Canadian Railroads > Ex-CN lunch counter diner at Halifax -- Dec 80

Lunch counter diner 425 is on the Atlantic ready for departure from Halifax.
Built in 1954 by P-S.
I've enjoyed meals in Santa Fe lunch counter cars but this one had the longest counter I have ever seen in a car.

Gary

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Very nice photos. Good to see both the exterior and interior. Maybe someone has the menu.

I ate in one on a Montreal - Toronto train in 1970. Very nice, though your back is to the window.

Very nice! If you just think of the variety of rail cars that were out there between 1940 and 1970, it's truly amazing at what was built, the ingenuity behind it, and how to stuff anything and everything into a rail car for a long distance travel experience. 

I ate at an L&N lunch counter (good meal) on the Pan American between Cincinnati and Louisville in March, 1966 on my way to basic training at Fort Konx.  A great trip, in spite of the ultimate destination.

Thanks for that! I remember the Dinettes well and a similar car...the Café-Lounges that were always on the Sydney trains.

King_Coal Wrote:
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> Very nice photos. Good to see both the exterior
> and interior. Maybe someone has the menu.

Might not be the exact Menu from the Dinette...but this is from the Atlantic of that era:



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/18 10:53 by ghCBNS.

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Great thread, and menu contributions.

The Cold Duck on the wines card certainly dates the menu. 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> The Cold Duck on the wines card certainly dates
> the menu. 

And a pack of Cigs for .90 cents. I didn't smoke then and don't now but those poor smokers are paying around $20 for that pack today!

The meals and service were excellent on both the Atlantic and Ocean on this trip.
Gary

Just wondering if any of these cars still survive today, having served on VIA?  Not being completely familiar with this car, was there a shorter snackbar version of this car, surviving in to the VIA Rail era?
Thanks
Glen

Fascinating. The interiors are truely amazing.
Bob

So VIA managed to serve actual food in a lunch counter car. But Amtrak can't manage to do the same in brand new multi-million full diners paid for with our tax dollars. And now rotting away in storage of serving as axel counts on CN rails.

Did Ontario Northland have any of these? I have vague memories of riding in one on the Polar Bear Express in the late 80s.

Posted from Android

WOW !!! I wish Via had these on the Corridor trains instead of there "crappy " cart service in coach service !!!
Thank you for sharing those great pictures !
Also thanks for sharing those "incredible menue's to !!! :):):)

ONR had a car called the Meechim which was a former army hospital car converted into a lunch counter car.

Michael

ICE6A4001 Wrote:
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> Did Ontario Northland have any of these? I have
> vague memories of riding in one on the Polar Bear
> Express in the late 80s.
>
> Posted from Android

Prior to the new cars in the 1950's,  CN had heavyweight cars of similar configuration.  Rode one in 1967 on a steam special Toronto -Montreal.  Three choice of entree.

>  Not being
> completely familiar with this car, was there a
> shorter snackbar version of this car, surviving in
> to the VIA Rail era?
> Thanks
> Glen

There were - in the CN 5500 series.  They were coaches converted into snack/counter cars.  At least one survives in Michigan on the Great Lakes Central RR, and used behind the PM 1225.

For the 400-series purpose-built lunch-counters, on the Northern Central RR back in the 1990s there was one - the ex-CN 433?  So at least one did survive post-CN and VIA.

Looks like there about 20 seats at the counter.  The equivalent of five tables of four each.

That's a lot of real estate for such a small number of dining customers.  Maybe a cook and server / dishwasher?

Here's a Floor Plan:

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