Since my husband was a career railroad man, all things train have always had a soft place in our hearts. My fascination lay with the passenger train and the dining cars that were so much a part of the traveling experience. Indeed, the journey itself was as important as the destination.
The golden age of train travel belongs to the late 1800s and early 1900s when industrialism was booming, and trains were more than just a means of hauling freight all over the country. With both coasts accessible by rail, they symbolized progress and connected people like never before, providing adventure, convenience, and a little luxurious pampering, too.
But for the purpose of this blog, I’ll focus on the silver age of train travel, the period from the late forties into the seventies. By then, automobiles were becoming mainstays in households across the country. Buses and planes, along with an intricate expansion of interstate highways, all contributed to the decline of train travel.
Yet for those who needed to travel by rail, or just plain wanted to, beautiful streamliners like the famous California Zephyr roared onto the scene, and passengers fell in love with their speed, comfort, and sleek stainless steel look.
The railroads spared no expense to give their customers an experience they
wouldn’t get at home, providing them fine meals served on cloth-covered tables with china designed as unique as the railroads themselves, in an atmosphere professionally styled by interior designers.
Diners were called to their seating by waiters strolling through the cars and playing chimes. “Nothing could be finer than dinner in the diner” became a beloved and traditional ditty.
Once seated at their tables at their allotted time, waiters served meals on china befitting their railroad.
A few examples:
Here’s a sought-after design called “Indian Tree.” Note the word “Pullman” on this sectional plate.
This is Union Pacific’s renowned design of a winged streamliner. The plate is circled in gold.
I thought this one was pretty from the Chicago, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
Ice cream dishes from the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad.
Here’s an exclusive design called the “Milwaukee Peacock” for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad.
An egg cup from the New York Central Railroad.
Of course, I could go on and on. There are literally hundreds of railroad china designs for who knows how many different railroad lines. But they’re fun to see and admire, aren’t they?
And because I love vintage dinner menus as much as I love vintage china, here’s an example of the dinner offerings in 1955.
Everything is so cheap! 🙂 Did you notice they even provide baby food, pureed to boot?
Alas, even with all the pampering in the dining cars, passenger rail travel never regained its original popularity of their golden age, and many railroad companies failed.
However, the allure of train travel continues with heritage railways and luxury train experiences. My husband and I traveled on the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies, which was fabulous. And in 2026, 17 vintage Orient Express train cars will be “reimagined” and ready for booking!
I love using china and have three separate sets I use for special occasions–one from my grandmother, a Christmas set, and my own when I was a young bride.
Do you have china of your own or perhaps handed down to you from a family member? Do you enjoy displaying it? Or even better using it for special meals?
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