Background: The Dining Cars

The dining cars on the trains are very enjoyable. They’re great places to meet people, enjoy the scenery and have a good meal. The food is good, with a half-dozen basic selections for each meal.

When I worked as a waiter on the dining cars in 1975, the trains had real china and linen tablecloths, and quite a few different dishes were cooked on board. The cooks could do amazing things in the small, cramped kitchen as the train rocked and rolled at close to 80 miles per hour. It’s not as fancy now but it’s still good.

In 1975, the dining cars mostly used a classic configuration that had been used for years. There were 12 four-top tables on one end of the car, and a pantry that the six waiters used along with a kitchen for the three cooks at the other end. A steward oversaw everything, seating customers and making sure everything ran smoothly. A car with the classic setup is on display at the California State Railroad Museum (see photos below).

The current dining car on the Empire Builder 

Display at California Railroad Museum
showing traditional dining car with waiter in pantry 
and cook in kitchen in background

Display at California Railroad Museum
showing kitchen on traditional dining car