| Show THE FIRST DINING CAR said to rare seen been improvised from an ordinary day coach A great deal of dispute has arisen ansen tl at t different times concerning the first dining cars and when they were first used and on what roads the Pitts pittsburgh burgR post gives the following as having been derived from a man who is re represented presen t e a as a well known electrician an and d chemist but whose name unfortunately is not given the first dining cars run in this country or any other for that matter were run between new york and chicago via the northern central grand trunk and michigan central in the year 1853 the officers of these different companies met in new york in the spring of that year and among other things discussed was the feasibility of running a dining car over the connecting lines especially on one train then known as the lightn lightning wg express which ran between new york and chicago trains as fast as this one were compelled to make two stops for meals while making the run one at mar the other at jackson twenty minutes for each meal making forty one minutes of valuable time lost after discussing the question for some time it was finally decided to try it il the seats were taken out of au an ordinary coach and tables were put along either side with stools fastened to the floor giving it the appearance of a restaurant the rear half of the baggage car was fitted up to answer the purpose of a kitchen and there the cooking was done some trouble was experienced in bringing the food from one car to the other and when crossing the platform the cinders would rain down on the head bead of the waiter and into the dishes he was carr carrying ying sometimes the waiter in trying to hurry across the platform would strike the side of the door with his tray spilling the dishes and narrowly averting avert ng falling from the train himself the first advancement was made in the waiters a the company after awhile being beina very particular to get those of a certain color all of about one size and good looking the car was a success from the start the meals being fifty cents each athe the gentleman who recalled the foregoing 0 was at that time the post says bays dining car conductor on one of these cars |
