Nostalgia & History > Midweek Menu - Chicago Great Western

This is another case of where I have a menu but very little else to go on. CGW was out of the passenger business by 1966 and of course was merged with the Chicago North Western in 1968 with much of its trackage abandoned by CNW. I don't know what, if any dining car service was left by the end of passenger service.

This menu is from about 1910. The liquor offered was certainly better than the food choices!

Images 1,2 & 3 - Front cover and inside pages of the menu.

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Image 1: Back cover of the menu
Image 2: Magazine ad from 1913
Photo: Interior of a CGW diner from 1902.

If anyone has any later photos or menus from the CGW I would love to see them.

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The line to Omaha is still in the future.

Absolutely fascinating menu - and such meager choices. But you sure could get boozed up!

Thanks for this Midweek Menu!

Lee Hower - Sacramento

I always find in interesting how many dining car menus featured tongue as a choice, even post WW II. I had tongue one time as a kid, asked my Grandma what it was like and she still knew how to cook it, never ate it since.

Jim

I still see tongue on menus overseas. Been a while since I've seen it on a menu here. Tried it once and didn't care for it.

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> I always find in interesting how many dining car
> menus featured tongue as a choice, even post WW
> II. I had tongue one time as a kid, asked my
> Grandma what it was like and she still knew how to
> cook it, never ate it since.
>
> Jim

Same here Jim. Tongue sandwiches along with egg and onion sandwiches were a lunch staple those summer weeks I spent with my fathers parents in Corpus Christi, Tex. These days none of the local supermarkets have tongue, you need to go to a Mexican carniceria or a supermarket like Food City that's aimed at the Mexican market.

rantoul Wrote:
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> Note the fancy water choices. So, Perrier did not
> create the fancy water craze.
>
> The Omaha line was around 1902. Perhaps the Menu
> is earlier than 1910.

Noted. Some railroads dated their menus, CGW did not. I tried to estimate the date based on the prices on the menu. In fairness, from the turn of the 20th century until WWI inflation was very low, so the prices from 1902 to 1910 could easily be the same.

Gotta love cold hot dogs and beans.................:)

Cold pork and beans with a pint of Veuve Cliquot -- yum!

colehour Wrote:
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> Cold pork and beans with a pint of Veuve Cliquot
> -- yum!

Consume the pint first, then you won't notice the cold pork and beans!

I'll have my bowl of chowder with a Guinness or three.....
AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Per Phil Borleske's article in the Oct 83 PTJ, the last on-board meal service on the CGW (sleeper service too) was on the Twin Cities-KC Mill Cities Limited #24-15, 12-23, dropped in 1950.
Dinners were served on veteran pullmans 8sec-1cpmt-diner lounge Old Elm Club and Rochester Club. The Mill Cities operated on a 17 and half hour schedule between departure and arrival.
The cars did get the jazzy red and maroon early post war scheme. Thanks for posting the menu, though I suspect
this is a lunch menu and that an additional dinner menu was offered as well. .

The CGW reduced their passenger services the same time the Mill Cities Limited was dropped. What remained was coach only, no meal service or sleepers.

Posted from Android

And the last meal service on the "Mill Ciries" was operated by the Pullman Company.

The Maple Leak Route graphic is great!
I'm really surprised they had Guiness and Bass Ale.
Notice the hats hanging high above the dining room tables!
Thanks for the very rare and unusual post.

mp51w Wrote:
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> I'm really surprised they had Guiness and Bass
> Ale.

I was very impressed by the quality and variety of alcohol offered. I didn't realize Bass Ale was widely available in the U.S. that early.

Tim