Nostalgia & History > Ready for lunch - Southern Crescent -- Jan 79

The tables are set for lunch.
This was on the next to last southbound Southern Crescent between Atlanta and New Orleans before Amtrak took over.

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Nice! I like those diners much better than the Superliners.

WOW,real chairs that moved!I have measured the distance from the back of the
booth seat to the table in Amtrash diners.Both low level and bi-level.
There is hardly room to squeeze in there.Most larger people find
it difficult to get in and out.On some cars the table is just about
in my lap.You cannot get out without dragging the table cloth with you.
When they ruined the bi-level "lounge" cars by adding booths,they started
at one end using the same measurements for all of them.When they got to the
end (bulkhead)they had run out of room and made it smaller.Just try and
shoehorn into one of those.
Amtrash does not know what "service" is.Read some of the horror stories on TO.

Beautiful linen! Great railroad.


Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/12 14:31 by retcsxcfm.

Beautiful.

I believe those water pitchers had the winged foot of Mercury on the lid.

The lighted etched-glass dining-car panels with dogwood blossoms lasted until the end. A couple of Southern diners went to Amtrak, but the etched-glass panels were removed when Beech Grove converted the cars to Head End Power.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/10/12 01:14 by knotch8.

Beautiful car, beautiful service, beautiful photo.

I rode in 1977 from Washington D.C. to New Orleans. Nothin' could be finer.

~ BZ

The thing you don't get in a photo is that wonderful smell you get when you walk into a diner. A few years ago I had the chance to experience the diner that the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum operates. Upon walking in that smell immediately takes me back 40+ years.

Even though the table setup is a lot simpler than in years past it still evokes the care and class that I associate with dining car operations.

Tim