poniaj posted:=snip=
I work in Greenfield Village, part of the Henry Ford, and drive the Model Ts there. Lamy's is in the Museum part, but I drive by the Owl Night Lunch wagon every day at least 4 dozen times! The Henry Ford's Owl Night Lunch wagon served nighttime workers in Detroit in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. =snip= Ford acquired the Owl in 1927 and moved it to Greenfield Village, where it served as the first food service operation. Here's a photo of it in 1935 when it served hot dogs and hamburgers along with fries and drinks.
Later on, it was painted its original colors and presently serves drinks and lighter fare. It's where I get my morning caffeine fix!
And, yes, it's the original one! =snip=
Jerry,
You are one lucky man! What a great playground within which you work. And I love the fact that you get your morning coffee at the original Owl Night Lunch, so beautifully restored. As you no doubt know, it was built in the style of a Thomas H. Buckley lunch wagon c1900. I think there's only one Buckley left and it was incorporated into someone's house here in Mass. Mr. Edison was a very forward thinking man.
Here's a photograph of a reproduction of the Owl Night Lunch cart that is on permanent loan to the Tomlinson Run Railroad. It's especially popular on excursion days. The blond on the right is me, except that I'm not blonde and I gave up wearing heels years ago (otherwise, it's a dead ringer)
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But seriously, I love the stained glass windows in the Greenfield Village restoration. Beautifully crafted windows are something that fancy rail cars and trolleys, and the early wooden lunch wagon diners shared. Years ago I worked at the Worcester (MA) Historical Museum. Worcester was the site of diner and car manufacturing. The collections contained four deep ruby-colored etched glass windows from an early lunch cart. They were stunning and I assume an incredibly rare survival. The museum moved near the (colossal) restored Worcester train station. Unfortunately, the museum is a bit of a hassle to get to now, so I haven't visited to see whether the panels are on display.
Here are two surviving etched windows from a 1925 Worcester-built lunch wagon that still serves hot dogs, Casey's in Framingham, MA. They are Flora and Winter, respectively:
Photo Challenge: Can any forum members supply photos of railroad car etched glass windows?
Lastly, you are in luck, Jerry! Just north of you is the Flint Trolley Ice Cream and Cafe -- part of the new food truck craze. The trolley came from Austin, TX but no other details are forthcoming. Perhaps one of you experts can ID it? The photo was a 2013 "courtesy photo" off the internet prior to restoration. Here are some links, including a video:
TV Newstory with video
The original vision/Austin, TX photograph source
