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Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad lightweight dining car Silver Grill passes through Denver, Colorado on October 24, 1936. The galley is located at the windowless left end of the car, while the dining area comprises the balance.

A dining car (British English: restaurant car) or diner is a railroad passenger car that serves meals on a train in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. It is distinct from other types of railroad food service cars that do not duplicate the full-service restaurant experience, principally cars of various types in which one purchases food from a walk-up counter to be consumed either within the car or elsewhere in the train. Grill cars, in which customers sit on stools at a counter and purchase and consume food cooked on a grill behind the counter are generally considered to be an "intermediate" type of dining car. Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... Image File history File links OP-4865. ... Image File history File links OP-4865. ... The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (AAR reporting mark CBQ) was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. ... Nickname: Location of Denver in Colorado Location of Colorado in the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Colorado City-County Denver (coextensive) Founded [1] November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Government  - Type Strong Mayor/Weak Council  - Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area [1]  - City & County  154. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Restored passenger cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, WI. A passenger car is a piece of railroad rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. ... An SP freight train west of Chicago in 1992. ...

Before the inclusion of dining cars in passenger train became common practice, a rail passenger's only option for meal service in transit was to patronize one of the roadhouses often located near the railroad's water stops. Fare typically consisted of nothing more than rancid meat, cold beans, and week-old coffee. Such poor conditions understandably discouraged may Americans from making the journey westward. Most railroads began offering some form of meal service on their trains even before the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. By the mid-1880s, dedicated dining cars were a normal part of all long-distance trains departing from Chicago for points westward, save for those of the Santa Fe, who relied on America's first interstate network of restaurants to feed its passengers en route. The legendary "Harvey Houses," located strategically along the line, served top-quality meals to railroad patrons during water stops and other planned layovers and were favored over in-transit facilities for all trains operating west of Kansas City. This article refers to a railroad built in the United States between Omaha and Sacramento completed in 1869. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Fred Harvey (1835-1901) is the entrepreneur who developed the Harvey House lunch rooms, restaurants, and hotels, serving rail passengers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. ... Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ...

An interior of an ex-Western Pacific Railroad 72'-6" dining car in service on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, circa 1927. Image File history File links The interior of a Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad dining car circa 1927. ... Drumhead logos such as these often adorned the ends of observation cars on the Western Pacific Railroad. ... The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (AAR reporting mark DRG and DRGW) generally referred to as the Rio Grande, became the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1920, and is today a fallen flag (a railroad that has been absorbed into a larger system -- Union Pacific -- as the result...	An interior view of a Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad dining car kitchen shows a man in a chef uniform stirring a double boiler, surrounded by stainless steel pots, counters, cabinets, sinks, and faucets. The American Car and Foundry Company built this car in May, 1927. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... American Car and Foundry (often abbreviated as ACF) is a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. ...	The cramped, yet efficient galley aboard former Santa Fe dining car #1474, the Cochiti. The car (now restored to its mid-1940s condition) made its debut as a part of the Super Chief-2's inaugural consist. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2032x1524, 735 KB)The galley interior of former Santa Fe dining car #1474 (Cochiti), now on permanent display at the California State Railroad Museum. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...	The pantry aboard former Santa Fe dining car #1474, the Cochiti. Over a million meals were served in the car, which remained in service through the late 1960s. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2032x1524, 533 KB) The pantry on board former Santa Fe dining car #1474 (Cochiti), now on permanent display at the California State Railroad Museum. ... A pantry is a room in a domestic house used for food storage. ...
The dining car of the VIA Rail Canadian has here been prepared for the first call of morning meal service in the Spring of 2005 Image File history File links VIADiningCarA79. ... VIA Rail Canada (also referred to as VIA Rail and VIA; pronounced vee-ah) is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. ...

Dining cars are often prized for the manner in which they enhance the familiar restaurant experience by offering a unique form of visual entertainment, namely the ever-changing views of the world outside. While dining cars are less common today than they were in the past (having been supplemented, or in some cases replaced altogether by other types of food-service cars) they still play a significant role in passenger railroading, especially on medium- and long-distance trains.

An 1880s print advertisement extols the virtues of meal service aboard the Chicago and Alton Railroad.

As competition among the railroads intensified, dining car service was taken to new levels. When the Santa Fe rolled out its new "Pleasure Dome"-Lounge cars in 1951, the railroad introduced the traveling public to the Turquoise Room, promoted as "The only private dining room in the world on rails." The room accommodated 12 guests, and could be reserved anytime for private dinner or cocktail parties, or other special functions. The room was often used by the era's celebrities and dignitaries while traveling on the Super Chief. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1064x1412, 667 KB) Cropped from Image:1885 Chicago & Alton. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1064x1412, 667 KB) Cropped from Image:1885 Chicago & Alton. ... 1885 map The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago, Illinois to Alton, St. ... Cars such as Santa Fes Pullman-built lightweight Pleasure Dome-Lounge car #506, ordered specifically for the Super Chief in the early 1950s, remained in service well into the Amtrak era. ... This article is about the DC Comics character, for the Major League Baseball pitcher nicknamed Superchief see Allie Reynolds Super-Chief is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. ...

In one of the most common dining car configurations, one end of the car contains a galley (with a side aisle next to it, so that passengers can pass through that end of the car to other cars of the train) while the other end supports table or booth seating on either side of a center aisle. Trains with high demand for dining car services have sometimes featured "double-unit dining cars" consisting of two adjacent cars functioning to some extent as a single entity, generally with one car containing a galley plus table or booth seating and the other car containing table or booth seating only. In the dining cars of Amtrak's modern bilevel Superliner trains, booth seating on either side of a center aisle occupies almost the entire upper level, while the galley is below; food is sent to the upper level on a dumbwaiter. A French galley and Dutch men-of-war off a port by Abraham Willaerts, painted 17th century. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... This converted Auto Train lounge shows the typical exterior of Superliner cars. ... Dumbwaiter can refer to: a small elevator used to transport food or other items between floors of a building, see Dumbwaiter an American independent rock band, see Dumbwaiters (band) See also: The Dumb Waiter, a one-act play by Harold Pinter, written in 1957. ...

Today, a number of tourist-oriented railroads offer dinner excursions to capitalize on the public's fascination with the overall dining car experience.
A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...

References

• Foster, George H. and Peter C. Weiglin (1992). The Harvey House Cookbook: Memories of Dining along the Santa Fe Railroad. Longstreet Press, Atlanta, GA. ISBN 1-56352-357-4. 
• Luckin, Richard W. (1994). Mimbres to Mimbreño: A Study of Santa Fe's Famous China Pattern. RK Publishing, Golden, CO. ISBN 0-9626362-1-5. 
• Luckin, Richard W., dir. (DVD) (2003). Super Chief: Speed-Style-Service. RK Publishing, Golden, CO. 
• Porterfield, James D. (1993). Dining by Rail: The History and Recipes of America's Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine. St. Martin's Press, New York, NY. ISBN 0-312-18711-4. 
• Schafer, Mike and Joe Welsh (1997). Streamliners: History of a Railroad Icon. MBI Publishing Co., St. Paul, MN. ISBN 0-7603-1371-7. 

See also

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway #1310, heavyweight baggage-barbershop-buffet-library car San Diego, at Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 7, 1935.

• Dining aboard the Super Chief
• El Comedor
• Famous trains
• Fred Harvey Company
• List of named passenger trains
• Napa Valley Wine Train
• Passenger car
• Restaurant
• Troop kitchen
• Buffet car

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting marks ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States. ... A restored CN baggage car in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. ... The City of Colorado Springs is the second most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 49th most populous city in the United States. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... This article is about the DC Comics character, for the Major League Baseball pitcher nicknamed Superchief see Allie Reynolds Super-Chief is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. ... El Comedor (RI #428) is former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad dining car, built in 1947 by Pullman-Standard for the Golden Rocket, the train that never was. ... The ensuing list of Famous trains primarily includes those train routes that have come to be considered legendary both in recent times and during their past history. ... The Casa del Desierto (House of the Desert) located in Barstow, California is seen here in 2006. ... The following is a list of named passenger trains and some summary information about them. ... The Napa Valley Wine Train is operated by the Napa Valley Railroad (AAR reporting marks NVRR). ... Restored passenger cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, WI. A passenger car is a piece of railroad rolling stock that is designed to carry passengers. ... Toms Restaurant, a restaurant in New York made familiar by Suzanne Vega and the television sitcom Seinfeld A restaurant is an establishment that serves prepared food and beverages to order, to be consumed on the premises. ... In U.S. railroad terminology, a troop sleeper was a rail car which had been converted to serve as something of a mobile barracks for transporting troops distances sufficient to require overnight accomodations. ... A buffet car is a passenger car of a train, where snacks and drinks can be bought at a counter and consumed. ...

External links

• Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway No. 1471 Cochiti — photographs and short history of a Super Chief Dining Car built in 1936.
• Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society — restoration of two historic dining cars to recreate the dinner in the diner experience.
• Eureka Springs and North Arkansas Railway's dining car service

1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

References

• The American Railroad Passenger Car by John H. White, Jr. Two Volumes (1978) by Johns Hopkins University Press.
• ISBN 0-8018-2743-4 (pbk.: set: alk. paper)
• ISBN 0-8018-2722-1 (pbk.: v.1: alk. paper)
• ISBN 0-8018-2747-7 (pbk.: v.2: alk. paper)