one. Anyone here ever tasted this whiskey.?

This is exactly why I dubbed the Breakfast thread "Breakfast car" Never been on a ship or train but, I've always been romanced by the idea of eating a meal while traveling long distance on either. And those dining cars are always so fancy looking right down to the plates and flatware with their personalized logos. Good topic....+1. Someday I would love to travel the Trans Siberian on the first class cars.

Last time I traveled by rail was in the mid 80's and we were told that there were no Amtrak dining cars east of the Mississippi because of bridges. Given that we were traveling from Davenport to Boston with a baby, that was not exactly ideal.

Now why would that be? Never heard that before. Can't see how bridges could negate the use of dining cars.