Trains in Restaurants

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ChiefEagles

Now, how about "train food" in restaurants. Are there any around the country that offer dinner car menus? Went to a special meeting of a train watchers club. They had a local restaurant offer the menu from the old Seaboard dinner car. Tables set just like the dinner cars of old days and served just like the old dinner cars. Pretty good.

Interesting question. Here's a little story along those lines.

My brother in law just completed chef school. For one of his classes he had to create a menu with a theme.

Knowing that I was into trains, that was the theme he chose, and promptly asked me for help. I had to do a little leg work, but managed to track down a copy of a long out of print book called Dinner In The Diner. As the title suggests, its full of receipies and stories from railroads all over the country, all pre Amtrak of course. I think he got an "A"!![;)][:D][:D]

[NYSubway18]

Off the top of my head, I can think of 5 great places. In NYC there's a diner "Stardust Diner" on 51st and Broadway, and the outside looks like an old subway car.

In Valhalla, NY, there's a restaurant made out of an old train car, and it is adjacent to the Valhalla Metro North station, so you see trains go by all day.

When I was a kid we used to go to Pizza & Brew in Scarsdale, NY and they had seating that was like sitting in an old train car.

I forget the name of it, but there was a great restaurant in or near Stroudsberg, PA that's near a train line, and has trains running overhead all over the restaurant.

Lastly, when my wife and I were in Columbus, Ohio last summer for a wedding, we stopped at a McDonald's that had a small layout (I think it was N-Scale) in it. Pretty cool.

I'm currently building a bar in my house, and it will have a subway running around the wal up near the ceiling. :D

[Big_Boy_4005]

Does anyone remember the old Victoria Station restaurant chain. That was always a fun place to eat. I remember going to a number of them around the country.

[spankybird]

The other day when I was at our local hobby shop, they had a cook book – menu of the C & O Railroad. [2c]

tom

[NYSubway18]

Yes, Elliot! That place was great. We had one in Yonkers, NY when I was a kid. It was almost a whole train! It was a sad day when they tore that place down. [:(]

[cnw1995]

Speaking of McDonald's - there's one on Rt 14 in Crystal Lake, IL that has a train theme - and the restaurant's seating area is an actual passenger car sitting on its trucks on a piece of track - you get your food and walk upstairs into the car - there are small tables and seats along the sides. You exit by the door at the front of the car and go down outside stairs.

[Anonymous]

NY Subway 18:

I drive by the Valhalla train station on my way to & from work each day, unless the traffic on the Taconic is facokt. And I've even eaten in that restaurant, though we weren't seated where you could se the trains.

I don't believe I've been to Pizza & Brew in Scarsdale, though.

Tony

[NYSubway18]

Hey Tony,

I see you're not too far from me. I drive past the Valhalla Station also on the way to work, when I'm on the day shift. When I work nights, I take the Sprain straight to 287. At 8am, though the 287 exit off the Sprain is too ugly to deal with - plus the construction near Exit 4.

[Anonymous]

joekc6nlx,

I remember that Po Boy's. I enjoyed dining there.

I also just remembered that the Holiday Inn Family Suites in Orlando Florida is train themed. They even have a mini train that drives you around the hotel to get to your room as well as train memorbilia in the restaurant and a layout in the lobby.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Another one, I forgot about especially for you B&O fans.

Just south of Interstate 70 on the Ohio River, at Bellaire, Ohio you will find:
http://www.stratuswave.net/~wd8jik/bridge/bellaire.htm

You can watch both the trains and boats

[Anonymous]

There is a restaurant outside of Annapolis on the Narrows Rts. 50/301 that has an overhead G gauge train rambling overhead in the restaurant. I found it distracting.
Bill
www.modeltrainjournal.com

[Anonymous]

spankybird,

I'm sorry, I just have to offer a small correction: the depot on Station Street in Mentor was built by the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern.

The freight house on the north side of the (now CSX) tracks has been in continuous use as a welding shop as far back as I can remember. The station was idle; the Fracci's, who lived just north of the freight house, bought the station parcel and sought a permit to remodel it into a restaurant. I'm not sure why their plans were rejected, but rejected they were, and the family built two whole new buildings in the same style at the corner of Center Street and Tyler roads - Spudnuts, and the tavern that's had a pretty disreputable history.

Once the station was placed on the Register and the Fraccis came up with a different plan, they did make it into a restaurant; they kept the original structure, roof, and interior walls intact and added the kitchen, restrooms, and dining rooms by means of temporary aluminum additions. This place has kept the "Gatsby's" name through several changes in ownership, but it's been closed since last summer.

spankybird and Buckeye Riveter, why don't we pitch in to buy it and build up a trainshop? (I'll tell you why - because my family needs to eat!)

[spankybird]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the update. I has been a while since I have been there. I guess so, if they have been closed for almost a year. I used to like to have lunch there. I know you don't live too far from me, drop me an e-mail and maybe we can get together.



tom

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rick H.


spankybird and Buckeye Riveter, why don't we pitch in to buy it and build up a trainshop? (I'll tell you why - because my family needs to eat!)

Sounds good to me. Where do I send my ten bucks?

[GregM]

It been a while since I have been there so I am not sure if the trains are still there anymore, but one of the restaurants at Akron's Quaker Square had an LGB train or trains suspended from the ceiling. The was also a large LGB layout in an upper room that replaced a large O gauge layout. For a while some of the original O gauge layout was displayed in the restaurant waiting area .

[spankybird]

HI Greg,

It has been a while since I have been there also, last time was in ’97. We (my girlfriend – now wife and I) took the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad trip from Cleveland to Akron. We went to Quaker Square and had lunch there. It was my wife birthday, she loves me so.

I do not believe it is open any more.


By the way



What part of Ohio are you in??

Tom

[GregM]

Live just east of the Akron Canton airport.

Thanks for the welcome.

[spankybird]

HI Greg,

I get down that way about every other month, to meet my wife’s X when he is returning his daughter from a weekend visit.

I think we should have a NE Ohio forum meet this summer. We could get you and Buckeye and other ones from Columbus area to meet with me and Rick, and any other that are in the area.



tom

[FJ and G]

"Trains in Restaurants"
-----------------------

There's one near me close to Haymarket VA off Rt 66; trains go around the restaurant.

How about Restaurants in Trains?

I'd like to see a dining car in my VRE train and coming home, a beer and lounge car would be a nice addition after a hard day at the office! Some dancing girls too would be nice.

dave

[rlplionel]

Some of the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurants have an old trolley car inside the restaurant with tables that you can sit down and eat.

Also, there was a coffee shop in the Ormsby House Hotel and Casino in Carson City, NV that had a train running on a shelf along the restaurant's walls near the ceiling. The train was modelled after the old Virginia & Truckee RR.

[southshoreline]

It's been a while but the Village Inn in Buchanan Michigan has a large scale train that ran around the ceiling. Good sandwiches, home made soup, and family friendly.

[Anonymous]

I believe that there's a restaurant called Choo Choo Junction in Evergreen Park, IL, where an O Gauge train delivers food along the lunch counter. If I recall correctly, its on S. Kedzie Av. betwenn W. 91st St. and W. 92nd St.

[dougdagrump]

Reviving an oldie, with a twist.
Try searching E-Bay Real Estate, commercial properties. There is an outfit in Ga. selling a railway dining car.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Us Buckeyes should be ashamed. We have the best train related establishment in Akron, Ohio - Quaker Square. Real trains, model trans, train cars, steam engines, pictures of trains and the Amtrak Station.

Spanky says the best train store in the NE is in Akron.

[CSXJOE]

joelyons:

The restauraunt you mentioned in the lead post is CB Huntington's in Bayville NJ.

There is also a private HO club in the basement.

Back in the 1950's there was a place called Hamburger Express in downtown Newark NJ where your food was delivered by a Lionel train that ran on the counter.

[Anonymous]

The one I remember eating in last is called the Bubble Room and is in Sanibel, which is a resort off the west coast of Florida. They have very good casual food, large cakes and other sweets, decent burgers, etc. They have a G-guage (I think) running around near the ceiling and the entire place has a "fun" theme.

[Dave45681]

There is a restaurant called Front Street Station somewhere not too far from the Weaver factory in Northumberland, PA. Lunch there was part of the Weaver factory tour run by OGRR last October. I don't remember the town the restaurant is in, sorry.

Anyway, it is a restaurant right near some railroad tracks. Inside the restaurant, you are flanked by a real life passenger car on each of the long sides of the room. You can walk up into at least one of the cars, I believe the one facing the tracks that are in use.

As for the original topic:

There is a McDonalds on the PA Tpke (Rest Stop just before Exit 326 Westbound(formerly 24 - Valley Forge / King of Prussia)) that has 2 loops of G Gauge trains hanging from the ceiling in the center of the restaurant. There is also a G layout (~20' x 10'), but when I was there a few weeks ago, it seemed to have fallen into a state of disrepair, it literally looked like an earthquake hit it. I didn't often see the loops on the ceiling run in the past (could be since I was there early in the AM), but you used to be able to push a button on the layout and the trains would run for a few laps. There's also PRR stock certificates and other train memorabilia on the walls.

There also happens to be a place called Ruby's Diner within the King of Prussia Mall (Exit 326 of Tpke) that has G gauge trains running around the ceiling. I went there for lunch last summer sometime, and they were running. There's also some Harley Davidson motorcycles displayed on elevated platforms in between some of the tables. My understanding is that Ruby's is a chain out West, so maybe some from out that way have heard of it. This is the only one I know of though.

[Anonymous]

In Green Bay the Title Town Brewery has the real deal, the the old Wisconsin Central , CN right outside the door.Food was good beer really good, SD45 's excellent.

[passengerfan]

Don't know if they are still their but McDonalds on Ocean Blvd 1/2 block from Knott's Berry Farm and the Restaurant believe it is poor boys at Movieland Wax Museum two blockds from Knott's one had LGB the other had G scale operating inside.

[Anonymous]

The McDonalds on the west side of Stillwater, Oklahoma has a large scale train running on over track. In Peoria there is a resturant that has two madison cars connected to the main resturant in which you can dine in. I loved to go there when I was little.