A
Amtrak rider-lurker
Guest
I'm thinking about how the experience has changed. This evening, my dinner took about 1 1/2 hours. We got served quickly, and the staff seemed efficient and were helpful, but they were clearly trying to emulate a standard restaurant dinner. But I remember years and years ago (the summer of 1975) when they actually has dining cars on the northeast corridor trains between Washington and New York. I was visiting my girlfriend in New Jersey over the summer, I would leave on Friday after work, and ride up to NYP. I would often go to the diner and get served a complete dinner between Trenton and Newark. Maybe the trains didn't go quite as fast as they do today, but the time difference over such a short run wouldn't be that different. How did they do it?
The menu was very simple: Fish for $2.50, chicken for $3.00, and a steak for $8.00 ($9.90, $11.90, and $31.55, respectively in today's money). them menu was printed on a check, and the diner marked his or her choice and gave it to the waiter. In other words, there was minimal talking with the waiter. The food came out very quickly. You ate and paid. The waiters were incredibly efficient, but they didn't waste time talking too much with customers. I also saw this system on a ride on the Broadway Limited I took in 1973. Then I didn't get to eat in a diner again until I took the Capitol in 1988, and by then, I think they were in restaurant mode. Anybody have any recollections of the change?
The menu was very simple: Fish for $2.50, chicken for $3.00, and a steak for $8.00 ($9.90, $11.90, and $31.55, respectively in today's money). them menu was printed on a check, and the diner marked his or her choice and gave it to the waiter. In other words, there was minimal talking with the waiter. The food came out very quickly. You ate and paid. The waiters were incredibly efficient, but they didn't waste time talking too much with customers. I also saw this system on a ride on the Broadway Limited I took in 1973. Then I didn't get to eat in a diner again until I took the Capitol in 1988, and by then, I think they were in restaurant mode. Anybody have any recollections of the change?