Nostalgia & History > Whatever happened to Victoria Station

Most of us remember the Victoria Station restaurants, and the huge slabs of prime rib served therein. Larkspur, San Francisco, Oakland, Denver, etc. all had them.

I was looking for something entirely different and came upon this site for a book about it:
http://www.vicsta.com/

and, there is a gallery section, where, if you click the "see more" you can see the SF branch being built and in various stages of operations - the railroad cars involved are hard to identify, but some of the best aspects are photos of the 70s in/around these restaurants.

Here's another Victoria Station link, an employees reunion website which has memorabilia including menus:

http://www.vsreunion.com/

Victoria Station must have been a great place to work if there is this kind of website.

Victoria Station was not merely a U.S. chain. We had one in Montreal.

KG

Bankruptcy, I believe did the chain in!

Posted from Android

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

Atlanta too, at the southeast corner of Piedmont and Lindbergh. Pep Boys there now. About 1000 feet from the ex-Southern main line and 1500 feet from the ex-SAL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Station_(restaurant)

Los Angeles *Hollywood) had one right in the middle of the Universal Studios theme park.

--=Jim Baker

There was a VS on the border of Cupertino/Sunnyvale on Homestead Road, not far from where Apple Computer plans to build its future spaceship campus. The VS building with its four boxcars and caboose was reopened as other restaurants over the years. Not sure if anything remains.

We had one in Dallas, Park Lane @ Greenville Ave. Went there once
as a 11-12 year old, and was awestruck. They had a big, big picture
in the lobby of the Super Chief (Warbonnet F's) train lead by a steamer
rounding what I think now is Sullivan's Curve. I have seen that picture
or painting since then so it must be a rather famous one. I think there
was also one in the Fort Worth area, and one in far north Dallas. I also
rfemember one could get a table in a freal train car that was part of the
restaurant.

Wiki page here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Station_(restaurant)

Maybe it ended up a 'secret'...

JimBaker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Los Angeles *Hollywood) had one right in the
> middle of the Universal Studios theme park.
>
> --=Jim Baker

And that one had the old gates leading to the platforms from the real Vic Station in London. And that one is still there and being used by a few trains....LOL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/30/14 17:57 by masterphots.

Another Victoria Station story. I remember all the great British railway memorabilia on the walls throughout the restaurants. When they closed I thought about trying to contact someone about buying stuff for my collection. Never did though.

Years later an acquaintance had a diesel name plate from a retired British Rail unit and was looking to Ebay it. It was aluminum where the plates from that class of loco were brass. Turns out Vic Station bought a bunch of stuff from BR (anyone remember Collector's Corner at Euston Street station?) and then made a bunch of copies for the restaurants. So who knows what was original and what was a copy on the walls? The SF location on the Embarcadero had a smokebox front with Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes Barre, PA cast in. A really cool item but again, real or recast?

I went to a few VS locations... food was ok nothing to really rave about. In early 90's when the restaurants went BK went to several of the auctions and bid on some items///

There was one in Memphis as well. Long gone, and I think the railroad equipment was scrapped on site.

There was one in Sacramento and I believe we went to one in Jenkintown PA when I visited my cousin who lived in Horsham PA. IIRC, the food was typical steak house fare but one went there for the ambiance etc.
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

From my collection. From the "Marin" restaurant.

Howard

---

---

There was one in Charlotte, NC at Albemarle Rd. & Sharon Amity. Food was not great.

LOVE the prices!!!!! :-)
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

I believe this was 1980 as I took my son there for his 16th birthday.

Howard

Didn't the Universal Studios in So. Calif Victoria Station use a couple of the Flying Scotsman cars? Are they still there or all cut up? Food was not that good and overpriced.

Watts local

There was one near my former home in Austin, Texas. It was along the NB frontage road of I-35, at the US 290 exit to Houston. Now it is a Cajun restaurant called Pappadeaux, I believe.

I ate at this VS one time and never went back. Food was mediocre, and service was terrible at this location. As I remember, the décor was a combination of English and U.S. railroads.

Mark
Salem, Oregon