Nostalgia & History > I wonder what the food was like?

This diner found refuge in MW service.  I do wonder how the food served up for MW crews was.  Green River, 1978.

John



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/18 05:20 by Korigaoka1811.

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Could npt ask for better food on this derrick diner, They make sure you were will fed and had a couple great chefs 

Agreed - I had some excellent meals in that same car in the summer of 1977 at Granger, Verne and Carter, WY. For some reason there were a rash of derailments near those locations in the summer of 1977, Amtrak got rerouted and UP President Kenefick even did a fly-by to see what was going on. I was in UP's Signal Department out of Rock Springs and Green River and we ended up doing a lot of clean-up including signals, pole lines and wires, signal houses, switch machines, insulated joints and rail bonds (still jointed rail). Not many fond memories of working Signal and bunk car life, but fine dining in the middle of outback desolation was a cherished experience. === === = === JLH



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/18 09:38 by highgreengraphics.

The derrick diners as well as our Snow plow bunk car were always stocked by the crews themselves. So they bought whatever they wanted to eat (steaks). The crews supplied their own cooks. I know in Cheyenne it was Herb and PeeWee who did the cooking when I worked there. On the snow plow it was generally either Steve or I while we were in control of the plows. Before us I believe they borrowed the car department cooks or got on from the commissary department who handled the cooking for the MOW crews.
I also did most of the cooking on our business car when Lynn, Mary, a power car operator and I traveled with the E's doing excursions.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY

When I had to go to the big UP main line wreck, back in 1964 (photos &  story in Classic Trains Magazine, some years ago), in Nebraska near Ogalala, they had two derricks, one from North Platte and one from Cheyenne. The food in both diners was truly spectacular, no matter whether breakfast, lunch, or supper. 

Bob,  how was the cooking done?  Still on Presto logs? 

I wonder about the lighting too. How was that powered given the long stationary positions.

I traveled as a volunteer fireman on the return trip from Railfair 91 and when lunch time came, Big Joe back in the Cabarton would stuff you full.   I remember BBQ Pork Steaks (Joe was from St. Louis) and by the time we were finished with lunch it was an effort to get up and go back to work.
Had dinner with Steve downtown on one of the cars and Joe had fixed the biggest butterfly shrimp I'd ever seen.  He was amazing.