In continuing my investigation into the historic and present conversion of rail and trolley cars into diner-style restaurants, I found this excellent compilation from the Illinois Railway Museum's Hicks Car Works blog. There are plenty of photos to enjoy:
IL Railway Museum Blog on RR and Trolley "Diners"
Some of the information is out-of-date and some links no longer work. However, by combining their data with my own and some serious Googling, I identified about 54 still extant examples across the country -- a number considerably higher than previously recorded by diner historians. The restaurants are roughly divided between repurposed RR cars and trolleys or interurban cars. Regional patterns are emerging, too -- they are more often found in states without nearby diner manufacturers. Of course, that observation needs to be balanced by how many true diners where in the region, the era, the economy, and etc.
Because this is a miscellaneous *photo* post, I hope to get some pics up soon. Initial impressions of the many photos out there suggest that there was a strong connection made between rail and restaurant: rail/city transportation designs inspired small restaurants and restauranteurs actively choose to interpret and market their buildings by making that connection.
A final note: true restaurant diner architecture evolved from horse-drawn lunch wagons. The restaurant was set up on a small plot of unused land and then removed at night to avoid town ordinances. My research revealed that around 2013, several road-rated trolley cars were converted into mobile eateries. No doubt this was part of the still ongoing explosion of popular celebrity-chef style food trucks. Thus, the design and function has come full circle as these eateries are once again mobile and parked on unused plots of land by day and driven off by night. Sadly, in just these three years, most trolley restaurants seem to have folded. Of course, being mobile, they could have moved on ... :-).
My hope is make a state-by-state list available so that any of you with an interest in this design intersection can take your cameras and your empty stomachs to find examples near you. By adding photos to share here and through your patronage, we have two great ways to help preserve these bits of history.
Tomlinson Run Railroad
