Dining Car Experience
On-Board Dining EVENTS
We occasionally host special meal events at the Port Jervis Railroad Museum on board our restored Lackawanna Railroad dining car. We typically cook authentic railroad recipes from the 1930s through the 1960s, sourced from railroads all over North America.
We don’t have any events planned right now, but sign up for our newsletter to stay tuned for future announcements!
Try the Erie Lackawanna’s coffee!
We’ve recreated the Erie Lackawanna Railroad’s original 1960s coffee blend that was served on the railroad’s dining cars. Grab a bag and enjoy it yourself!
History
American railroads provided some of the best meals in the country from the late 1800s through the 1970s aboard a wide-roaming fleet of railroad dining cars. Railroads served hundreds of passengers three restaurant-quality meals a day while traveling at speeds up to 100 miles per hour. These five-star meals utilized the finest locally-sourced ingredients and were freshly prepared on board the moving train. They were served on real china at tables with the finest linens, polished silver, and elegant glassware. The chefs, waiters, and stewards were well-versed in providing the best level of service and hospitality possible.
Since 2001, our organization and its predecessors have been working to preserve the history of the classic railroad dining car experience through the restoration, operation, and interpretation of vintage railroad dining artifacts and equipment. We occasionally offer special meals cooked and served aboard our restored Lackawanna Railroad dining car #469, featuring historic dining car recipes from railroads across the continent served on reproductions of the original china and glassware.
TOYX has a mobile flat-top grill setup, called that we bring to events at other museums and historical events. We call this “Beyond the Budd,” a nod to taking our preservation work outside our Budd-built dining car. We make classic burgers and hot dogs alongside railroad recipes that travel easily, like the Erie Lackawanna’s barbecue sauce, to let a wider audience experience the history of North American railroad cuisine.