Some Old Friends and Some New -- rail car restaurants of Southern California
This nice PBS article from 26 June 2014, "Trains Kept A-Rolling: .." has great pictures and background history on rail service in Southern California before introducing seven cars converted to restaurants. Some we've discussed before like Barstow Station McDonald's, Carney's (Studio City), the Formosa (W. Hollywood), and the Red Wagon Cafe (Shafter). But three were new to me, and one I hadn't posted yet.
Click on the link above to see the photos. In addition to the photos the article provides information on public transportation near by. Nice idea.
Here's a summary:
The Sidecar Restaurant (Ventura), formerly the DeLuxe Diner (not to be confused with the NJ one) is said to be a 1906 Pullman, which was later used as a pie-car (diner) for the Hagenbeck Wallace Circus. I also found a listing that said the car was built in 1910. It started life as a restaurant in 1933. It was closed in 2014.
Il Treno (Vernon) was operated from 1988 to 2010 and was still on site but empty in 2014. It's a silversides and I love the neon sign shown in the article. A Yelp! review advised not to go in the winter because "one of the cars" didn't have heat. So, apparently, there were at least two cars making up this restaurant.
The owners of Il Treno run Le Vigne (Paso Robles), which is still in business. It's a vineyard that apparently has some additional railcars but I couldn't find any photos.
I don't think that I've posted about the Vintage Steak House (1927 Pullman) in San Juan Capistrano yet, but it is (or was) located inside an ATSF freight station. My source said the station was built in 1887, the article says 1894. The latter date is confirmed by the website for its current incarnation -- check out the great interior photo with the Western Union sign, among other great photos: Trevors at the Tracks
The interior and exterior Trackside Tavern are beautiful but I didn't see anything about the dining car still being inside in my quick read before work. I doubt it would go with the current decor.
Enjoy ... or should I say "savor"?
Tomlinson Run Railroad
