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New York City Bar and Grill Delivering Orders via Lionel Trains

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  • Member since
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New York City Bar and Grill Delivering Orders via Lionel Trains
Posted by Shock Control on Thursday, November 26, 2020 9:26 AM

My Dad told me about a place in NYC in the 1940s or maybe 1950s. It was a lunch counter/bar and grill kind of a place.  A stretch of O-gauge track ran across the length of the bar, and then circled back into the kitchen.  It carried a train with primarily flat cars.  When an order was ready, the dish was placed on a flat car, the train would start up, and the operator would stop the train when the flat car was in front of the respective patron.

Does anyone know that place I'm talking about?

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, November 26, 2020 9:54 AM

Is it one of the ones mentioned here?

http://foresthillstimes.com/view/full_story/25710325/article-A-trip-down-memory-lane-on-the-Hamburger-Train

 

https://placesnomore.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/the-hamburger-coach-of-glen-oaks/

I've heard of a Hamburger Express in Newark and there was mention of a restaurant in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx where there were tracks on the counter that brought your meal.

In the Cleveland area we had Revco drug stores where you gave your prescription at the front counter and the clerk placed it in a gondola of a Lionel train that ran it back to the pharmacist. Once your meds were ready they would arrive by train back to the front counter.

MY last visit to New York City I ate here:

 Jack_Dempsey's_Broadway_Restaurant by Edmund, on Flickr

I met Jack at the front door. He sure had a powerful handshake! I was about twelve at the time Smile

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by Shock Control on Thursday, November 26, 2020 10:13 AM

gmpullman
Is it one of the ones mentioned here?

Could be!  I didn't really that this was a thing for a while!  Thanks for sharing!

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Posted by NorthBrit on Thursday, November 26, 2020 11:25 AM

A few years ago a modeler in the UK had a garden railway.  Amongst the rolling stock he had a whisky train that had little (type of) faucet. Each tank car held one shot of whisky. Every so often when he fancied a drink, he would send the train round the layout.  He would stop it when it reached him he would pour himself  a drink.

 

David

   

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, November 26, 2020 11:40 AM

Daddy Dee's Ice Cream Parlor in North Fort Myers, Florida would deliver your order with a G scale train that ran behind the booths for a few years.

Later, they raised the track above the booths. I was told there was a health code reason for it. Something about your order passing by other tables before it arrived at yours.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by Shock Control on Thursday, November 26, 2020 1:18 PM

SeeYou190
Later, they raised the track above the booths. I was told there was a health code reason for it. Something about your order passing by other tables before it arrived at yours.

-Kevin

Yeah, I could imagine that being a factor now, unless they installed the equivalent of a sneeze guard around the bar.  

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Posted by York1 on Thursday, November 26, 2020 1:28 PM

There are two of these places in Kansas City -- one is across the street from the Kansas City Union Station.

The train is near the ceiling, and when it gets above your table, your food is lowered to the table.

 

York1 John       

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