schlimm [Ah yes. But Blue Streak1, who should we believe? Our little anecdotes, someone's lyin' eyes or the highway lobby?
[Ah yes. But Blue Streak1, who should we believe? Our little anecdotes, someone's lyin' eyes or the highway lobby?
CSSHEGEWISCHConsidering that dining-car service was historically a red-ink item (back to at least the 1920's), it's not surprising that bar service on suburban trains was also a money-loser.
I think it is surprising. A dining car is a white table cloth restaurant. There was silver and china with the railroad insignia. The New Haven couldn't even pay its fuel bill but its best trains had a proper dining car. And yes, no doubt it was expensive to run.
But New Jersey Transit's bar car was a stand that took up the space of two or three seats in the middle of the car with a bar man to serve you. In the morning there was coffee and rolls. In the evening there was liquor by the drink and some kind of snack food. If I had been operating it I bet I could have made a nice profit. But NJT couldn't manage it effectively.
But NJT does a lot of things very well and running its trains is one of them. In the morning I had a catering truck and in the evening at Hoboken Terminal there is a shop that sells beer, wine, whisky and gives you a set up. The rest I can handle myself as long as there is a train to ride.
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