Trains in Restaurants

[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.

[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]

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]

[Anonymous]

My buddy and I used to take care of a couple train layouts at a pizza restaurant while homeported in Yokosuka, Japan (US Navy 1995-99) There was an N scale layout under plexglass, and a ceiling-mounted G scale layout in the back room. We had the time of our lives there! Free food and drink, and in return...we took care of the trains, decorated the place for the holidays, and that same friend of mine would work on the RagTime player piano. It was a great alternative to staying on that @#$?©%& ship.

[Anonymous]

A few years ago I ended up eating at a truck stop at a gas station in Calgary, Alberta. It was actually a pretty good restaurant. Running around on the edge of the ceiling was a G scale train pulled by a GP-38 or something simmilar in CP's old maroon/grey paint scheme. The train had a GN caboose on it, though. It think it may have been on some kind of a timer where it would run for 20 minutes and then stop for 20 minutes. Also in the restaurant there was a couple of O. Winston Link prints on the walls with neaon lights on them and I noticed a G scale battery operated floor engine sitting on a shelf with some other decorations.

Last year I ate at a restaurant in Drumheller, Alberta (famous for being a dinosaur town with lots of dinosaur skeletons having been found in the area) at a restaurant called WHIFS (Waffles Hamburgers Icecream Flapjacks Sundaes). In a Drumheller guide of places to eat it, it mentioned that WHIFS had trains running. It wasn't the greatest restaurant I've eaten at. Besides the trains, the place was actually extremely plain inside. Suspended from the ceiling was a complex array of G scale track with several switches. There was a variety of locomotives (including a lot of very high-end expensive ones) and rolling stock scattered around it. Not a single train ran the whole time I was there. A parent with some kids asked if the trains could run and a waitress went behind the counter and turned on a transformer and tried pushing one of the trains, but it didn't move. Obviously these people should learn how to maintain their trains properly. I think it comes down to laziness, which is really a shame considering how much money was probably put into it.

[cnw1995]

The Choo Choo Cafe in Des Plaines is only open for breakfast and is pretty darn popular - my son and I drove for a hour down there to visit. They have special flats carrying the plates. There are a few bars I've been in that have 'overhead' train tracks. There's a restaurant in Barrington (IL) that I pass on my commute that allows you to sit in a caboose and eat - it is right off the former C&NW main line on the Harvard sub. On the south side of Chicago's Loop on Congress Pkwy. is an old fashioned diner like the Kline one - that looks like its made out of a railcar. Now that I think of it - both the Fox River Trolley museum and the IL Railway Museum also runs an occasional dinner train (Trolley) that are just a great experience.

[Anonymous]

When I was stationed in San Diego, we'd drive down to Chula Vista, CA (about 10 miles for us) to a place called 'Po' Boy's'. The theme was country cooking, made simple, you drank out of mason jars.

Anyway, they had a G-scale 4-4-0 pulling a few passenger cars around the walls about 8 feet off the floor. It was okay, but after a couple of minutes, the boredom factor set in and you stopped watching it. I can understand why it was up off the floor, and maybe it fascinated younger customers, but nothing like it would have had it been lower and more visible to them.

[Anonymous]

My wife grew up in a section of the Bronx called "Parkchester." There was a big Macy's department store in the middle of the area's commercial district, near an el. I forget which line ran on the el. In any event, there as a small greasy spoon / diner type place near the Macy's that had train train tracks running along the counter. If you sat at the counter, your food would be delivered by the train.

My mother-in-law used to take her kids there after they visited the dentist as a treat.

Sadly, the place is now defunct.

Tony

[jprampolla]

Hi Folks,

There was a restaurant just outside of Baltimore in the 1950s called “Hamburger Junction.” However, aside from the prices being very high, the husband and wife that ran the place appeared to be rather unpleasant people on at least one occasion. Upon sitting at the counter, I remember being sternly told by the woman not to touch the train (or track), and it was so offensive to me that the whole event became a bad memory. I was a very well behaved child, actually rather shy, so not only was the nasty warning unnecessary, it was not the kind of attitude to present to a child, or the way to grow a business. I suspect that perhaps somebody had previously caused some damage or derailment, and owners were having a very bad day. Anyway, if I remember correctly the food was delivered to the counter by rail, the plate on a flatcar of sorts. I don’t remember the beverages being delivered by rail. Great idea, but not a good attitude. Perhaps one day I could ‘overwrite’ the bad memory with a wonderful time in another place with food delivered by rail. Perhaps Hooters should have a Choo Choo division. That would be fun for the whole family!

Take care, Joe.

[ChiefEagles]

Hey "Eye", you crack me up this AM. Almost spit coffee on the key board. Good to start the day with a laugh. Spanky, that looks like a place to go. Enjoy and God bless.

[spankybird]

Hi All,

This is a place in Eire, PA. I have never been there, but I am planning on a one tank trip and dinner this summer.

It say’s

QUOTE: “Inside the nostalgic atmosphere of The Station there lies one of a kind dining in the original train car. Part of the dining car is located in the dinner theatre and the other in the traditional restaurant. For more information or reservations regarding our dining car, call the Station Restaurant and Tavern.

Here is their web page

http://www.canterburyfeast.com

maybe someone from this area knows them??


Tom

[Buckeye Riveter]

I know a place where you can be served "train food"! There is a vending machine out in the hall at work that has food that looks [:(!] and taste [:(] like that served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited. [:D]

[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.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by joelyons

A lot of good recommendations here...keep 'em coming!

Big_Boy_4005 - It was Spirit Mountain. Afterwards we went to Bimidji (sp?) to see Paul
Bunyan.

I know Paul and Babe well, I spent 7 summers in Burrrrrmidji (Bemidji)[;)]
Now that you mention it, the the old depot there was turned into a restaurant, and I've eaten there a number of times. It was one of the fanciest places in town (which ain't sayin much).[(-D][(-D][swg][swg][dinner]

[Anonymous]

Durango, Colorado, has a fine restaurant with a large HO scale layout and train themes throughout. Of course you will have to ride on the Durango-Silverton RR.

[Anonymous]

A lot of good recommendations here...keep 'em coming!

Big_Boy_4005 - It was Spirit Mountain. Afterwards we went to Bimidji (sp?) to see Paul
Bunyan.

[Anonymous]

The place in KC is called Fritz's. Like Sam said it is in Crown Center accross from Union Station and the Hallmark HQ. It is a greasy little diner type place that I actually enjoy more than I should. You order your food through a speaker kind of like Sonic then an overhead electric train brings your food to the table. It is unique and worth at least one visit.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the invite.

[spankybird]

Hi Carpenter Matt,

It’s about a 2 hour drive form Columbus to Willoughby. It all I-71 to I-90 east. An easy drive. It can be a one day, one tank trip. Come up and drop in to visit my layout, we even an a nice hobby – train store in Willoughby, your choices of places to eat. The train station in Mentor is on Station Street off Ohio Rt 615. It was a N-W station at one time. Bring Buckeye Riveter with you.

tom

[tsu sam]

Ollie's in west Tulsa, on Southwest Blvd, historic Rt. 66, along BNSF tracks (you can see some trains pass if you sit at the right window and aren't too short) has a bunch of overhead O and G gauge trains. They run every few minutes, with a fair amount of other train stuff. Must have about 4-5 different sets run. Pretty slick, good inexpensive food too.

One of the restaurants im the Crown Plaza, across from Union Station in downtown Kansas City also has a G gauge set-up running on overhead track. Never ate there though...

[Anonymous]

Buckeye riviter and spankybird, I'll check'em both out although it might be a bit of a drive from Columbus.

[dougdagrump]

Use to be a B-B-Q joint , Bubba's, here in town that had a G gauge that ran thru out the restaraunt. Since they closed I don't know which I miss the most, the RIBS or the TRAINS !!

[macdannyk1]

There's a deli near Santa Cruz, CA that has trains running around (haven't been there) and there's Sam's BBQ in San Jose, CA on Bascom Ave. which has a G-Gauge around the room shelf layout. The weird thing is it also has sound effects, like cows moo-ing. Almost makes you feel guilty as you chow down on some beef...

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by joelyons

Big_Boy_4005,

I once visited my college roomate in Minnesota. He was from Minneapolis, but we went to Duluth to go skiing. At the end of the day I said I was beat and let's go. He made me wait at the bottom while he got one more run in. He wiped out on that last run and broke his bindings. At least I knew when to quit!

At least the bindings worked, and he didn't break his leg. [;)]Lutsen or Spirit Mountain?

[spankybird]

Hey Buckeye, there is a restaurant in Mentor Oh, (just east of me) that is in a converted train station. Its the same idea. It just change owner, so I don't know the name of it.

tom

[Anonymous]

Went to my grandson's birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheese kids'
restaurant a couple of years back and noticed that they had a small
(about 4 X 6) Lionel layout that when you inserted a Quarter into the
slot it would run for about 3 minutes. It had a couple of operating
accessories (crossing gate, stationary whistle, blinking billboard)
that were activated by insulated track sections. Looks like it was
commercially built for applications such as this. It ran very well and
seemed popular with the 3-9 year olds that were there.

[Buckeye Riveter]

Oh! You guys are talking about toy trains in restarurants. Well, if you want to see the real thing at speed less than 15 feet away from you, just pick out an outdoor table at The Station Restarurant in Berea, Ohio this summer. Over 200 trains a day pass this great little restaruant on the mainline tracks of the CSX and NS.

Carpenter Matt,
From Columbus head north on I-71 to Cleveland, Exit at Bagley Road in Berea and head west. Turn right on Front Street and just before you cross the CSX tracks the Station Restarurant is on the left with free parking. The beer is cold and the onion soup is the best in Ohio.

At the west end of the old station on any given day you will see the local rail fans with their radios watching those big freight enter Cleveland.

[spankybird]

Hi All,

We live in a place called Willoughby, Ohio, which in the 1910-1020 era was the hub for the CPE railroad. That’s the Cleveland, Painesville, and Eastern Railroad. This was a trolley railroad which run from Cleveland, Ohio to Willoughby to Painesville then east to Eire, PA and then to Buffalo, NY.








And you wonder how I came up with my downtown for my layout??



With Willoughby being the hub, it had the power station, car repair shop and of train station. The power station is now a micro brewery, www.willoughbybrewing.com the power house is a first class restaurant www.gavis.com and the station is a tavern, all with train theme showing their history.

Go to www.willoughbyohio.com and check it out.

tom

[Anonymous]

Big_Boy_4005,

I once visited my college roomate in Minnesota. He was from Minneapolis, but we went to Duluth to go skiing. At the end of the day I said I was beat and let's go. He made me wait at the bottom while he got one more run in. He wiped out on that last run and broke his bindings. At least I knew when to quit!

[Anonymous]

Uncle J,

Now that sounds like fun!